Information for holders of official degree issued outside Spain

For access to a Spanish doctoral program with an official degree obtained under educational systems of countries not belonging to the European Higher Education Area, the university must verify that the degree accredits a level of education equivalent to that of the official Spanish Master’s degree and that it entitles the holder to access doctoral studies in the country where the degree was issued.

This check is performed in a process called equivalence study of the level of the qualification provided with respect to an official Spanish qualification.

This study has a cost regulated by the Law on Fees established annually by the autonomous government. This cost will be applied only once and for all the titles provided, according to the policy on this matter established by the Universitat Politecnica de València.

In the event that this verification is favorable, it will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party nor its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies.

No legalization is required for documents issued in member states of the European Union or signatories of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

In all other cases, documents issued abroad must be duly legalized in accordance with the following conditions:

• Documents issued in countries that have subscribed to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961: a single legalization or “apostille” issued by the competent authorities of the country is sufficient. In addition to the countries of the European Economic Area, these are the following: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei-Darussalan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Colombia, Cyprus, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Russian Federation, Slovenia, United States of America, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Marshall Islands, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Romania, St. Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Seychelles, Switzerland, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, The former Yugoslav Republic, Turkey, United States of America and Venezuela.
• Documents issued in countries that have signed the Andres Bello Convention (Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Panama, Peru and Venezuela): they must be legalized through diplomatic channels (the procedure eliminates the last step of the ordinary legalization). When the country is also a signatory of the Hague Convention, the simpler procedure established by the latter may be used. They must be presented at:
  • Ministry of Education of the country of origin for diplomas and certificates of studies.
  • Ministry for birth and nationality certificates, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where such documents were issued.
  • Diplomatic or consular representation of Spain in that country.
• Documents issued in the other countriesThe documents must be legalized through diplomatic channels. To do so, they must be presented at:
  • Ministry of Education of the country of origin for diplomas and certificates of studies and in the corresponding Ministry for birth and nationality certificates.
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where such documents were issued.
  • Diplomatic or consular representation of Spain in that country, and at the Legalization Section of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (C/ Serrano Galvache, 26 – MADRID).

Documents issued by diplomatic or consular authorities of other countries in Spain must be legalized at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Law 39/2015, of October 1, of the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations., states that the language of the procedures processed by the General State Administration will be Spanish or the co-official language of the Autonomous Community if applicable.

Accordingly, the rules governing these proceedings require that the documents issued abroad that are to be used in these proceedings be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish (when they are not issued in that language). The official translation may be made:

• By a sworn translator, duly authorized or registered in Spain.
• By any diplomatic or consular representation of the Spanish State 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.

However, depending on the language in which they are issued, they may be accepted, provided that the documents can be understood by the persons who review them, so it is recommended to consult with this school in this regard.

The homologation of a degree and its legalization are two different procedures which have different legal effects.

Legalization is the process by which the authorities of your country certify that the degree is valid and has been issued by the competent authority to do so. In most countries this process is identified with the Hague Apostille.

Homologation is a process by which the Spanish Ministry of Education equalize your degree to the corresponding Spanish one, for the purposes of performing your profession in Spain. This process can only be done at the Ministry, with the exception of Doctorate degrees, which can be managed through Spanish Public Universities.

Those who indicate in the pre-registration form that they have the homologation of the degree must prove it attaching the resolution of homologation of the Spanish Ministry of Education.. In case of not doing it may be excluded from the pre-enrollment process.