Homologación: foreign degree recognition in Spain

To work in Spain in your profession — as a doctor, teacher, engineer or lawyer — or to continue studying, a foreign degree usually has to be officially recognised. The procedure is called homologación (or, depending on the case, equivalencia and convalidación), and it's easy to get confused: three similar words mean different things, and different ministries may handle them. This guide explains how they differ, what documents a Ukrainian needs, how much it costs and how long it takes — grounded in primary sources (BOE, the relevant ministries) and with honest flags where the rules change.

Three procedures: homologación, equivalencia, convalidación

This is the key distinction — it determines which procedure you need and which body to go to. All three, for university degrees, are defined in Real Decreto 889/2022 (in force since 8 November 2022, repealing the previous RD 967/2014).

• Homologación — equating your degree to a specific Spanish official degree. The key point: homologación grants the right to work in a regulated profession in Spain (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist, teacher, engineer, architect, etc.).
• Declaración de equivalencia — recognition of the academic level only (Grado or Máster) and field of knowledge. The effect is purely academic and administrative; it does not grant access to a regulated profession. It serves, for example, for competitive processes requiring "university education at Grado level" in general, without a specific specialty.
• Convalidación de estudios parciales — recognition of part of the studies completed (individual subjects) to continue at a Spanish university. This is handled by the university itself, not the ministry.

Which body handles what

• University degrees (Grado / Máster): Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Filing is electronic only via the portal universidades.sede.gob.es (information portal — ciencia.gob.es/Universidades/validate). The ministerial homologación / equivalencia procedures cover precisely the Grado and Máster levels.
• Doctorate (Doctorado): the ministerial homologación / equivalencia does not cover it — the declaración de equivalencia to Doctor level is issued by the Spanish university of your choice, under its own internal procedure. Check the procedure at your chosen university.
• Non-university education (school, ESO, Bachillerato, FP vocational training): Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (educacionfpydeportes.gob.es).
• Partial university studies (convalidación): the Spanish university you enrol at.
• Medical specialty from a non-EU country: Ministerio de Sanidad (see the section on doctors below).

Documents for a Ukrainian applicant

Basic set:

• the diploma (or certificate of its issuance) and the academic transcript (certificación académica) listing subjects, years, hours and grades;
• a document evidencing identity and nationality;
• legalisation of the diploma and the academic transcript (see below);
• an official translation into Spanish — for example by a sworn translator (traducción jurada) appointed by the Spanish MFA (MAEUEC); the ministry also accepts official translators from EU countries, and a translator from another country if their signature is legalised;
• proof of payment of the fee.

Fee (tasa)

• University homologación / equivalencia: €166.50, via modelo 790, code 107. The amount is the same for both procedures and can change — check the current figure on the tasa page (ciencia.gob.es/Universidades/validate/tasa). The fee is refunded only in rare cases (for example, a duplicate payment made in error).
• Non-university procedures: modelo 790, code 079. Homologación of a school certificate to the Graduado en ESO level is free. The law also charges no such fee for homologación of Health Sciences specialty titles (Ley 53/2002, art. 28).

Timeframes

• The legal maximum for the university procedure is 6 months from registering the application. If there is no decision within 6 months, the request may be deemed rejected by "negative administrative silence" (silencio administrativo negativo), which opens the appeal route.
• For non-university procedures the legal deadline is 3 months from the date the file is complete; without a decision in time, the homologación is also deemed refused.

Special track: doctors and nurses

There are two distinct processes here that must not be confused:

1. The basic degree (doctor, nurse, etc.) — homologación via the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades under RD 889/2022. The decision may be conditional and require requisitos formativos complementarios: this can be an aptitude test (prueba de aptitud), a practical placement (período de prácticas), an academic project or specific courses. You have 4 years to complete them, otherwise the conditional homologación lapses; for cases being processed as of June 2025, the ministry extended this period by another 2 years (BOE-B-2025-20867).
2. A specialty (médico especialista — e.g. cardiologist) from a country outside the EU — this is not homologación but reconocimiento de efectos profesionales via the Ministerio de Sanidad, under Real Decreto 459/2010. The ministry checks correspondence with the Spanish specialty and may require a theoretical-practical exam.

Sequence for a Ukrainian doctor: first get the basic degree recognised via Universidades → then, if applicable, seek recognition of the specialty via Sanidad.

Children and school

To continue studies in infant, primary and secondary school no prior convalidación or homologación is needed — the child is enrolled immediately. The convalidación procedure is only required after completing 4º ESO (roughly grade 10 in the Ukrainian system). For Ukrainian children a course-equivalence table has been published (at educacionfpydeportes.gob.es).

Expedited track for Ukrainians with temporary protection

Official measures (sources — Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, RD 889/2022 and the "Ucrania Urgente" portal):

• Dedicated university track: first file the homologación/equivalencia request through the sede electrónica, then email titulos.protecciontemporalucrania@ciencia.gob.es indicating which of the resolution's situations (a–g) justifies the recognition, your full name and the expediente code. The ministry then examines these applications with priority.
• Fee at the end: temporary-protection beneficiaries pay the university fee only once the case has been examined.
• Conditional enrolment (volante de inscripción condicional) — for school and FP procedures: lets you enrol at a school or college while recognition is processed.
• Document flexibility: a declaración responsable at the start of the procedure when documents are missing; for legalisation see above.
• Eligibility applies to those who were resident in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and assimilated categories; the universities ministry also extends the expedited track to refugees and asylum applicants from Ukraine.

This guide describes the general procedure; official conditions and amounts can change — verify with the primary sources: ciencia.gob.es/Universidades/validate (universities), educacionfpydeportes.gob.es (school and FP), sanidad.gob.es (medical specialties) and the "Ucrania Urgente" portal of the Ministerio de Inclusión. If you need help from a Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking professional (gestor, immigration and degree-recognition lawyer), check our verified directory.