Homologacion of a diploma: how to get your education recognised in Spain

When recognition is needed and when it is not

The first thing to understand is that not everyone needs their diploma recognised. In Spain professions are divided into regulated and unrestricted:

• Unrestricted fields: programming, design, marketing, sales, management and most roles in private business. The employer decides for themselves whether your qualification satisfies them, and official recognition is not required.
• Regulated professions (profesiones reguladas): medicine and nursing, pharmacy, law, architecture, engineering specialities carrying sign-off responsibility, and school teaching. Here working in your profession without homologación is prohibited by law.

Recognition is also needed if you want to continue studying (a master or doctorado), to enter public-sector competitions (oposiciones) or to prove your qualification for a licensed activity. If the aim is simply a job at a private company, a sworn translation of your diploma is often enough.

Homologacion, equivalencia and convalidacion: which to choose

Choosing the route is a strategic decision: homologación is stricter and slower, while equivalencia is often faster and sufficient for most unrestricted goals. A mistake at this stage costs a year of waiting for the wrong outcome.

The procedure step by step: university degrees

Recognition of university degrees is governed by Real Decreto 889/2022, and applications are handled by the ministry responsible for universities (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades; check the current structure and portal at universidades.gob.es). The order is as follows:

1. Choosing the route. Homologación (for a regulated profession) or equivalencia (level and field). Medical specialities with a Spanish residency programme have their own separate tracks.
2. Preparing the file. The diploma and its supplement with an apostille, sworn translations, the academic transcript (list of subjects and hours), your passport and, where required, proof of professional experience.
3. Electronic filing. The application is submitted through the ministry's sede electronica (you need a certificado digital or Cl@ve) with payment of the state fee tasa 790 codigo 107, the benchmark for 2026 being around 166.50 euros.
4. Review. The formal deadline is up to 6 months; in reality, because of the backlog, the process often takes longer. The ministry may ask for additions, and the time allowed for them is limited.
5. Decision. There are three possible outcomes: recognition, recognition with conditions (requisitos formativos complementarios, meaning extra exams or courses at a Spanish university) and refusal, which can be appealed (recurso).

The main cause of delays is incomplete files: no apostille on the supplement, a translation from an ordinary agency instead of a sworn one, no description of the study programme. Every request for additions adds months.

Apostille and sworn translation: the foundation of the file

For documents from Ukraine and other Hague Convention countries the chain looks like this:

1. The apostille in the issuing country. For Ukrainian education documents the apostille is issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Both the diploma and its supplement are apostilled.
2. Sworn translation (traducción jurada). All documents are translated by a translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (traductor jurado). The translation is made from the document that already carries the apostille, so that it covers the apostille too.
3. Copies and matching names. The spelling of your name in the translations must match your passport and NIE letter for letter; discrepancies trigger queries and delays.

If the originals are still in Ukraine, some documents can be obtained remotely under a power of attorney. We cover that process in our Documents and legalisation service, including the apostille, requesting duplicates and sworn translations.

School certificates and bachillerato

Recognition of non-university education, school leaving certificates and vocational qualifications, follows a different line: through the Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes. The key points:

• A basic school certificate (ESO level) is usually recognised for study and work without complex procedures; full homologación is needed for bachillerato level (twelve years of schooling with a decent grade average) and for vocational titles.
• While the application is being reviewed you are issued a volante de inscripción condicional, a temporary document that lets you enrol at educational institutions and sit exams without waiting for the final decision.
• To enter a Spanish university a recent school leaver normally needs a recognised secondary education plus the access procedures (for example PCE or EBAU through UNED for foreign certificates).

Children in compulsory schooling (ages 6 to 16) do not need their documents recognised at all, as we explained in detail in our article on enrolling a child at school.

Regulated professions: special routes

The more heavily licensed the profession, the harder the road:

• Doctors and nurses. Homologación of the title is only the first step; to work as a specialist you also need the procedure recognising the speciality (for non-EU doctors there is a separate track through the relevant ministries) and membership of the colegio de medicos or colegio de enfermeria.
• Lawyers. Spanish law differs considerably, so recognition usually goes through equivalencia plus additional study, and practising as an advocate requires joining the colegio de abogados.
• Engineers and architects. Sign-off powers require homologación to the corresponding title and membership of the professional college.
• Teachers. For state schools, homologación plus the requirements of the autonomous region (language, master de profesorado).

In all these cases the right strategy from day one saves a year or eighteen months: sometimes it is faster to obtain equivalencia and work in an adjacent role while completing the conditions for full homologación in parallel.

How Krepko helps

Getting a diploma recognised is a marathon of documents from two countries. Krepko runs it for you:

• We identify the right route (homologación, equivalencia, convalidación) for your goal, whether work, study or a licence.
• We assemble the file: the apostille in Ukraine under a power of attorney, sworn translations, transcripts, electronic filing and payment of the tasa.
• We track the status of your case and answer the ministry's queries on time.
• The legally significant steps are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.

See our Documents and legalisation service page, and leave a request, the review is free: we will tell you honestly which route is realistic for your diploma and how long it will take.

Sources

• Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, homologacion de titulos extranjeros
• BOE: Real Decreto 889/2022, conditions and procedures for recognition
• Sede Universidades: tasa 107 (modelo 790) for homologacion
• Ministerio de Educacion, recognition of non-university education