Vets, biologists, chemists and other scientific professions

Key rules

• Vets: Practising as a veterinarian requires a recognised veterinary degree and membership of the provincial veterinary college.
• Other sciences: Biologists, chemists, geologists and agronomists generally need colegiación only for specific tasks, such as signing certain projects.
• Foreign degrees: EU or EEA vets use the professional-qualifications system; vets with non-EU degrees need homologation.

Vets: regulated, with recognition and colegiación

Veterinary medicine is the regulated science profession. To practise as a vet you need a recognised veterinary degree and membership of the provincial veterinary college. Joining a colegio is called colegiación.

Foreign degrees must be recognised first. Which route you follow depends on where you studied:

• EU or EEA degree: apply through the professional-qualifications recognition system. The Ministry of Agriculture handles recognition for vets.
• Degree from outside the EU: apply for homologation with the Ministry of Universities.

Once your degree is recognised, join the provincial college where you will work. The national umbrella body is the Consejo General de Colegios Veterinarios de España.

Other science professions: mostly no reserved practice

Spain now requires colegiación only where a specific state law says so. For most scientists, that means you can work without joining a colegio. Rules vary by activity and region, so ask the colegio for your profession before you start.

• Biologists: a colegio exists, but joining is generally voluntary. It matters mainly for some public-sector jobs or certain regulated tasks. There is little reserved practice.
• Chemists and industrial chemists: colegios exist. You mainly need to join to sign certain technical projects.
• Geologists: the geologists' colegio certifies some geological reports. Joining is generally required only where regional law demands it.
• Agronomists (ingenieros agrónomos and técnicos agrícolas): their colegios hold reserved competences for signing projects in some cases.

What to do

1. If you are a vet, get your degree recognised, then join the provincial college.
2. If you work in any other science, ask your profession's colegio whether your planned work needs colegiación or recognition. Signing projects or reports and public-sector posts are where it most often comes up.

The checklist and questions below cover these steps.

Checklist

• Check that your veterinary degree is recognised in Spain before you plan to practise.

• Apply for recognition through the professional-qualifications system if your degree is from the EU or EEA.

• Apply for homologation with the Ministry of Universities if your veterinary degree is from outside the EU.

• Join the provincial veterinary college (colegiación) before you practise as a vet.

• Ask the colegio for your profession whether your planned work needs colegiación if you are a biologist, chemist, geologist or agronomist.

• Check with the colegio whether you must join to sign technical projects or reports, for example as a chemist, geologist or agronomist.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need colegiación to work as a biologist in Spain?

No, colegiación is generally voluntary for biologists in Spain. It is usually needed only for public-sector posts or certain regulated tasks. There is little reserved practice, so most biology jobs do not depend on joining the colegio.

When does a chemist need to join a colegio?

A chemist mainly needs colegiación to sign certain technical projects. For other work it is generally not required. Check with the chemists' colegio if your project needs an official signature.

Which route do I follow to recognise a foreign veterinary degree?

The route depends on where the degree comes from. EU or EEA degrees go through the professional-qualifications recognition system, handled by the Ministry of Agriculture for vets. Non-EU degrees need homologation by the Ministry of Universities.

Do geologists and agronomists need colegiación?

Geologists generally need colegiación only where regional law demands it. Agronomists have colegios with reserved competences for signing some projects. Ask the relevant colegio whether your activity falls under either case.