UK qualifications in Spain after Brexit

Key rules

• Cut-off date: Recognition or an application made before 31 December 2020 keeps the old EU regime for you.
• New applicants: If you apply now, your UK qualification follows the third-country route.
• No automatic recognition: No general UK-Spain arrangement recognises professions automatically.

The short answer

Your route depends on timing. If your UK qualification was recognised in Spain, or your application was already filed, before 31 December 2020, the old EU regime still protects you. If you apply now, you take the third-country route, the one used for qualifications from outside the EU.

Does the old EU regime still protect you?

It does if both of these are true:

• You were legally living or working in Spain before the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. Cross-border workers are included.
• Your qualification was recognised before that date, or your application was still pending on it.

A qualification recognised in another EU country before the end of the transition period is also protected for people in that position.

This protection does not extend to people who arrived after 2020. Keep the recognition decision or the proof of your pending application, because you may need to show it.

If you are applying now: the third-country route

No general UK-Spain agreement recognises professions automatically. The trade agreement between the UK and EU only allows sector-specific agreements in future, so your profession is treated like any non-EU one.

• University degree: you apply for homologación or equivalencia. If your profession is regulated, such as medicine or law, you then complete that profession's own recognition steps.
• Vocational title: you apply for homologación of non-university titles through the Education Ministry.

What to do next

1. Work out which side of the 31 December 2020 line you fall on.
2. If you are covered, gather your old decision or application proof.
3. If not, identify whether you hold a degree or a vocational title, and whether your profession is regulated.

The decision box and the FAQ below walk you through these choices.

Choosing between options

Which route applies to your UK qualification?

• Old EU regime still protects you: Your UK qualification was recognised, or your application was pending, before 31 December 2020, and you were legally resident or working in Spain before then.

• Third-country route for a university degree: You are applying now with a UK university degree. Ask for homologación or equivalencia, then follow your profession's own recognition steps if it is regulated.

• Third-country route for a vocational title: You are applying now with a UK vocational title.

If your recognition or application dates from before 31 December 2020 and you were covered then, the old regime protects you.

Frequently asked questions

Does my UK qualification still count if it was recognised before 2021?

Yes, a UK qualification recognised in Spain before 31 December 2020 stays recognised if you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. That means you were legally resident or working in Spain before the transition period ended, and frontier workers are included. Applications still pending on that date are protected too.

Is a qualification recognised in another EU country before 2021 also protected?

Yes, a qualification recognised in another EU country before the end of the transition period is also protected, but only for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. If you arrived after 2020, this protection does not apply to you.

Is there a UK-Spain agreement that recognises professions automatically?

No, no general UK-Spain agreement on recognising professions is in force today. The UK-EU trade deal only allows sector-specific agreements in the future, so new applicants follow the third-country route.