The Department of the General Directorate of Evaluation and Territorial Cooperation is the Department of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in charge of resolving applications for the homologation of non-university education from foreign educational systems.
The homologation of foreign diplomas with the non-university Spanish equivalents is to recognize their official validity in Spain. The Título de Bachiller is obtained after the full completion of 12 years of schooling in Spain. It allows access to the University. The validation for the 1st year of Bachillerato allows the continuation of studies in the 2nd year of Bachillerato.
Do you want to start your university studies in a Spanish university and you have a high school diploma from another country?
You will be able to homologate your foreign baccalaureate degree for the Spanish baccalaureate. In some universities you will be asked for the homologation of your studies, or for the conditional enrollment in schools or official exams.
To request the homologation of a bachelor's degree obtained in another country outside of Spain, certain requirements must be met:
- They must be official in the educational system of the country to which they correspond.
- Foreign studies must be fully completed.
- Must have passed each and every one of the previous courses.
- There must be sufficient equivalence with the Spanish studies or degree, both at the academic level and in terms of duration and content.
- If the studies have been carried out in a foreign center in Spain, in addition to complying with the homologation regulations, the center must be authorized to teach these studies.
Which studies cannot be homologated?
- Individual subjects
- Degrees already obtained and courses taken in the Spanish educational system o Studies taken in non-authorized foreign centers located in Spain.
- Foreign studies that do not lead to degrees with official academic validity.
- Foreign degrees, diplomas, certificates or studies that are not part of the foreign educational system.
- The homologations or validations obtained in a third country.
What academic documentation do I need to start my homologation application?
- Copy (authentic/verified) of the official degree or diploma: it certifies the complete passing of the corresponding final studies (and exams).
- Copy (authentic/verified) of the official certificate: accrediting the courses passed, the subjects studied, the grades obtained and the academic years in which they were taken.
- For homologation to a bachelor's degree: the last 3 years.
Do I need to legalize my documents?
For academic degrees or certifications, legalization generally consists of the recognition of the signature of the educational authority issuing the original document.
If the documents come from member states of the European Union, Switzerland or signatories of the Agreement on the European Economic Area, they do not require legalization. In all other cases, documents issued abroad must be duly legalized: o Documents issued in countries that have signed the Hague Convention. A single legalization or "apostille" issued by the competent authorities of the country is sufficient. o Documents issued in other countries: They must be legalized through diplomatic channels. Therefore, it is very important that the documents issued abroad are duly legalized and apostilled, as the case may be, in order to be valid in Spain.
Do I need to translate the documents?
If the documents submitted are not in Spanish, they must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish. The official translation may be made:
- By a sworn translator, duly authorized or registered in Spain.
- By any diplomatic or consular representation of Spain abroad.
- By the diplomatic or consular representation in Spain of the country of which the applicant is a citizen or, if applicable, of the country of origin of the document.
- By an official translator abroad and duly legalized signature of such official translator.
Where should I apply for the homologation of my high school diploma?
If you wish to start with the application for the homologation of your high school diploma obtained abroad, you must start the procedure by submitting your application for homologation in person or online, fulfilling all the requirements.
Apply for homologation in person:
If you are in Spain, you may submit the documentation at the general registry office of the Ministry of Education (C/ Los Madrazo, 15, Madrid), at the offices of the Territorial Directorate of Education closest to your home, or at any of the registry offices set up for this purpose.
If you are outside Spain, you can initiate the procedure by presenting the documentation at the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.
You can also submit the documentation through a person acting as an intermediary.
Apply for the homologation of the online baccalaureate:
You can start the application process for the homologation of the baccalaureate online at this web page of the Ministry of Education: baccalaureate homologation application.
To present the documentation in person, if you reside in Spain you must request an appointment and if you reside outside Spain you will have to request an appointment at the Embassy or Consulate of your country.
To complete the homologation application process, it is necessary to pay the corresponding fees for this procedure (fee 079), which are 49.27 €.
How long does it take for the Ministry of Education to issue the Homologation credential?
Once you have submitted all the documents for the homologation application, the Ministry of Education must resolve the homologation file within a maximum of 3 months, counting from the date on which the fully completed file has been submitted.
If there is no resolution within said period, it will be understood that the application has been rejected, and the appeals foreseen for this procedure may be filed. However, in general, the Ministry takes more time to resolve the application than the time established by the regulations. 3 to 6 months to issue the homologation credential.
Can I sit for university entrance exams or enrollment while I am in the process of obtaining the homologation of my baccalaureate?
In the majority of Universities you can do it, always conditioned to the approval of the homologation of the baccalaureate degree. In accordance with current regulations, the study centers may admit students whose homologation files have been initiated and are pending resolution on the date on which the deadline for admission to the center ends.
In order for this to be possible, you must provide the document certifying that the application for homologation of your studies is being processed. This document must be stamped at the Registry Office where the application was submitted. With it, you will be able to enroll conditionally until the file is finally resolved.
Those interested in requesting the homologation of their bachelor's degree obtained abroad, may apply for the homologation of their degrees telematically and through a representative. If you wish to apply for the homologation of your degree and you have concerns about it, you can contact us to advise you and accompany you throughout the process, we can start your application for homologation even if you are not in Spain.
