How to homologate your high school diploma in Spain: steps, deadlines and what to request (2026)

High school diploma with a stamp, books and a backpack on a table, next to a window overlooking a Spanish city.

When you homologate your high school diploma, what you achieve is official recognition that your foreign secondary-school certificate is equivalent to the Spanish Bachiller (high school diploma). The body that decides this is the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport) or, if your file is in Catalonia, Galicia or the Basque Country, the regional education administration with the relevant competence. It lets you prove that level of studies when a university, a higher-level vocational training course (FP de grado superior), an employer or a civil service exam asks for it.

Do you need the recognition of foreign qualifications (homologación) to enrol, and will it arrive in time?

If you finished secondary school outside Spain, the first thing that usually keeps you up at night is the calendar: when to submit your file, how long it can take and what happens if enrolment opens before you have a decision. Below you will find the legal deadline, the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional) and the documents it is worth requesting before you travel.

What usually costs you dear is arriving at enrolment without the recognition or the slip, or discovering that an apostille or a translation was done wrong and having to repeat procedures in your country. On top of that comes coordinating the recognition with the student visa or with your children's family reunification. If you would rather avoid those setbacks, you can ask us to review your case on our foreign qualification recognition page.

How to homologate your high school diploma step by step

Before you start, check whether you really need to homologate: there are university access routes where it is not necessary. If you do need it, the path has five milestones:

1. Gather and legalise your documents in your country.
2. Translate them into Spanish if necessary.
3. Submit the application and pay the fee for the procedure that applies to you.
4. Request the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional) if you have to enrol before the decision.
5. Respond to any requests they make and wait for the decision.

The basic documentation and the requirements of the national procedure are published by the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport) and on its dedicated page on recognition as Graduado en ESO (lower secondary certificate) and Bachiller, both consulted on 13 November 2026.

Official source: is the electronic office (sede electrónica) for homologation open in 2026?

Yes. On 13 November 2026, the official record of the national procedure states that the deadline for submitting the application is permanently open.

You can check this in the official record of the procedure and in the access to the procedure in the electronic office, consulted on 13/11/2026.

What the recognition of a foreign high school diploma (homologación) is and when you need it

The recognition of a foreign high school diploma in Spain (homologación del bachillerato extranjero) officially recognises that the studies you finished outside Spain are equivalent to the Spanish Bachiller (high school diploma).

It may interest you if you have to prove the Bachillerato to enter certain university studies or a higher-level vocational training course (FP de grado superior), for a job, or for a civil service exam whose requirements demand the Bachillerato or an equivalent.

For higher-level vocational training (FP de grado superior), the Bachiller qualification is one of the legal access routes, alongside other alternatives set out in the regulations. The national regulation currently in force is Real Decreto 659/2023 (Royal Decree 659/2023) of 18 July.

When you do not need to homologate the Bachillerato to enter university

Not every foreign student has to homologate first to gain access to a Spanish university.

UNEDasiss distinguishes several education systems and access routes: anyone coming from the European Union or from other systems with applicable agreements can use specific routes. You can check which group you are in on the official UNEDasiss page on types of students, consulted on 13/11/2026.

Colombia also has a specific bilateral agreement with Spain to recognise the requirements for access to university studies. We tell you about it below.

To study higher-level vocational training (FP de grado superior)

If you want to use your foreign certificate as the academic requirement to enter a vocational training course, the official TodoFP portal states that studies completed abroad must be homologated before applying for a place with that qualification. After that, admission and its calendars depend on each autonomous community. You can see this in the TodoFP frequently asked questions, consulted on 13/11/2026.

If your children are going to Primary school or ESO (compulsory secondary education)

If you arrive in Spain with school-age children, do not take it for granted that you have to homologate or validate what they studied abroad: the Ministry clarifies that anyone joining any year of Primary or ESO does not need a validation procedure to enter. It covers this in its frequently asked questions on the homologation and validation of non-university studies, consulted on 13/11/2026.

Who decides the recognition of foreign qualifications and how it differs from university degree recognition

At national level, the recognition of foreign non-university studies is the competence of the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport).

