Homologate foreign university degrees in Spain: everything you need to know

We explain the scheme to approve foreign university degrees in Spain and we clarify the differences with equivalence and validation.

The Royal Decree 967/2014, of November 21, distinguishes two concepts: homologate university degrees and ask for the equivalence of university degrees, whose difference must be very clear.

The homologation is for the so-called regulated professions, that is, those that have a law that develops their exercise and establishes the specific conditions for said exercise. Such is the case, for example, of doctors, architects, lawyers and engineers. In total, the regulation indicates 36 regulated professions, which you can see in annex 1 of the Royal Decree.

The equivalence is for the other professions, that is to say, those that are not regulated, such as, for example, journalism, administration and business management, mathematics or physics (except, in these cases, that go to practice as a teacher, an activity that is regulated).

How to approve university degrees of regulated professions: cases

In turn, within the homologation it is necessary to distinguish several assumptions:

1- There are regulated professions for whose exercise it is enough to take and pass the 4 years of university studies, which lead to the obtaining of what is called University Degree. Such is the case, for example, of the Mining Technical Engineer.

2 – In turn, there are other professions that require, in addition to the University Degree, take a master’s degree, as is the case of the Mining Engineer, to continue with the same example. This master does not have to be specific, although it is directly related, of course, to an area of the profession.

3- Likewise, there are other professions that require, in addition to the University Degree, a specific master and other conditions. This is the case of lawyers, for example. These now have:

– take a university degree in Law (4 years).
-make a master’s degree in legal practice that includes two periods of work experience (this master’s degree normally lasts a year and a half, compared to other master’s courses that last one year). Y
-also present, after having approved the degree and the master’s degree, an Evaluation of Professional Aptitude, which is carried out by the Ministry of Justice twice a year at the national level.
-Only after completing these procedures, can a lawyer register with a Bar Association, a requirement also essential to be able to legally exercise.

Homologate university degrees: concrete examples

Let’s suppose that you obtained a degree in Mining Engineering from the Central University of Venezuela, after completing and passing five academic years. In this case you have two options:

A- Homologate as Technical Engineer of Mines, for which it is enough that you request the homologation to said university degree.

B- Homologate as a Mining Engineer (since you studied 5 years originally, one more than those required for the Spanish university degree). To do this, you must first apply for equivalence to the degree (Technical Engineer of Mines) and then the master’s degree.

The response to the request can be of 3 types: grant it directly, deny it, or grant it subject to the Convalidation of certain studies. The latter is what usually happens. In these cases, you have to go to a Spanish university to process the validation.

The validation may require, depending on the type of study and university, that you study certain subjects, that you present a final grade report, or that you take some exams directly.

If you obtained a degree of lawyer abroad, or architect, or general health psychologist, there are additional requirements, which we explain in the article

Homologate in Spain the title of lawyer, architect or general sanitary psychologist obtained abroad

Request equivalence of titles, easier

If it is a degree from a non-regulated profession, such as a business administration degree, obtained at a university outside of Spain, and if the degree lasts for 5 academic years, what you request is equivalence, which you can request from three forms: only for the degree title, only for the master’s degree, or for both cases. The most advisable, would be the latter. The equivalence usually grant it without requiring validation.

Documentation necessary to request homologation or equivalence

To approve foreign university degrees in Spain, an application must be submitted accompanied by the following documentation:

-Certified copy of the document proving the identity and nationality of the applicant, issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin or origin or by the Spanish authorities competent in the field of immigration. In the case of Spanish citizens, photocopies certified by the national identity document or authorization to verify identity data held by the Administration.
-Certified copy of the title whose homologation is requested or of the certification accrediting its issuance and, where appropriate, of the corresponding official translation.
-Certified copy of the academic certification of the studies carried out by the applicant to obtain the degree, which include, among other things, the official duration, in academic years, of the study plan followed, the courses taken and the workload of each of them and, where appropriate, the corresponding official translation.
-Proof of payment of the 790 rate.
-The academic documents must be legalized in the country of origin and with the corresponding Apostille of The Hague. If they are not in Spanish, they must be translated by a public interpreter.

Where, when and how the application for approval or equivalence is submitted

To approve foreign university degrees in Spain, or request their equivalence, the application is filed in any public registry of the General State Administration, Autonomous Communities and some of the Local Administrations (many City Councils have signed agreements that allow them to act as Public Registry) .

The most advisable, however, is to do it directly in the Ministry of Education, if you are in Madrid, or in the Delegation or sub-delegation of Government if you are in a provincial capital, because there they are more familiar with the process and can tell you if you lack some collection.

You can do it personally or through a representative, in this case either with a power of attorney or with a simple letter of authorization. You can submit the application at any time, there is no specific date for it.
You can also submit the online application, if you have a valid digital certificate in Spain.

The procedure culminates with the resolution of the case, which if affirmative is reflected in a certificate issued by the General Subdirectorate of Qualifications and Recognition of Qualifications of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, and which you can collect at its headquarters.

You can also request that you be sent to the High Education Inspection Area in the Autonomous Community in which you wish to appear for withdrawal. You can also request that the certificate be sent to the Ministry of Education of the Embassy of Spain where you wish to proceed with its withdrawal, if you are abroad.

Approve or request equivalence of foreign university degrees: when it is not necessary

When it comes to unregulated university degrees, such as administration and business management, computer science, etc., many companies do not even demand that you have obtained the equivalence, it is enough for them to have the title legalized in the country of origin with their respective Apostille. Haya

However, to oppose or access positions in the Public Administration, for example, that require among the requirements to have a university graduate degree, you would have to process the equivalence (it is insisted, for unregulated professions, otherwise you need the homologation ).

The same happens if you have a degree in a regulated profession and you do not plan to exercise it. In this case, you can also ask for the equivalence instead of the homologation, or simply do not do any of these procedures, but if you change your mind, you will have to do the whole homologation procedure from scratch.