Proving what you studied: syllabus, hours and transcripts

Key rules

• Syllabus and hours: Programme contents with hours and credits, issued by your home university, are usually decisive, so request them first.
• Official issue: Documents need the university's stamp or seal and an authorised signature.
• Apostille: Documents from Hague Convention countries usually need an apostille, and a sworn translation if not in Spanish.
• Closed university: If the university cannot help, use a ministry, successor or archive certificate, and ask the office whether it accepts it.

What to get, and why it matters

Your home university's record of what you studied is usually the deciding evidence. Ask for two things: an academic transcript listing your subjects with hours or credits, and the syllabus (the programme contents) for those subjects. For a foreign degree, or for partial studies, the office will often want both. For a regulated profession, expect to provide the diploma plus a transcript or course-content certificate. The office may also ask for hours and contents so it can compare your training with the Spanish one.

The exact list depends on the type of recognition and the office handling your file. Ask that office what it needs before you order anything. The documents list and checklist below show the full set.

Ask early

Universities can be slow, and some need weeks to issue stamped documents. Send the request first, before you start other paperwork. Ask for the syllabus to show hours and credits for each subject, not only grades.

What makes a document acceptable

• It is issued by your university or education authority, or certified by it.
• It carries the official stamp or seal and the signature of an authorised officer.
• It is usually apostilled if it comes from a country in the Hague Convention. Otherwise it is legalised through consular channels. Documents from EU/EEA states and from countries with special agreements with Spain may be exempt. Check your country with the recognition office.
• It comes with an official sworn translation if it is not in Spanish.
• Copies are generally accepted if the issuing institution certifies them, or if a Spanish authority certifies them as true copies (compulsada).

Some offices accept electronic documents with a verification code. Ask your university whether it can issue one, and ask the office whether it accepts it.

If your university cannot give you the syllabus

This happens when the university has closed, lost records or merged. The usual alternatives are:

• A certificate from the ministry of education, a successor institution or the national archive confirming your programme.
• A sworn statement plus other evidence, such as a diploma supplement.
• An official statement that the records are unavailable.

The recognition office decides whether to accept these. It may also ask for more proof after you file, through a notice that gives you time to add documents. Confirm with the office which alternative it will accept before you spend money on one.

Documents you need

• Academic transcript listing your subjects with hours or credits, issued or certified by your university or education authority, with the official stamp or seal and the signature of an authorised officer.

• Syllabus (programme contents) with hours and credits, issued or certified by your home university. Degree and partial-study recognition often needs it, and regulated professions may be asked for it to compare training.

• Apostille on your diploma, transcript and certificates if they come from a Hague Convention country, or consular legalisation if not. Documents from EU or EEA states are generally exempt.

• Official sworn translation of the apostilled documents, only if they are not in Spanish.

• Copy certified by the issuing institution or compulsada (certified as a true copy) by a Spanish authority, if you file copies instead of originals.

Checklist

• Ask your home university early for the transcript and the syllabus with hours and credits.

• Ask whether the university can issue an electronic copy with a verification code, and check that the office accepts it.

• Check with the recognition office which documents your type of recognition needs.

• Request a ministry, successor institution or national archive certificate confirming your programme if the university has closed or cannot supply the syllabus.

• Gather a sworn statement and other evidence, such as a diploma supplement, if no certificate is available.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do if my university has closed and cannot give me the syllabus?

If your university has closed, you can usually replace the syllabus with a certificate from the ministry of education, a successor institution or the national archive confirming your programme.

Can the office ask for more proof after I file?

Yes, the office can ask for further evidence in a notice asking you to correct or complete your file (a subsanación notice). Answer it with the extra proof of your programme, such as an official statement that records are unavailable.

Do documents from an EU country need an apostille?

Documents from EU or EEA states are generally exempt from the apostille. Some bilateral agreements and treaties also exempt certain countries, including some Latin American ones, so check your issuing country's position with the office.