Recognition with conditions: tests, practice periods and courses

Key rules

• Scope: The measure may cover only the subjects your qualification is missing, not your whole training.
• Experience: Ask the authority to consider your professional experience and lifelong learning before you accept a measure.
• Adaptation period: An adaptation period cannot last more than three years and ends with an assessment.
• Cost: No national tariff exists, so ask the ministry and the organiser for the current fee.
• Time limits: Your decision or the test call may set a time limit to apply, so note the date.

Fees, test dates, organisers and time limits vary by profession and change, so confirm them with the ministry for your profession and the organiser.

A conditional decision starts a second process

A decision with conditions is not a refusal, but it is not the end. You must now complete a compensation measure: either an aptitude test or an adaptation period. This is a separate process from your recognition application. It has its own organiser, its own cost and its own timing.

This page covers qualifications recognised under the general system. If your qualification is from outside the EU, separate rules apply for each profession, and they may require exams.

Why you may be asked to do one

The authority can ask for a measure in three cases:

• Your training differs substantially in subject matter from the Spanish qualification.
• The Spanish profession includes regulated activities that your home profession does not.
• Your training is at least one level below the Spanish one.

The measure must be proportionate. It may cover only the missing matters, so read your decision to see exactly which subjects it names. Before you accept a measure, ask the authority to consider what you learned through professional experience and lifelong learning. Those may reduce or remove the gap.

Doctors, nurses and other professions under automatic recognition do not get a compensation measure.

Test or practice period

Normally you choose. The aptitude test is one or more exams on the missing subjects, usually completed in a day or over several sessions. The adaptation period is a stretch of supervised practice under a qualified professional, followed by an assessment. The choice table below helps you compare them.

Some professions allow only one option because they need precise knowledge of Spanish law. Law (abogado) is the main example, and there the authority decides. Your profession's ministry sets any other exceptions.

Who runs it

The ministry responsible for your profession decides the measure and organises or authorises it. Education, science and universities, and health each have their own ministry. For aptitude tests, a university or a professional body (colegio profesional) often runs the test for the ministry. For lawyers, the Ministry of Justice and the Consejo General de la Abogacía are involved.

An adaptation period takes place in a workplace or institution under a tutor. Agree the workplace, tutor and length with the authority before it starts.

How long it takes

An adaptation period cannot last more than three years. Often it is set at a few months to a year, depending on the gaps found. The authority sets the actual length in your decision.

There is no national calendar for tests. They are held when enough candidates have been accepted, often once or twice a year. You apply to the ministry and are told when the next call is. The call is published on the ministry's website.

What it costs

There is no single national tariff. The ministry sets the application fee, which is usually small. Test or course fees depend on the organiser and are normally modest for ministry-run exams. Adaptation periods are often unpaid or paid as a trainee position. University bridging courses cost more. Ask the ministry and the organiser for the current fee.

Deadlines

No general deadline for starting or finishing the measure is known. Your decision or the test call may set a time limit for applying, so check both and note the date. Beyond that, the only fixed limit is the three-year maximum for an adaptation period.

The timeline and checklist below walk you through the steps in order.

Choosing between options

Should you take the aptitude test or do an adaptation period?

• Aptitude test: Fits if you can prepare for exams on the missing subjects. It is held in one or more exams, usually in a day or several sessions, but you may wait for the next call.

• Adaptation period: Fits if you prefer to learn on the job. It is done in a workplace under a qualified professional, ends with an assessment, and lasts up to 3 years, often a few months to 1 year.

Normally you choose. If your profession is restricted, as with lawyers, the authority decides which one you do.

Timeline and deadlines

• Read your decision for any time limit to apply for the test or start the adaptation period: as soon as you receive the decision

• Apply to the ministry for the aptitude test: within the period stated in your decision or in the call

• Wait for the next call and sit the test: calls are often once or twice a year, so there may be a wait

Checklist

• Choose between the aptitude test and the adaptation period, unless your profession allows only one, as with lawyers.

• Find the ministry for your profession and the university or professional body that runs the measure.

• Ask the ministry and the organiser for the current fee and for the next test date.

Frequently asked questions

How often are aptitude tests held?

There is no national calendar, and aptitude tests are often called once or twice a year. They go ahead when enough candidates have been accepted. You apply to the ministry for the test and it tells you when the next call is; the call is published on the ministry's website.

How long can an adaptation period last?

An adaptation period can last up to three years, but in practice it is often a few months to one year, depending on the gaps found. It is done under a qualified professional and ends with an assessment.

Is there a deadline to start the compensation measure?

There is no general deadline to start or finish the measure, but your decision or the test call may set a time limit for applying. Start within the period stated in your decision.

What does an aptitude test or bridging course cost?

There is no single national price, because cost depends on the profession and the organiser. The application fee is set by the ministry and is usually small. Adaptation periods are often unpaid or paid as a trainee position, while university bridging courses cost more. Ask the ministry and the organiser for the current figure.