Homologation is the official recognition of a foreign qualification in Spain. The right process depends on what you hold and why you need it: homologación declares a foreign qualification equivalent to a specific Spanish one (used for school/university qualifications and for regulated professions); equivalencia recognises a degree at a general level/field without equating it to a specific Spanish title; and reconocimiento profesional recognises professional qualifications for regulated professions (doctors, lawyers, teachers, architects, etc.). School qualifications are homologated via the education ministry (for year placement or university access); university degrees via the universities/science ministry; regulated professions via the relevant ministry/professional body. You'll need the original qualifications, often sworn translation and legalisation/apostille, and timescales can be long (months, sometimes longer). EU professional qualifications often have a smoother route. We handle the right process, documents and translations.
What Homologation Is
Homologation (homologación) is the formal process by which the Spanish authorities recognise a qualification earned in another country, so that it has legal effect in Spain. Without it, a foreign diploma, degree or professional title may simply not be recognised for the purpose you need — whether that's placing a child in the right school year, accessing university, or practising a regulated profession.
The confusion most expats hit is that there isn't one single "homologation" — there are different processes, handled by different authorities, depending on (a) what kind of qualification you hold (school, university, professional) and (b) what you need it for. Getting a degree recognised so you can do a master's is different from getting it recognised so you can practise as a doctor; getting a child's A-levels recognised for university is different from a professional's title being recognised to work. The single most important step is therefore identifying the correct process for your situation before you start — because applying through the wrong route, or with the wrong documents, wastes months. This guide maps the routes so you can; we then handle the chosen process for clients.
The Three Processes
Broadly, foreign-qualification recognition in Spain takes one of three forms:
| Process | What it does |
|---|---|
| Homologación | Declares a foreign qualification equivalent to a specific Spanish one (e.g. a school diploma to Bachillerato, or a degree to a specific Spanish title for a regulated profession). |
| Equivalencia | Recognises a foreign degree at a general academic level and field (e.g. "bachelor's in engineering") without equating it to a specific Spanish title — used for general academic recognition. |
| Reconocimiento profesional | Recognition of professional qualifications to practise a regulated profession (doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, architect, etc.), via the relevant ministry/body. |
Which one you need depends entirely on your goal. If a qualification must be treated as a specific Spanish equivalent — most school qualifications, and degrees for regulated professions — that's homologación. If you just need a degree recognised at a general level/field (for example, to continue studying or for a non-regulated job that asks for a degree), equivalencia may be the route. If you want to practise a regulated profession, you're in reconocimiento profesional territory, with profession-specific requirements. The boundaries and current terminology have shifted over recent reforms, which is part of why getting it right needs care. The sections below take the three most common expat situations — school, university and professions — in turn.
School Qualifications
For families, the most common need is recognising a child's foreign school qualifications, in two situations:
Year placement during schooling. When an older child transfers into the Spanish school system mid-stage, the authorities may require recognition of their prior studies to place them in the correct year — handled through the education ministry, alongside sworn translations of the child's records. Our enrolment guide covers how this fits the wider process.
Completed secondary qualification for university. A completed foreign qualification (A-levels, IB, US high-school diploma, etc.) generally needs homologation to the Spanish Bachillerato for the student to access university — working alongside the UNEDasiss accreditation that calculates the university entry mark. This is the route for school-leavers heading to a Spanish university with foreign qualifications.
Younger children entering infantil or primaria rarely need formal homologation — translated records usually suffice for placement — so it's mainly an issue from secondary upward, and especially at the school-leaving/university transition. Because both situations are time-sensitive (year placement before term, university recognition before application deadlines), starting early is essential. We handle the school-qualification homologation, the translations and the coordination with schools and UNEDasiss.
University Degrees
For adults, recognising a foreign university degree is a frequent need — and the right route depends on the purpose:
- For a regulated profession (where the degree is the gateway to practising) — generally homologación to the specific Spanish degree/title, often with profession-specific requirements (see below).
