How to validate a foreign university degree in Spain

If you studied abroad and want to work or continue your studies in Spain, you will most likely need to have your university degree validated. The procedure, run by the Spanish Ministry of Universities, requires every document not in Spanish to be filed together with a sworn translation. This guide explains how it works and what to prepare.

Validation, equivalence or professional recognition: which one applies

Before you start, it helps to tell the three routes apart, because they serve different purposes:

• Validation (homologación): equates your foreign degree to an official Spanish degree that grants access to a regulated profession (doctor, lawyer, engineer, architect, etc.).
• Equivalence (equivalencia): certifies that your degree is of an equivalent academic level (bachelor's, master's), but without direct access to a regulated profession. This is the most common route.
• Professional recognition: a specific route for EU graduates in regulated professions, distinct from general validation.

If you want to enrol in a master's or doctoral programme, equivalence is usually enough. If you intend to practise a regulated profession, you need validation.

Documents you will need

The core of the file is always the same:

• University degree from the issuing country.
• Official academic transcript (grades and credits of the subjects taken).
• Programme syllabus stamped by the issuing university.
• National ID, NIE or passport of the applicant.
• Proof of payment of the Ministry fee.

If your documents come from a country that is not party to The Hague Convention, you will also need diplomatic legalisation. If the country is a signatory, you will need the Hague Apostille.

A sworn translation is mandatory

Any document not written in Spanish must be filed together with a sworn translation into Spanish, signed by a translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC). This includes:

• The degree itself and the academic transcript.
• The syllabus.
• The apostille or the legalisation (yes, the apostille is translated too — it is part of the official document).

The Ministry rejects files with non-sworn translations, or with translations produced abroad that are not officially recognised in Spain. A "certified translation" issued by a generic agency is not enough: it must be sworn in the strict sense of Spanish law.

Timelines and practical tips

The formal resolution period is six months from the date the complete file is received, but in practice it often runs longer. To avoid delays:

• Get the apostille first in the country of origin, then the sworn translation. If you do it the other way around, you will have to translate the apostille as well.
• Make sure proper names match exactly across every document.
• Keep a copy of everything you submit: the Ministry may request clarifications months later.

At Textualia we prepare sworn translations from English and French into Spanish, fully accepted by the Ministry of Universities and the rest of the Spanish administration.