What changes if you move from one Spanish region to another

Key rules

• State offices: The tax office, national police and Social Security use Spanish in every region.
• Regional language: In co-official regions you can use either language with regional and local administrations.
• Catalan: Your Catalan study carries over very well to Valencian and Balearic Catalan.
• Certificates: Catalan, Valencian and Balearic certificates are mutually recognised; Galician and Basque ones are valid in their own regions.
• Jobs and exams: Each call for applications decides which language certificates it accepts.

What changes when you move

Spanish works everywhere in Spain. What changes is the second language around you, and that depends on the region.

In Catalonia, the Balearics, the Valencian Community, Galicia and the Basque Country, the regional language is also official. The same is true in the Basque-speaking areas of Navarre. In these places you can deal with regional and town administrations in either language. Forms, signs and notices are usually bilingual.

In regions with Spanish only, just Spanish is official. Some areas protect local languages such as Asturian or Aragonese, but these are not co-official.

If you move from a Spanish-only region to a co-official one, expect more of the regional language on signs, letters and in local offices. You can still use Spanish.

State offices stay in Spanish

The tax office, the national police and Social Security work in Spanish wherever you live. They may offer some forms in the regional language, but you do not need it for them. The language shift is mostly in your town hall, regional government, schools and daily life.

What carries over from your language effort

• Catalan: it carries over very well to Valencian and Balearic Catalan. These are varieties of one language, with differences in accent, some vocabulary and verb endings. You can keep the same grammar and textbooks and just learn the local forms.
• Galician: it carries over only a little. It is close to Portuguese and shares a lot with Spanish, but it is not spoken in other regions. It helps with Portuguese. Asturian and Leonese are related but separate languages.
• Basque: it does not carry over to any other language.

So if you have started learning Catalan in Barcelona and move to Valencia or Palma, your effort is mostly kept. If you learned Galician or Basque, plan to start again with a new language, or rely on Spanish.

Will your certificate still count?

Catalan certificates, Valencian certificates (JQCV) and Balearic certificates are recognised across those three regions through equivalence agreements. Valencia accepts Catalan and Balearic certificates at the equivalent level. The Balearic government accepts Catalan and Valencian ones.

Galician (CELGA) and Basque (EGA, HABE) certificates are valid in their own regions. Elsewhere, they may not count.

Official language certificates that follow the CEFR levels, such as those from official language schools, give you a common level to point to.

For a job or a public-sector exam, the call for applications decides which certificates are accepted. Public-sector language requirements also differ by region. Read the call carefully, and ask the organiser before you pay for an exam or a course.

If you find out later that you need it

The questions and the extra guidance below cover what to do if you only discover after the move that you need the regional language.

What if you discover after moving that you need the regional language?

The language is rarely a dead end. Follow three steps in order: check whether it is really required, find the exact level, then sit the official exam.

Step 1: Check whether it is legally required

The answer depends on who is asking.

• Public jobs: Teaching posts in public schools in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearics generally require the regional language. Valencia requires or credits the Valencian certificate. Health service and regional civil service posts in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia usually need a minimum level. In the Balearics and Galicia, health posts credit the language as merit rather than requiring it. Valencia requires it for some health posts. Posts with the national state, such as national police or central government, do not require it.
• Private employers: There is no general ban on asking for the language, and no general rule forcing it either. An employer can ask for it if the requirement is reasonable and linked to the duties of the job. Asking for a certified level for customer-facing work is usually lawful. A requirement unrelated to the job could be challenged in the labour courts.
• School or social circle: No certificate is needed. Start at the "courtesy words" or "understand" level and build up. Your goal decides how far you go.

Each public call sets its own requirements and merit points, so read the specific call before you decide anything.

Step 2: Find the level you need

"Working level" usually means B2. Teaching, administration and some higher public posts need C1. Employers and calls often name a certificate rather than a CEFR letter, so use this table.

Step 3: Sit the official exam

• Catalonia: Generalitat certificates are offered several times a year. Official language schools also certify.
• Valencia: JQCV exams usually run twice a year.
• Balearics: The regional government's certificates are typically offered two to three times a year.
• Galicia: CELGA exams are run by the regional government, with a few sittings a year.
• Basque Country: EGA and HABE exams run a couple of times a year. In Navarre, Basque is certified through EGA or HABE.

Sittings are limited, so register early. Check the current calendar with the regional language body before you plan around a date.

Will your certificate travel?

Catalan, Valencian and Balearic certificates are recognised across those three regions at equivalent levels. Galician and Basque certificates are valid in their own regions. For jobs and public exams elsewhere, the local call decides what it accepts, so confirm with the body running the call before you pay for an exam.

Frequently asked questions

Does Catalan carry over if I move to Valencia or the Balearics?

Yes, Catalan carries over very well to Valencian and Balearic Catalan, because they are varieties of one language. The grammar and textbooks are the same. You mainly need to adapt to local accent, some vocabulary and verb endings.

Will my Catalan certificate be accepted if I move to another Catalan-speaking region?

Yes, Catalan, Valencian (JQCV) and Balearic certificates are mutually recognised at equivalent levels through equivalence agreements. Galician and Basque certificates are valid in their own regions. For jobs or public-sector exams elsewhere, read the local call for applications.

Does Galician help me if I move to another region?

Galician helps only to a limited degree outside Galicia, because it is not spoken elsewhere in Spain. It is close to Portuguese and related to Asturian and Leonese, which are separate languages. Basque does not carry over to any other language.

Do state offices change language when I move to a co-official region?

No, state bodies such as the tax agency, national police and Social Security use Spanish everywhere. They may offer forms in the regional language. Regional and local offices let you use either official language, with bilingual forms and signs.