- For general academic recognition (to continue studying, e.g. a master's or PhD, or where an employer simply wants a recognised degree for a non-regulated role) — often equivalencia, recognising the degree at its level and field.
- EU degrees — within the EU framework, recognition for many purposes is smoother, though regulated professions still have their own requirements.
The common mistake is assuming a degree is "automatically valid" in Spain — for many uses it needs the appropriate recognition, and the process and authority differ by purpose. University-degree recognition is handled by the relevant ministry (universities/science), and involves submitting the degree, transcripts, translations and legalisation/apostille. For non-regulated jobs, an employer may accept a degree without formal homologation; for regulated professions and for further study, formal recognition is usually needed. Identifying which applies to your situation — and therefore which process to run — is the key first step, and exactly what we advise on.
Regulated Professions
The most demanding recognition is for regulated professions — those you can only practise with recognised qualifications and, usually, registration with a professional body (colegio): doctors, nurses and other health professionals, lawyers, teachers, architects, engineers and others. Here you need reconocimiento/homologación of the professional qualification, plus typically registration with the relevant colegio professional, and sometimes additional requirements (Spanish-language proficiency, complementary training or exams, or supervised practice) depending on the profession and where you qualified.
The route differs significantly between EU and non-EU qualifications: EU professional qualifications benefit from EU recognition mechanisms that are generally more streamlined, while qualifications from outside the EU often face a fuller homologation and, for some professions, additional study or examinations. The process is profession-specific — a doctor's recognition path is different from a lawyer's or a teacher's — and can be lengthy and document-heavy. For professionals planning to work in their field in Spain, this is often the most important and time-consuming step of relocating, and one to start as early as possible. We advise on the route for your specific profession and qualification origin, handle the homologation/recognition application and translations, and help with the colegio registration.
Regulated professions: start early, expect profession-specific steps
To practise a regulated profession (medicine, nursing, law, teaching, architecture, engineering, etc.) you need your professional qualification recognised plus, usually, registration with the relevant professional body — and sometimes language proof, extra training or exams. EU qualifications have smoother routes; non-EU ones can require fuller homologation. It's profession-specific and can be lengthy, so begin well ahead of your move.
Documents & Process
Whatever the route, the building blocks are similar:
Identify the correct process & authority
School (education ministry), university degree (universities/science ministry), or regulated profession (relevant ministry/colegio) — and homologación vs equivalencia vs reconocimiento. Get this right first.
Gather the original qualifications & records
The diploma/degree/title and supporting transcripts or syllabus, obtained from the issuing institution.
Legalise / apostille
Foreign documents usually need legalisation or an apostille to be accepted by the Spanish authorities.
Sworn translation
Documents in another language generally need sworn translation into Spanish by an authorised translator.
Submit the application & fees
Lodge with the correct authority, paying the applicable fee (tasa), and respond to any requests for further information.
Receive the decision
Recognition is granted (sometimes with conditions, such as extra training/exams for professions), enabling the use you need.
The two document steps that catch people out are legalisation/apostille (which must usually be done in the country that issued the qualification, so ideally before you move) and sworn translation (which must be by an authorised traductor jurado). Missing or incorrect documents are the commonest cause of delay or rejection. Doing the document preparation properly — and through the right process — is most of the battle, and is the core of what we manage for clients.
Timescales
The honest truth about homologation is that it can be slow. Straightforward school-qualification recognitions may come through in a few months; university-degree and professional recognitions — especially for regulated professions and non-EU qualifications — can take considerably longer, sometimes well over a year, depending on the authority, the backlog, the profession and whether additional training or exams are required. EU qualifications generally move faster than non-EU ones.
The practical implications are significant: start as early as you possibly can — ideally before you move, getting the apostille/legalisation done in the issuing country and the application lodged; plan around the delay (a professional may not be able to practise, or a student to enrol, until recognition is granted, so build that into your relocation timeline); and keep the application moving by responding promptly to any requests. For a family timing a child's school placement or a professional's ability to work, these timescales can be the binding constraint on the whole move — which is exactly why getting the process right and started early matters so much. We help clients front-load the document work and lodge correctly so the clock starts as soon as possible.
