Recognising qualifications in 西班牙

Determine whether your target profession is regulated in Spain

Many professions in Spain — including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, architecture, and law — require Colegio Profesional membership and, for third-country applicants, a prior formal degree equivalence decision (homologación) from the Ministry of Education. Check the Ministry of Education's RERUE portal for the current regulated-profession list before proceeding.

Choose the correct recognition pathway

If your degree is for a regulated profession and you trained outside the EEA, you need homologación (equivalence to the Spanish degree) from the Subdirección General de Títulos. If you are an EEA/EU-trained professional in one of the seven automatic-recognition professions (doctor, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, vet, midwife, architect), you may apply directly to the relevant Colegio under the PQD general-system route. For non-regulated qualifications, NARIC Spain's declaración de nivel is usually sufficient for employers.

Assemble your documents

For homologación applications, the standard pack includes: original degree certificate and official transcripts, a sworn Spanish translation (traducción jurada) by a translator officially accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, passport or identity document copy, and proof of payment of the official fee. Certain documents issued outside the EU may also require an Apostille or full legalisation depending on the issuing country's status under the Hague Convention.

Submit the application and pay the fee

Applications for homologación are submitted electronically through the Sede Electrónica of the Ministry of Education. Pay the official fee — currently approximately €195 for university-level degrees (verify the current amount on the official portal before payment, as it is updated periodically). Submit the complete documentation pack; incomplete applications extend processing times significantly.

Await the Ministry's resolution

The Ministry of Education reviews the application and issues one of three outcomes: a resolution granting equivalence (homologación granted), a resolution granting partial equivalence with compensatory measures (prueba de aptitud or supervised adaptation period), or a refusal. Processing times for third-country applicants are typically 3–6 months, though Ministry backlogs can extend this substantially. The Ministry must provide written reasons for any refusal.

Complete any compensatory measures if required

If partial equivalence is granted with compensatory measures, the applicant must complete either an aptitude test (prueba de aptitud) or a supervised adaptation period (período de prácticas). The adaptation period may last up to three years. Successful completion of the compensatory measure leads to full homologación. For some professions, the Colegio rather than the Ministry administers the test.