Recognition when you cannot get your diploma or transcripts

Key rules

• Decision: The competent ministry decides whether your alternative evidence is accepted, case by case.
• Strongest routes: Refugees, asylum seekers and Ukrainians with temporary protection have the clearest alternatives to original documents.
• Proof of status: You need to show your protection status, such as the resolution granting it or a TIE.
• Keep records: Keep proof of every attempt to obtain your originals.

Can you get recognition without your original documents?

Sometimes, yes. Spain's recognition system has routes for people who cannot obtain original certificates. They are strongest for refugees, asylum seekers and Ukrainians with temporary protection. Other applicants can also offer substitute evidence, but have less certainty.

In every case, the competent authority decides whether your evidence is enough. Nothing is guaranteed in advance.

Who decides?

For university qualifications, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities decides. For non-university qualifications, it is the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports.

The decision is reasoned and made on your individual file. An expert committee may review it. You are notified in writing.

If you are a refugee or asylum seeker

You can prove your studies with alternative evidence, such as a sworn statement, other documents, or an assessment by the authority. The authority can accept this in place of the original certificate.

Your file may be assessed as a whole, by a ministerial commission or an expert panel. Show your protection status first. The documents you need are listed below.

If you have Ukrainian temporary protection

Spain has applied flexible measures for Ukrainians. The ministries have accepted alternative evidence where documents could not be obtained, and fees have been waived or reduced. Temporary protection has been extended, and the latest extension runs to March 2027.

Check with the ministry before you file that these special measures still apply.

If you are neither

Use the ordinary route, with the best substitute documents you can get. Typical substitutes:

• a copy of your diploma certified by a notary
• a certificate from your home country's ministry of education
• a certificate from a former institution, an archive or a successor body
• a sworn statement about your studies
• references from professors or colleagues
• employment records or other proof of professional work

Closed universities and conflict zones

Records from closed institutions or conflict zones are treated case by case. Successor bodies, ministry records or a sworn statement can help, especially for refugees. Practice is flexible, but the ministry decides.

What to do next

1. Try to get the originals first, and keep proof that you tried.
2. Gather the substitute evidence above.
3. Use the checklist below for legalisation and translation.
4. File, and answer any request from the ministry quickly.

Choosing between options

Which alternative-evidence route fits you when you cannot get your documents?

• Refugee or asylum seeker route: You hold refugee status or are an asylum seeker and cannot get originals. You can offer a sworn declaration, other documents or an assessment by the authority instead.

• Ukrainian temporary protection route: You have temporary protection as a displaced Ukrainian.

• Ordinary route with substitute documents: You have no protection status. You can still offer substitutes such as notary-certified copies or certificates from your former institution, but acceptance is not guaranteed.

The competent ministry decides in your individual file whether your alternative evidence is enough. It is the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for university qualifications. For non-university ones it is the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. You are notified in writing.

Documents you need

• Proof of your protection status: the resolution granting international protection, or your residence card (TIE). Asylum seekers use the tarjeta roja. Issued by the Ministry of the Interior or the Office of Asylum and Refuge.

• For temporary protection: the resolution granting it, or a TIE showing temporary protection.

• A copy of your diploma certified by a notary, if you can get one.

• A certificate from your home country's ministry of education, a former institution, an archive or a successor body if your institution has closed.

• A sworn statement about your studies, plus references from professors or colleagues.

• Employment records or other proof of professional work.

What to gather when original documents are lost

• Ask your university for certified copies of your diploma and a certificate confirming your studies.

• Apply to the education ministry or national archive of your home country if the university cannot help.

• Contact your home country's consulate or embassy in Spain and ask what records it can issue or confirm.

• Ask former professors or colleagues for written statements about your studies and work.

• Keep every email, receipt and reply as proof that you tried to get the originals.

• Collect alternative evidence: a notary-certified copy of your diploma, a certificate from a former institution or archive, or a sworn statement.

• Get your documents legalised or apostilled (the Hague Convention stamp), unless they come from an EU country or a country with a bilateral agreement.

• Have any document not in Spanish, or in a co-official language, translated by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) or officially by a Spanish consulate abroad.

• Gather employment records and work references to support your file. Experience does not replace a degree, but it helps rebuild the file.

• If you are a refugee or have temporary protection, include proof of your status: the resolution granting protection, your tarjeta roja, or your TIE (residence card).

What if your university has closed or lost your records?

A closed or lost university does not automatically end your application. The authority handling your file decides whether other evidence is good enough, and you can challenge a refusal.

Who decides what counts

For a university degree, the decision sits with the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. For non-university qualifications, such as vocational ones, it sits with the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. The case officer looks at your file individually and gives a reasoned decision. An expert committee may review it. You are told the result in writing.

Because each file is judged on its own, ask the ministry handling yours what it will accept before you spend time and money gathering papers.

What you can offer instead

Typical alternatives include:

• A certificate from the institution that took over from the closed university.
• Records from the education ministry or another public body in the country where you studied.
• A sworn declaration, together with whatever partial proof you still have, such as old transcripts, a diploma copy or course records.

If you are a refugee or come from a conflict zone, Spanish practice is more flexible. The ministry can accept this kind of evidence and ask an expert committee to assess your case. Say clearly in your application that you cannot obtain the originals, and explain why.

Where to get advice

Spain's information centre for recognising foreign qualifications can explain the process and how your qualification may be evaluated. It does not make binding decisions, and it cannot certify a qualification without documents. Use it to prepare, not as a substitute for the ministry's decision. Refugees can also look at the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees, which is a comparable assessment tool.

If your evidence is refused

You can appeal. The deadlines are short: a refused recognition can be challenged by an appeal within one month, or taken to court within two months of the decision. If the administration does not answer at all after the legal period, that counts as a refusal, and the deadlines then run differently. Ask the office that handled your file, or a lawyer, which date applies to you.

You can also submit a new application with new evidence, for example if you later obtain a certificate from a successor body.

Frequently asked questions

Which proof of protection status do I need to use the special rules?

You need the document that shows your protection status. For refugee status, that is the resolution granting international protection or your residence card (TIE). Asylum seekers use the tarjeta roja, the red card they receive. For temporary protection, use the resolution granting it or a TIE showing temporary protection.

Can I get my degree recognised if my university has closed or is in a conflict zone?

Yes, but the ministry decides case by case what it accepts instead. Certificates from a successor body, ministry records or a sworn declaration can be used, and an expert committee may review them together.

Do Ukrainians with temporary protection get easier recognition?

Yes, Spain applied flexible measures for Ukrainians with temporary protection, accepting alternative evidence when documents could not be obtained. Fees were waived or reduced. Protection currently runs to March 2027.

Who tells me whether my alternative evidence is accepted?

The ministry in charge of your type of qualification decides, and you are told in writing.