From foreign medical degree to practising as a doctor in Spain

Key rules

• Colegiación: You must join the provincial colegio to practise medicine, including as an employee in the private sector.
• Recognition first: Your recognition resolution comes before the MIR and before joining the colegio.
• Non-EU and EU: Non-EU graduates apply for homologación; EU graduates use a different recognition route.
• Specialists: Specialist practice needs recognition of your specialist title or a completed MIR.

The order to follow

You cannot practise until three things are done, in this order: your degree is recognised, you join the provincial colegio, and you register with an employer or health service. Only then do you start work, in a regional health service or in private practice. The timeline below shows the whole path.

Step 1: Get your degree recognised

If you studied outside the EU, you apply to the Ministry of Universities for homologación. This means the ministry treats your degree as equal to the Spanish medical degree.

1. Get your degree documents apostilled and translated into Spanish.
2. Pay the fee.
3. Submit the application through the ministry's electronic portal.
4. Wait for the decision. The ministry may grant recognition outright. It may also ask for a compensation measure, such as an exam or supplementary training.

The result is a resolution granting recognition. Keep it safe. You need it for the MIR and for joining the colegio. The documents list below has the detail.

If you studied in the EU, you follow a different route, the professional qualifications recognition route. Which ministry handles it depends on your case, so ask before you start.

Procedures have been reformed recently. Read the ministry's current guidance before you gather documents.

Step 2: Join the colegio

You must join the provincial colegio to practise medicine, including as an employee in the private sector. Employers in the public sector usually ask for it too. Join the colegio for the province where you will work, and collect your membership card.

Ask the colegio about professional civil liability insurance. It is often available through them.

Step 3: Meet the work requirements

• Spanish: your employer or region may ask for proof. If your region has a co-official language, they may ask for that too.
• Residence and work authorisation: non-EU citizens need this before they can work.
• Registration: register with your employer, health service or regional register, and with Social Security.

Regional health services and employers set their own requirements. Ask the one you want to work for what they need.

Step 4: Specialist practice

Working as a specialist needs one of two things: recognition of your specialist title, or a completed MIR. The MIR is the national exam that places doctors in specialist residencies. Check which applies to you before you plan, since the answer decides whether you sit the exam. The checklist below covers this.

Where you can work

Public posts sit with the regional health services, and each region sets its own entry rules. Private practice has its own employer requirements. In both cases, expect to show your recognition resolution and colegio membership.

Plan your path from foreign medical degree to practice

Your path from foreign degree to practice

• Start the degree recognition application with the Ministry of Universities: First, as early as you can. Expect many months, often more than a year. If the ministry does not answer in time, the application counts as refused.

• Gather your apostilled documents, certified translations and certificates of good standing: While the recognition application is open, or before you file

• Study Spanish, and the co-official language if your region has one: In parallel with recognition, from the start

• Start your residence or work authorisation: Often at the same time as the recognition file. Some work permits for regulated professions wait for the recognition decision, so check before you plan a start date.

• Join the provincial colegio: Only after recognition is granted. It usually takes a few days to a few weeks once your papers are complete.

• Apply for the MIR exam online if you want a specialty: The application window runs about two to three weeks, normally in September or October. You need a recognised degree or a pending application by the application date.

• Sit the MIR exam: A single multiple-choice test on a Saturday in late January or early in the year

• Choose your place and start your residency: Place choice normally runs in spring. Residents start in May or June.

• If recognition is refused or you get no answer: Ask the ministry for the reason and your options for appeal, and keep the MIR deadline in mind while you wait

Durations are typical, not guaranteed. Check current processing times with the ministry and your colegio, and the exact MIR dates in the latest call.

Documents you need

• Your medical degree documents, apostilled so Spain accepts them as genuine, for the homologación application to the Ministry of Universities.

• Translations of your apostilled documents into Spanish, for the same application.

Checklist

• Pay the fee and submit your recognition application through the Ministry of Universities' electronic portal.

• Complete any exam or supplementary training the ministry requires, then keep the resolution granting recognition.

• Join the provincial colegio de médicos and collect your membership card.

• Take out professional civil liability insurance, often available through the colegio.

• Prepare proof of Spanish if your employer or region asks for it, and your residence and work authorisation if you are a non-EU citizen.

• Check whether your specialist title needs recognition, or whether you must complete the MIR first, if you want to practise a specialty.

Frequently asked questions

Can I practise in Spain as soon as my degree is recognised?

No, recognition of your degree is only the first step before you can practise legally. After it you still join the provincial colegio, take out professional civil liability insurance, and register with your employer or regional health service and with Social Security.

What happens if the ministry asks for an exam or extra training?

If the ministry requires a compensation measure, you must complete it before you get the resolution granting recognition. The ministry may require an exam or supplementary training instead of granting recognition directly. Only the resolution opens access to the MIR and the colegio.

Do I need to show Spanish to work as a doctor?

Yes, you may need to show Spanish language ability if your employer or region asks for it. Requirements differ between regions and employers, so ask the one you plan to work for what proof they accept.

Do EU graduates follow the same recognition route?

No, EU graduates use a different route, the professional qualifications recognition route. Depending on your case, it goes through the Ministry of Universities or the Ministry of Health.