Learning Catalan or Valencian free or cheaply after you move

Terms used

• Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística — The Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística (CPNL) is Catalonia's public body that runs adult Catalan courses.
• Centres de Normalització Lingüística — The Centres de Normalització Lingüística (CNL) are the CPNL's local offices where you enrol in Catalan courses.
• Escola Oficial d'Idiomes — The Escola Oficial d'Idiomes (EOI) is a public language school offering courses at higher levels at public prices.
• Padrón — The padrón is the town hall register of residents; being on it proves you live in the municipality.
• Junta Qualificadora de Coneixements de Valencià — The Junta Qualificadora de Coneixements de Valencià (JQCV) is the body issuing official Valencian language certificates.

Key rules

• Residency: Public courses generally do not require legal residency, though some subsidised ones favour people on the padrón.
• Cheapest route: Regional administration and town hall courses are the cheapest official option; EOI courses cost more.
• Fees and dates: Fees and enrolment dates vary by provider, so ask the local office before you plan.
• Certificates: The body asking for your certificate decides whether to accept it, so check before you enrol.

Fees, enrolment dates and priority rules change by provider and year, so confirm them with the local CNL, EOI or town hall before you enrol.

The cheapest official route

The cheapest route is the regional administration's own course. In Catalonia that is the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística (CPNL). In the Balearics it is the Govern's language-policy service. In the Comunitat Valenciana it is the municipal or Generalitat Valenciana language service. Some basic courses are free or heavily subsidised. Higher levels at the Escola Oficial d'Idiomes (EOI) cost more but still use public prices.

Catalonia

• Who runs courses: The CPNL runs them through its local Centres de Normalització Lingüística (CNL). Barcelona city has its own CNL Barcelona. The EOI covers higher levels. Many town halls and some universities also offer courses.
• Cost: The CPNL sets a fee per course, depending on level and hours. Reductions apply to unemployed people, students and young people. Some basic courses are free or heavily subsidised for newcomers and people on low incomes. Ask your CNL for the current fee.
• When to enrol: Enrolment follows the academic terms. For autumn courses it runs roughly from June to September. Winter courses open around December and January. There are also spring windows and a separate period for intensive summer courses. Dates vary by CNL, so ask yours.
• Free practice: Òmnium Cultural's Voluntariat per la llengua pairs you with a volunteer for free conversation.

The Balearic Islands

• Who runs courses: The Govern's language-policy department, its Servei de Normalització Lingüística, the Centres de Formació de Persones Adultes (CFPA), the EOIs (Palma, Ibiza, Mahón and elsewhere), the University of the Balearic Islands and town halls. Obra Cultural Balear also offers courses.
• Cost: Government and some municipal courses are free or low-cost. EOI fees are public prices set each year. There are reductions for large families, unemployed people and people with disabilities.
• When to enrol: EOIs take pre-enrolment in spring and enrolment from June to September for autumn courses. Govern and municipal courses use their own windows, often just before each term.

Comunitat Valenciana

• Who runs courses: The Generalitat's language-policy services, the EOIs, public university language services and municipal normalisation services. Escola Valenciana and Acció Cultural del País Valencià also offer courses. Your town hall's Valencian service is the best first call for local offers.
• Cost: Municipal courses and some Generalitat programmes are free or low-cost. EOI fees are set each year, with reductions for large families and unemployed people. Universities charge per course.
• When to enrol: EOIs usually open pre-enrolment in spring and enrolment from June to September. Universities and town halls open their own windows before each term.

Who can enrol

You generally do not need legal residency to join a public course. Online and municipal courses usually ask only for a passport or ID number. Some subsidised courses give priority to people on the padrón in the town or region. People in an irregular situation are usually not excluded from municipal or CPNL courses. Rules differ by region and provider, so ask before you apply.

Catalan or Valencian?

Follow the course of the region where you live. Catalan and Valencian are treated as one language system, so grammar and core vocabulary are largely the same. Differences are in some vocabulary, verb forms, pronunciation and standard forms.

Certificates are where it matters. The Junta Qualificadora de Coneixements de Valencià (JQCV) issues the official Valencian certificates. Catalonia's and the Balearics' Catalan certificates are recognised by level equivalence. The employer, university or administration that asks for the certificate decides whether to accept it, so ask them before you pay for a course.

The comparison, decision, timeline, documents and checklist below help you choose and plan.

