Credentials and regulated professions
Helps you get qualifications recognised and the right to practise.
Find out whether your profession is regulated in Spain and get qualifications recognised so you can practise: route choice, filing, refusals, professional bodies and sector-specific paths.
- topics
- 10
- articles
- 68
- of reading
- 7.1 hours
Begin with
Choosing your recognition route
You will know whether you need recognition, which Spanish route and authority fit your nationality and qualification, and what the realistic alternatives are.
Is your profession regulated in Spain? · Do you need recognition for an unregulated job? · Which recognition route fits your degree (homologación or equivalencia)?
More in credentials and regulated professions
9 more topics in this section, about 7.1 hours of reading in all.
Filing your recognition application
You will know what to gather, what it costs, when to start and how to submit a complete file the first time.
How to file a recognition application in Spain · Documents a recognition file needs, including language proof · Proving what you studied: syllabus, hours and transcripts
Delays, refusals and waiting
You will know what the clock and silence mean, how to respond to requests and refusals, and what you can legally do in the meantime.
How long recognition takes and what silence means (silencio administrativo) · Answering a recognition office's request for more documents (requerimiento) · Recognition with conditions: tests, practice periods and courses
Professional bodies (colegios) and right to practise
You will know if your profession needs colegio membership, how to join and what it costs, and which regional rules apply.
Do you have to join a colegio to practise? · Colegio membership for employees, freelancers and civil servants · How to register with a colegio as a foreign-qualified professional
Health professions recognition
You will know the exact path for your health profession from foreign title to legal practice in Spain.
How healthcare qualifications are recognised in Spain · From foreign medical degree to practising as a doctor in Spain · Recognising a medical specialty or taking the MIR
Law, engineering and architecture
You will know what a foreign-qualified lawyer, engineer or architect must add to practise in Spain.
Registering as an EU-qualified lawyer (abogado comunitario) · The path for a foreign lawyer to practise (abogacía) in Spain · The abogacía access master and national exam
Regulated teaching qualifications
You will know which teaching qualification Spain requires for each school type and how to get there.
Getting a foreign teaching degree recognised in Spain · Public school posts: the oposición and interino lists · The secondary teaching master (máster de formación del profesorado)
Trade and vocational licences
You will know how to formalise a trade or vocational skill in Spain and which licences your work needs.
Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain · Spanish vocational levels (FP) and your equivalent · Turning experience into a certificate (acreditación de competencias)
Finance, property and other regulated careers
You will know whether your career outside the main families is regulated and which registry or regulator decides.
Auditors, accountants and tax advisers in Spain · Becoming a financial adviser or insurance intermediary · What estate agents and administrative gestores (gestores administrativos) need
Public posts and special situations
You will know how nationality and recognition interact for public posts and what to do when your situation is unusual.
Public-sector jobs in Spain with a foreign qualification · Civil servant or contracted public employee (personal laboral), and what each needs · Recognition when you cannot get your diploma or transcripts
Other sections in Work and business
Local jobs and salary reality
Helps you find local work and know your rights as an employee.
Remote work
Helps you set up remote work from Spain on a compliant footing.
Self-employment and freelancing
Helps you register and operate as a self-employed autonomo.
Starting and running a company
Helps you decide on, form and run a Spanish company.
Work culture and professional integration
Helps you work effectively and build a career in Spanish workplaces.
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