Spanish citizens and descendants with foreign degrees

Key rules

• Same system: Spanish nationals and descendants use the same recognition procedure, documents, fees and criteria as foreigners.
• Public posts: Nationality opens posts reserved for nationals, but your foreign degree still needs recognition.
• EU degrees: A degree issued in the EU, EEA or Switzerland may use a separate professional recognition route.
• Deadlines: Each call for a public post sets its own deadline for proving recognition.

Your nationality does not give you a separate route

You use the same recognition system as a foreigner. Whether you were born Spanish, became Spanish later, or are a descendant who gained nationality, your foreign degree goes through the ordinary procedure. The documents, fees and criteria are the same for everyone.

Nationality changes two things. It opens access to public posts, including those reserved for nationals. It also means you have no residence permit to worry about. It does not replace recognition of your title.

Where to apply

Send your application to the Ministry of Universities for a university degree. For a non-university qualification, apply to the Ministry of Education. You need your degree certificate legalised or apostilled in the country that issued it, plus a translation into Spanish. The documents list below has the detail.

If you want a public post

Spanish nationality meets the nationality requirement for most public posts (oposiciones). It does not meet the qualification requirement. A foreign degree must still be homologated or recognised as equivalent to the Spanish title the post requires.

Each call (convocatoria) sets its own deadline for proving this. Some ask for proof by the end of the application period, others only at appointment. Read the call before you start, because recognition can take a long time.

If your degree was issued in the EU

The route depends on your qualification, not on your nationality. For regulated professions, a degree from the EU, EEA or Switzerland may qualify for professional recognition by the relevant Spanish ministry. This is separate from academic homologation.

Dual nationality alone changes nothing. Holding EU nationality can help you reach the EU route. A non-EU degree already recognised by another EU state can sometimes use that route too, with extra requirements. Whether it applies depends on your profession and where the degree was issued, so ask the ministry that handles your profession.

Which route to choose

Academic homologation or equivalence is for using your title as a Spanish academic qualification, including for public posts. Professional recognition is for practising a regulated profession with an EU-issued title. The decision, timeline and checklist below help you choose and plan.

Choosing between options

Which recognition route fits your qualification?

• Academic homologation or equivalence: Your degree was issued outside the EU, or you want academic recognition. Your nationality makes no difference.

• Professional recognition under the EU route: You want to practise a regulated profession and your qualification was obtained in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. The relevant Spanish ministry handles it.

Timeline and deadlines

• Read the call (convocatoria) for the public post and note when it asks for proof of homologation: before you apply

• Get your foreign degree homologated or recognised as equivalent to the required Spanish title: before the end of the application period or for appointment, as the call specifies

Documents you need

• Your foreign degree certificate, legalised or apostilled in the country that issued it. The same rule applies to Spanish nationals and foreigners.

• A translation into Spanish of your degree and the other documents you submit, as the ministry requires.

Checklist

• Apply for homologation or equivalence through the same procedure as foreigners, whatever your nationality.

• Send your application to the Ministry of Universities for a university degree, or the Ministry of Education for a non-university one.

• Legalise or apostille your documents and have them translated into Spanish.

• Check whether your degree was issued in the EU, because that may use a different professional recognition route.

Frequently asked questions

Does Spanish nationality give me a separate route to recognise my foreign degree?

No, Spanish nationality gives you no separate route, because Spanish nationals use the same homologation or equivalence procedure as foreigners. The same documents, fees and criteria apply. Universities degrees go to the Ministry of Universities and non-university ones to the Ministry of Education.

Do I still need to recognise my degree to apply for a public post as a Spanish national?

Yes, you still need your foreign degree homologated or recognised as equivalent, because Spanish nationality only meets the nationality requirement. Each call sets its own deadline for proving this, so read the specific call before you apply.

Does acquiring Spanish nationality as a descendant change how my degree is recognised?

No, descendants who acquire Spanish nationality, including under the Democratic Memory Law, get no special degree recognition rules. Your degree goes through the ordinary procedure. Nationality does open jobs reserved for nationals, but the title still needs recognition.

Does being a dual national change my recognition route for an EU degree?

No, dual nationality alone changes nothing, because the route depends on where the qualification was issued. For regulated professions, a qualification obtained in the EU, EEA or Switzerland can get professional recognition from the relevant Spanish ministry, which is separate from academic homologation.