Trade and vocational licences

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. Vocational titles that are not university degrees go through a different ministry and regional authorities, so the process is not the same as for a degree. Driving licence exchange and school-level studies are covered elsewhere.

Start with "Spanish vocational levels (FP) and your equivalent". It shows where your qualification sits in the Spanish system, and the other pages build on that.

From there, choose the page that fits your goal:

• Recognising a foreign vocational qualification.
• Turning experience into a certificate.
• Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers.
• Professional driver, taxi and instructor licences.
• Licences for security guards, pilots and seafarers.

Key rules

• Correction window: If your homologación file is incomplete, you usually get 10 days to correct it.
• Experience needed: To accredit work experience you need at least 3 years of experience with at least 2,000 hours worked in the last 10 years.
• CAP training: The initial CAP for professional drivers takes a 280-hour course, and it is renewed every five years with a 35-hour course.
• Not for degrees: University degrees and regulated professions do not use this route.
• Three levels: Spanish FP has basic, medio and superior levels, and your foreign title is placed in one of them.
• Match: If your title matches a Spanish FP title you get homologación; if not, you can get equivalence to a Spanish academic level.

Trade and vocational licences: the whole process, step by step

• Work out which route fits you: a foreign vocational title, or experience without a title: before you start

• Place your foreign title in the Spanish level system (Spanish vocational levels (FP) and your equivalent): before you apply

• Gather the title, transcript, apostille or legalisation and sworn translations (Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain): before you file

• File the homologación application on the Ministry's electronic office and pay the fee if required: once your documents are ready

• Correct the file if the Ministry asks: you usually get 10 days to correct an incomplete file

• Wait for the decision: full homologación, homologación with compensation measures, level equivalence, or refusal: the legal limit is commonly six months from registration, and real waits can be as long or longer; no reply usually counts as a refusal, so you can appeal

• If you have work experience but no title, watch for your region's call for accreditation (Turning experience into a certificate (acreditación de competencias)): calls are not continuous: often once or a few times a year, and some regions leave gaps of years

• Show 3 years of experience with at least 2,000 hours worked in the last 10 years when you apply to a call: when the call opens

• For regulated trades, drivers, security, pilots and seafarers, check the separate licence rules (Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers; Professional driver, taxi and instructor licences; Licences for security guards, pilots and seafarers): before you start work in the trade

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your passport — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain

Income and work

• Certificates or contracts from your foreign employer or authority — Turning experience into a certificate (acreditación de competencias)
• Proof of tax and social security registration — Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers

The home and the lease

• Academic transcript listing subjects — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain

Payments and receipts

• Proof of payment of the fee — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain, Professional driver, taxi and instructor licences

Guarantees

• Civil liability insurance policy with the minimum cover set for your category — Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers

Translations and legal papers

• Sworn translation into Spanish of each foreign document — Turning experience into a certificate (acreditación de competencias), Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers
• Apostille of the Hague Convention on your foreign documents — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain
• Official Spanish translation by a sworn translator — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain

Other documents

• Application form — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain, Professional driver, taxi and instructor licences
• The original foreign title — Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain, Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers
• Proof of qualified technicians for your trade and category — Licences for electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and installers

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Trade and vocational licences: questions that cross several articles

Can I apply for recognition of my foreign vocational title if I am not a Spanish citizen?

Yes, any holder of an official foreign vocational title can apply, whatever their nationality. Titles for regulated professions, private certificates and university degrees are excluded. Read Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain, then Spanish vocational levels (FP) and your equivalent.

Should I apply for homologación or accredit my work experience?

Apply for homologación if you hold an official foreign title, and use accreditation if you have work experience but no recognised title. Accreditation needs 3 years of experience with at least 2,000 hours worked in the last 10 years, and legal residence if you are a foreign national.

What happens if the Ministry does not answer my homologación application?

If no decision arrives in time, silence usually counts as a refusal, so you can appeal or go to court. The legal limit is commonly six months from registration, and real waits can be longer. Read Recognising a foreign vocational qualification in Spain for the next steps.

Which documents do I need to prepare before I file?

You need the application form, your ID or NIE, the original title, a transcript and proof of fee payment where it applies. Foreign documents need an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation unless they are in Spanish or a co-official language.

Can I apply for accreditation of experience at any time?

No, you can only apply when your region opens a call, and calls are not continuous. Many are published once or a few times a year, and some regions now keep applications open. Check your region's employment or education department, and read Turning experience into a certificate (acreditación de competencias).