Recognise a foreign degree in Spain (university or Bachillerato)

What you need to have ready

1. Cl@ve, certificado digital o DNIe that works.
2. A decent scan (PDF) of the degree, academic transcript and study programmes, all apostilled/legalised and with sworn translation if needed.
3. A clear idea: do you want homologación (regulated profession) or equivalencia (MECES level: grado/máster)?
4. Card or account to pay the applicable Modelo 790 fee.

Documentation

• Identity: pasaporte o NIE.
• Degree and academic transcript with credits/hours and grades.
• Programmes/plan de studies by subject (content and workload). This is what most applications miss.
• Legalisation: Apostilla de La Haya or consular legalisation of the degree and the transcript.
• Traducción jurada into Spanish of anything not in Spanish.
• Fee: Modelo 790-107 (universitarios) o 790-079 (no universitarios), payment receipt/NRC.
• Representation if you act on someone else’s behalf.

Step by step

1. Go to universidades.sede.gob.es and find the procedure for homologación/equivalencia of foreign higher education degrees.
2. Log in with Cl@ve and fill in the application: choose the route (homologación/equivalencia) and the target Spanish degree.
3. Upload the PDFs: degree, transcript, programmes, apostilles and translations. Make sure they are legible and complete.
4. Pay the fee from the sede (790-107) or generate the 790 to pay at the bank. Keep the NRC/receipt.
5. Sign and submit. Download the receipt and note the expediente number.
6. If they ask for subsanación, enter the Carpeta Ciudadana and upload the missing items within 10 días hábiles.
7. Check the status regularly. When they decide, download the credential or the agreement with measures (test or practicals) and follow the instructions.
8. If your degree is non-university (ESO/Bachiller), do it at sede.educacion.gob.es or at your CCAA using the 790-079 fee.

Time-saving tips

• Get the study programmes from your original university before anything else. Without them they stop your file.
• Pay the fee from the sede with a card: it links automatically and avoids the NRC mess.
• Upload clear single-file PDFs per document. Name them like “Certificado_notas_apostillado.pdf”.
• Browser: the sede usually works better in Chrome/Edge. Safari can act up when signing.
• Turn on notifications in Carpeta Ciudadana so you don’t miss a subsanación deadline.

Common mistakes that can ruin the process

• Asking for equivalencia when you need homologación (or vice versa). Result: months wasted and another fee.
• Missing Apostilla or traducción jurada. Guaranteed requirement.
• Paying the fee with the wrong code (107 vs 079). You’ll need a devolución de ingresos indebidos.
• Uploading illegible scans or missing pages.
• Not answering a subsanación within 10 días hábiles: the file can be archived and you must start again.