The Barcelona player will contest the sentence on 20 April, reports Reuters, citing a court spokesperson.
Messi was found guilty of three counts of tax fraud and depriving the Spanish tax authorities of €4.1m (£3.5m, $4.4m) between 2007 and 2009, by a Barcelona court in July 2016.
His father Jorge Messi was also given a jail sentence, although neither is likely to spend any time behind bars as, under Spanish law, prison sentences under two years can be served on probation.
In addition to the prison sentences, Lionel Messi was fined around €2m and his father €1.5m for using tax havens in Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights.
Both made a voluntary €5m “corrective payment” in August 2013, which was equal to the value of the unpaid tax plus interest.
No details were given as to whether or not Jorge will also appeal his sentence.
Image rights
The income relates to the use of Messi’s image in contracts with Danone, Adidas, Pepsi, and Procter and Gamble among others.
The footballer has always denied knowing what was happening with his finances, which were being managed in part by his father.
The high court in Barcelona ruled in June 2015 that not knowing about his finances did not mean that Messi should be granted impunity.
Lionel Messi was also among those named in the Panama Papers scandal, which saw more than 11 million documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
Football focus
Footballers have been a key focus for tax authorities in recent years, with several high-profile players coming under intense scrutiny.
England captain and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney faced a £3.5m fine in October 2016 after HM Revenue & Customs challenged a scheme in which he was a key investor.
Football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho became embroiled in a €185m Spanish tax avoidance case in December. Money was reportedly hidden from tax authorities through a network of offshore accounts and companies in Ireland, the British Virgin Islands, Panama and Switzerland.
Rangers Football Club has been pursued by HMRC for seven years, despite entering liquidation in October 2012, for aiding and abetting tax avoidance.
