Planning a regulated career as the accompanying partner

Key rules

• Recognition: You can file for recognition of your degree yourself, from abroad if needed, without your partner's permit.
• Work rights: A family-based permit usually lets you work, but a regulated profession also needs recognition.
• Professional body: Registration may require legal residence or work authorisation, so ask the body before you plan a start date.
• Validity: A granted recognition stays valid if your residence status changes.

You can usually work, but regulated roles need recognition

If you hold a family-based permit, you can usually work as an employee or be self-employed. A family reunification permit (reagrupación familiar) includes work authorisation with no restriction by sector or area. Partners of EU citizens also have the right to work. Accompanying partners of other permit holders, such as highly qualified workers, generally get work authorisation too.

Work authorisation does not let you practise a regulated profession. For roles such as doctor, lawyer, architect or teacher, you also need your qualification recognised. Check the exact wording of your own permit before you plan around it.

Start recognition in your own name

Recognition of a foreign degree for official effect in Spain is called homologación. You do not need Spanish residence or your partner's permit to apply. Anyone with a foreign qualification can file, including from abroad. The application is personal and does not depend on the main applicant's immigration status.

Do it in this order:

1. Find out which ministry handles your title. University degrees go to the Ministry of Universities. Non-university titles go to the Ministry of Education.
2. File through that ministry's electronic registry or through a Spanish consulate. Procedures and portals change, so confirm with the ministry which route applies to you.
3. Ask the professional body for your profession what it needs for registration.

What can still block you afterwards

Recognition of your degree is not the last step. Many regulated professions also require registration with a professional body, and some bodies ask for legal residence or work authorisation. Plan that step for after you hold the permit the body asks for. Recognition and registration are separate, so you can finish the first while waiting for the second.

If your status changes

A granted homologación recognises the qualification itself. It stays valid if you change permit, become a resident or leave Spain. Your right to practise still depends on your immigration status and the professional body's requirements.

The checklist and the questions below cover the steps in short form.

Checklist

• Confirm that your partner's permit allows you to work, since you may usually work but regulated roles still need recognition.

• Find out whether your degree goes to the Ministry of Universities (university degrees) or the Ministry of Education (non-university titles).

• File your homologation application in your own name, through the electronic registry or a Spanish consulate, without waiting for your partner's permit.

• Ask the professional body for your profession whether registration needs legal residence or work authorisation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start recognition before my partner's permit is approved?

Yes, you can file for homologation (recognition of a foreign degree for official effect in Spain) without your partner's permit and without Spanish residence. Your application is personal and independent of their immigration status.

Does my recognition stay valid if my residence status changes?

Yes, a granted homologation stays valid if you change permit, become a resident or leave Spain. It recognises the qualification itself, not your status.

Can I work in Spain as an accompanying partner?

Yes, partners who come through family reunification get a permit that includes work authorisation for employment and self-employment, in any sector. Partners of EU citizens can work too, and partners of other permit holders, such as highly qualified workers, generally can as well. A regulated profession still needs recognition first.

What can block me after my degree is recognised?

Registration with a professional body can be the next hurdle, because it may require legal residence or work authorisation. Ask the body for your profession what it needs before you plan a start date.