How We Help
We take the confusion out of homologation. We identify the correct process and authority for your situation — school placement, university access, a degree for further study, or a regulated profession — gather and prepare the documents, arrange the apostille/legalisation and sworn translations, lodge the application correctly, and manage it through to the decision (including profession-specific requirements and colegio registration). Because timescales can be long, we front-load the work so the clock starts early. It's delivered in English on a clear quote, as part of our relocation support. Book a consultation to get your qualifications recognised in Spain.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
It's the official recognition of a foreign qualification so it has legal effect in Spain. Without it, a foreign diploma, degree or professional title may not be recognised for the purpose you need — placing a child in the right school year, accessing university, or practising a regulated profession. There isn't one single process: homologación equates a qualification to a specific Spanish one, equivalencia recognises a degree at a general level/field, and reconocimiento profesional recognises professional qualifications. The right route depends on what you hold and why you need it.
Homologación declares a foreign qualification equivalent to a specific Spanish one — used for school qualifications (e.g. to Bachillerato) and for degrees that gate regulated professions. Equivalencia recognises a foreign degree at a general academic level and field (e.g. "bachelor's in engineering") without equating it to a specific Spanish title — used for general academic recognition, such as continuing to study or a non-regulated job that asks for a degree. Which you need depends on your purpose, so identifying that before applying is essential to avoid wasted months.
It depends on age and purpose. Younger children entering infantil or primaria rarely need formal homologation — translated records usually suffice for placement. It becomes relevant from secondary upward: for placing an older child in the correct year mid-stage, and especially for a completed secondary qualification (A-levels, IB, high-school diploma) to be homologated to Bachillerato for university access, alongside UNEDasiss. Both situations are time-sensitive, so start early. We handle the school-qualification homologation and translations.
Not automatically for all purposes. For a non-regulated job, an employer may accept a foreign degree without formal homologation. But for a regulated profession, the degree generally needs homologación to the specific Spanish title; for further study or formal academic recognition, equivalencia is often the route. EU degrees have smoother recognition for many purposes. The process and authority differ by purpose, so the key first step is identifying which applies to your situation. We advise on the right route and handle the application.
Through reconocimiento/homologación of the professional qualification, usually plus registration with the relevant professional body (colegio), and sometimes additional requirements — Spanish-language proof, complementary training or exams, or supervised practice — depending on the profession. EU qualifications benefit from more streamlined EU recognition; non-EU qualifications often face fuller homologation and, for some professions, extra study or examinations. It's profession-specific (a doctor's path differs from a lawyer's or teacher's) and can be lengthy, so start as early as possible. We advise on your specific profession and manage it.
Generally the original qualification (diploma/degree/title) and supporting transcripts or syllabus, legalised or apostilled (usually in the issuing country), and sworn-translated into Spanish by an authorised translator, plus the application form and fee. The two steps that catch people out are the legalisation/apostille (best done before you move) and the sworn translation (which must be by a traductor jurado). Missing or incorrect documents are the commonest cause of delay or rejection, so getting the document preparation right is most of the battle.
It varies and can be slow. Straightforward school-qualification recognitions may come through in a few months; university-degree and professional recognitions — especially regulated professions and non-EU qualifications — can take considerably longer, sometimes well over a year, depending on the authority, backlog, profession and whether extra training or exams are required. EU qualifications generally move faster. Start as early as possible (ideally before you move), plan your relocation timeline around the delay, and respond promptly to any requests to keep it moving.
Generally yes. Within the EU framework, recognition of qualifications — particularly professional ones — is more streamlined than for non-EU qualifications, which often require fuller homologation and, for some professions, additional study or examinations. That said, EU regulated professions still have their own requirements and may involve registration with a professional body and language proof. UK qualifications, post-Brexit, are now treated as non-EU for many purposes, which can mean a fuller process. We advise on the route based on your qualification's origin and your profession or purpose.