Official Recognition of qualifications

If you have obtained a higher education qualification from a non-Spanish university, such as any university qualification, whether a higher vocational qualification, diploma, licenciatura, Bachelor's degree (Hons) or Master's degree, you will need to submit a series of documents and follow the steps explained below to make the process easier for you.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the purpose of this process is the official recognition of higher education qualifications awarded by foreign institutions as official Spanish university Bachelor's or Master's degrees that give access to a regulated profession in Spain.

In addition, the Ministry states that the official recognition of a foreign qualification as a Spanish qualification must allow access to a regulated profession and will make it possible to practise that regulated profession under the same conditions as holders of Spanish qualifications that authorise such practice.

The answer is simple: anyone who holds a qualification awarded by an official non-Spanish higher education institution. To apply for this process and have your qualification officially recognised in Spain, you have two options: one is through the Ministry’s official website, at the following link, Ministry of Education and Science Electronic Office. This option is very convenient because you do not need to travel.

The second option is in person. The first step is to download the form you will need to complete and then submit it at any public registry office of the General State Administration or of an Autonomous Community.

The process will also allow you to keep track of the status of your application until it is marked as resolved. However, remember that any documents you submit, whether through the electronic office or in person, must be in Spanish. Therefore, if you have documents in another language, they must be translated by a sworn translator authorised in Spain for them to be valid.

• Certified copy of the document proving the applicant’s identity and nationality, issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin or provenance, or by the competent Spanish immigration authorities.

In the case of Spanish citizens, a certified photocopy of the national identity document or authorisation to verify the identity data held by the Administration.

• Certified copy of the qualification for which official recognition is being requested, or of the certificate confirming its award and, where applicable, the corresponding official translation.
• Certified copy of the academic transcript of the studies completed by the applicant to obtain the qualification, stating, among other details, the official duration of the study plan in academic years, the modules studied and the number of hours for each of them, and, where applicable, the corresponding official translation.
• Proof of payment of the fee.
• Proof of the language proficiency required to practise the relevant regulated profession in Spain.

Once you have completed all the steps, you will be notified of the decision and will be able to collect your credential, which will be issued by the Deputy Directorate-General for Qualifications of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

As you can see, it is not as complicated to obtain official recognition of your qualification in Spain as you may have thought. It is a process that takes some time, but be patient. We hope this has cleared up the doubts you had.