If the address on the application is in Catalonia, Galicia or the Basque Country, you have to address the regional education administration. The Ministry publishes this division of responsibilities on its competent bodies page, consulted on 13/11/2026.

Do not mix this procedure up with the recognition of foreign university degrees. That matter is now with the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) and, for the university recognition of degrees that give access to regulated professions, Real Decreto 889/2022 (Royal Decree 889/2022) of 18 October applies. The official information on university degree recognition is available to you.

Requirements to homologate your high school diploma: what documents you need

To homologate to the Spanish Bachiller (high school diploma), have at least the following ready:

For the documentation, the official source is the Ministry's page on application documents, consulted on 13/11/2026.

Apostille and legalisation are not the same thing

The Hague Apostille simplifies the authentication of public documents between the States to which the Hague Convention applies.

If that system does not apply and there is no exemption, you may need diplomatic legalisation. Neither of these procedures means that Spain has already recognised your studies: they serve to prove that the documents are formally authentic. The Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) explains both mechanisms on its legalisation and apostille page, consulted on 13/11/2026.

How to submit the application, pay the fee and act through a representative

In the national procedure you can start the application from the Ministry's electronic office (sede electrónica), but you have to follow the instructions for submitting and registering your file all the way to the end. You can also act through a representative, with the documentation that proves it.

Fee to homologate your high school diploma in 2026

If your file is with the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes (Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport), the recognition of the Bachiller qualification is subject to the tasa 079 (fee 079). To pay in Spain, the modelo 790 (form 790) is used, and the official information consulted on 13 November 2026 states an amount of 49.76 euros for recognition as Bachiller. You have the amount and the payment methods on the official page for tasa 079.

Do not simply carry that amount over to files processed by Catalonia, Galicia or the Basque Country: the competence is regional and you have to check the fees of the administration that will decide your file.

How long the recognition of a foreign high school diploma (homologación) takes

The maximum legal deadline for a decision is three months, but it matters when the clock starts.

Article 11 of Real Decreto 104/1988 (Royal Decree 104/1988) of 29 January establishes that the deadline runs from when the file is correctly completed or, where applicable, from when certain reports are communicated to the competent body.

So it is not true that you will receive the recognition exactly three months after starting the application. If documentation is missing, the Administration can ask you to correct it within a limited period.

What happens if the three months pass?

The official record of the national procedure gives administrative silence (silencio administrativo) a negative effect for the purposes of appealing. That does not exempt the Administration from issuing an express decision.

The official sources do not offer a real average time that would let us promise you how long your file will take. If enrolment is coming up soon, also think about the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional).

Conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional): what it is for and how long it lasts

The conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional) can help you enrol provisionally or sit certain official exams while the recognition of foreign qualifications is being decided.

The Ministry's official form, consulted on 13/11/2026, establishes the following:

• it is submitted together with the homologation application;
• only one slip can be used per application;
• you have six months from when it is stamped to complete the conditional enrolment.

The slip is not a provisional recognition nor does it guarantee that the decision will be favourable. If in the end the recognition is not granted, the enrolment and any results you obtained with the slip may become void on the terms stated in the document itself.

When it is worth having your case reviewed

There are moments when a mistake can cost you dearly and it is worth having someone review the file before you act, for example:

• Enrolment or pre-enrolment is close and your calendar depends on the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional) or on a decision you do not yet have.
• You have received a request to correct the application (requerimiento de subsanación) and you are not sure which document they are asking for or how to get it from another country before the deadline runs out.
• Your recognition has been refused and you want to decide between the appeal for reconsideration (recurso de reposición) and the administrative court appeal without letting the deadline stated in the notification pass.
• You have to chain the recognition together with a student visa or a family reunification, and each procedure depends on different documents and dates.

In those cases, reviewing the documents, the apostilles and the calendar beforehand can prevent you from submitting something incomplete. If you want a lawyer to review it, you have more information on our foreign qualification recognition page. And if you are still working out where your case fits, the central guide to recognising a foreign qualification in Spain (in Spanish) explains the difference between recognition of foreign qualifications (homologación), academic equivalence (equivalencia) and validation of studies (convalidación).

