Recognising a medical specialty or taking the MIR

Key rules

• Degree first: Your medical degree must be recognised in Spain before specialist recognition, the MIR or colegio registration.
• EU or EEA specialists: Specialties on the EU directive list are recognised automatically, with no compensation measure.
• Non-EU specialists: Recognition is possible but may require an exam or extra training, so compare it with the MIR.
• MIR quota: Non-EU candidates compete for a reserved share of about 4% of places per specialty and call.

The short answer

If you trained as a specialist in the EU or EEA, ask for recognition. You should not need to repeat a residency. If you trained outside the EU, recognition may still be possible, but you may have to pass a compensation measure. The MIR is the fallback.

Whichever route you take, get your medical degree recognised in Spain first. Everything else depends on it.

If you trained in the EU or EEA

Apply to the Ministry of Health for recognition of your specialist title. The first question is whether your specialty is on the EU directive list.

• On the list: the title is recognised automatically, with no compensation measure.
• Not on the list: the Ministry looks at your case individually. It may ask for a compensation measure, such as an exam or extra training.

Once your degree is recognised, register with a colegio. Ask the Ministry about current processing times.

If you trained outside the EU

Recognition is decided by the Ministry of Health. It looks at your training and experience. It may require a compensation measure, such as an exam or additional training. You need a recognised degree, and your title must come from a country with a comparable training system. The file review can include practical tests. Rules have been amended since they were first set, so ask the Ministry for the current conditions before you decide.

Taking the MIR instead

The MIR is the national exam for specialist training places. Both EU and non-EU graduates can sit it if their degree is recognised in Spain. Non-EU candidates also need valid residence in Spain.

Non-EU candidates compete for a reserved share of about 4% of places per specialty and call. EU and EEA nationals, Swiss nationals and some others with equivalent rights, such as family members of EU citizens or long-term residents, are not subject to that cap. The percentage and the conditions are set in each year's call, so read the current one.

If a non-EU doctor wins a place, the stay-and-study permit is tied to the training.

How to choose

1. EU or EEA specialist: apply for recognition. The MIR would repeat training you already have.
2. Non-EU specialist: ask the Ministry what recognition would require for your specialty. Compare any compensation measure with the time, cost and 4% cap of the MIR.
3. No recognised degree yet: start with degree recognition. Both routes need it.

Until your specialist title is recognised, do not work or advertise as a specialist. See the warning below. The checklist below lists the steps in order.

Checklist

• Get your medical degree recognised in Spain before anything else.

• Check whether you trained in the EU or EEA, because that decides which recognition route you use.

• Apply to the Ministry of Health for recognition of your specialist title if you trained in the EU or EEA.

• Check whether your specialty is on the EU directive list, which means automatic recognition without compensation measures.

• Ask the Ministry of Health about the current rules for recognising a non-EU specialist title, including any exam or extra training it may require.

• Compare recognition with the MIR if you are a non-EU specialist, since recognition may require a compensation measure.

• Confirm in the current call that you hold the residence permit needed to sit the MIR, and check how the 4% cap for non-EU candidates affects you.

Common traps with specialist titles and practice

• A foreign specialist title does not let you work as a specialist: Your foreign specialist title does not allow specialist practice or advertising in Spain until it is separately recognised. Calling yourself a specialist without the Spanish title or a recognised equivalent is unlawful and counts as professional intrusion. Do not use the specialist title on your door plate, website, social media or business cards until Spain has recognised it. Until then, describe yourself only as a doctor if you are allowed to practise.

• Penalties can be serious: Presenting yourself as a specialist without recognition can bring a fine from the regional health authority and disciplinary action by the medical college. In serious cases it can lead to criminal liability for professional intrusion or false claims. Start the recognition process or prepare for the MIR, the residency exam, before you offer any specialist service.

• Health adverts need approval of the centre: Adverts for health services also need regional authorisation of the centre that offers them. Even a recognised specialist cannot advertise from an unauthorised clinic. Ask the regional health department whether the centre is authorised before any advert goes out.

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-EU doctor sit the MIR exam?

Yes, a non-EU doctor can sit the MIR if the degree is recognised in Spain and they hold valid residence in Spain. Non-EU candidates compete for a reserved share of about 4% of places per specialty and call. The degree recognition is submitted with the application.

Does the 4% cap on MIR places apply to every foreign candidate?

No, the cap applies only to non-EU candidates without equivalent rights. Nationals of the EU, EEA and Switzerland are not subject to it.

Do I have to repeat the residency if I am an EU-trained specialist?

Not necessarily, because EU or EEA-trained specialists can apply for recognition of the specialist title instead. For specialties listed in the EU directive, the title is recognised automatically, without extra exams or training. Other cases are examined one by one and may need a compensation measure.

What happens to my permit if I win a MIR place as a non-EU doctor?

Your stay-and-study permit is tied to the training. You need a valid residence or study permit to take up the place.