Choosing between options

Should you take a Catalan course or a Valencian course?

• Follow the course of the region where you live: You live in Catalonia, the Balearics or Valencia and want daily-life use. Grammar and core vocabulary are shared, so the local course gives you the local forms and pronunciation.

• Take a course for an official Valencian certificate: You need an official Valencian level. The certificates from the Junta Qualificadora de Coneixements de Valencià (JQCV) are the official Valencian ones.

• Take a Catalan course and use its certificate elsewhere: You may move between regions. Catalan certificates from Catalonia and the Balearics have a recognition arrangement with Valencian ones, based on an equivalence of levels. Private academy diplomas are not covered.

Choose the course of the region where you live, unless a specific employer, university or administration asks for a particular certificate. Then take the course that leads to that certificate.

Regional language course types compared

Public and subsidised courses are the cheapest way to reach a recognised certificate. Choose by budget first, then by how fast you need the level.

How to choose

• Tight budget: start with your town hall or the regional consortium. Ask whether you qualify for free or reduced places.
• Want a certificate: pick a course that prepares you for your region's exam, or an EOI that certifies directly.
• Need speed: look for intensive courses, often in summer, with more hours a week over a few weeks.
• Work or family schedule: many providers run morning, afternoon and evening groups, and some offer online or blended formats.
• Want to speak more: add a conversation programme alongside a course.

What to expect

Regional-language courses usually run 30 to 60 hours per level. Fees, languages offered and who qualifies for discounts differ by town hall, school and year, so confirm them with the provider before you enrol. Certificate names and equivalences have been reorganised several times, so ask your regional language body which certificate you need and what it is called now.

Timeline and deadlines

• Pre-enrol in an Escola Oficial d'Idiomes (EOI) course in Valencia or the Balearics: in spring

• Enrol in an EOI or Centre de Normalització Lingüística course starting in autumn: from June to September

• Enrol in a Catalonia winter course with the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística: from December to January

• Enrol in a spring course in Catalonia: in the spring window before the course starts

• Enrol in a Govern, municipal or university course in the Balearics or Valencia: just before each term, as each provider sets its own window

• Enrol in an intensive summer course in Catalonia: in its own separate enrolment period

Documents you need

• Your passport or ID number: online and municipal courses usually ask only for this when you enrol.

• Proof that you are registered on the padrón (empadronamiento) at your town hall, issued by your town hall: only needed where a subsidised course gives priority to people registered in the municipality or region.

• An official certificate from the Junta Qualificadora de Coneixements de Valencià (JQCV), if you already hold one: useful to show your level when you move between Valencia, Catalonia and the Balearics. Whether it is accepted is decided by the employer, university or administration that asks for it.

Checklist

• Contact the local Centre de Normalització Lingüística (CNL) of the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística, or your town hall, to find Catalan courses in Catalonia.

• Ask your town hall's Valencian service about free or low-cost municipal courses in the Comunitat Valenciana.

• Contact the Govern's language policy office, the Escola Oficial d'Idiomes (EOI) or your town hall for Catalan courses in the Balearics.

• Ask for the current fee for your level, and ask about reductions for unemployed people, students, young people, large families or people with disabilities.

• Ask whether the course gives priority to people registered on the padrón, and bring your passport or ID number.

• Note the enrolment dates for your autumn start, usually between June and September, and ask each provider for its exact window.

• Ask the employer, university or administration you need it for whether it accepts the certificate before you choose a course.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need legal residency to enrol in a public Catalan or Valencian course?

No, public regional language courses are generally open to anyone who enrols, with no legal residency requirement. Some subsidised courses give priority to people registered on the padrón (empadronados) in the municipality or region. Municipal and Consorci courses usually do not exclude people in an irregular situation, and online or municipal courses often ask only for an ID or passport number.

Can I take a Catalan course if I move to Valencia, or the other way round?

Yes, Valencian and Catalan courses are largely interchangeable for a learner, because grammar and core vocabulary are shared.

Will my certificate from one region be accepted in another?

Often yes, because there is a recognition arrangement between Valencian certificates and the Catalan certificates of Catalonia and the Balearics, based on an equivalence of levels. This applies to official certificates, not private academy diplomas. Whether a specific job or exam accepts it is decided by the body that asks for it, so ask them before you pay for a course.

Where do I find free Valencian courses near me?

Start with your town hall's Valencian service, because municipal services and some Generalitat programmes are free or low-cost.