How to homologate a Colombian high school diploma in Spain

In Colombia, the official system distinguishes five years of primary school, four of lower secondary school —from 6th to 9th grade— and two of upper secondary school —10th and 11th grade—, and on finishing you obtain the bachiller certificate. You can consult the structure at the Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia (Colombian Ministry of National Education), consulted on 13/11/2026.

To homologate the Bachillerato in Spain, the official Spanish documentation for Colombia asks for the bachiller diploma, the grade certificates for 9th, 10th and 11th grade and the corresponding legalisation and apostille.

The Ministry also published an official guide on the homologation of the Colombian Bachillerato, dated 12 May 2023.

The order of the steps before the apostille matters. You can consult the current instructions on the official apostille and legalisation page of the Cancillería de Colombia (Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), consulted on 13/11/2026.

If you only want to enter a Spanish university

Spain and Colombia signed an agreement on 4 May 2023 to mutually recognise high school diplomas and State exams for the purposes of access to higher education.

That route covers the Colombian high school diploma and the results of Saber 11, under the conditions set out in the agreement. The official text was published in the BOE of 18 May 2023.

In practice, UNEDasiss currently asks for Colombia for the high school diploma and the proof of Saber 11 results with a minimum score. You can see that requirement on the UNEDasiss page for students from Colombia, consulted on 13/11/2026. That accreditation does not guarantee you a place: each university keeps its own admission criteria.

This may mean you do not need a prior recognition for that specific purpose of university access, but it does not turn the Colombian certificate into a Spanish Bachillerato for other uses (higher-level vocational training, employment, civil service exams).

How to homologate a Venezuelan high school diploma in Spain

If your certificate is from Venezuela, the minimum documentation is the one in the requirements table: the official high school certificate or diploma, an academic record of at least the last three years, and legalisation and apostille where applicable. We do not include a total number of years of Venezuelan secondary school because there is no current official source clear enough to support that figure.

Venezuelan apostilles: check before submitting

With Venezuelan documents, legalisation and apostille are usually the point that delays the file most. It is worth checking them before submitting the application; if you want us to do it with you, look at our foreign qualification recognition page.

Homologating your high school diploma to enter university: UNEDasiss and the PCE

If you want to study for an undergraduate degree, you have to distinguish three things:

• Recognition of foreign qualifications (homologación): it recognises that your foreign certificate is equivalent to the Spanish Bachillerato.
• UNEDasiss accreditation: it is used to prove to the universities the access conditions and other academic requirements according to your education system.
• Specific Competency Tests (PCE, Pruebas de Competencias Específicas): they can be used to prove competencies or improve admission, depending on the route and what each university requires.

You have the different routes and the documentation explained by UNEDasiss in its information for international students and in its frequently asked questions, consulted on 13/11/2026.

Do not take it for granted that you need the same PCE for every university. Before you enrol, check the criteria of the degree and of the specific university.

Situation → what you need to check

Checklist: what to request before travelling to Spain

Whenever you can, do not wait until you are in Spain to gather the documentation. Before you travel, try to bring:

• your certificate and your grades, already legalised or apostilled where applicable and, if necessary, translated;
• your valid identity document;
• the representation documentation, if another person is going to do the procedure for you.

Which exact certificate to request and how to legalise it depends on your country: we review it before you travel. That way you avoid a looming enrolment depending on obtaining certificates from a distance.

Common mistakes and what happens if your recognition of foreign qualifications is refused

The most common mistakes are submitting incomplete documentation (grades from only one year, a missing apostille or translation), confusing a university access accreditation with a homologation, and believing that filling in the online form is the same as submitting the file. If you receive a request to correct the application (requerimiento de subsanación), answer it within the deadline.

What appeal can you file if it is refused?

In the national procedure, the decision ends the administrative route. Against it there may be an optional appeal for reconsideration (recurso potestativo de reposición) or an administrative court appeal (recurso contencioso-administrativo).

You have the official information on the Ministry's page on decisions and appeals, consulted on 13/11/2026.

If your file is decided by a regional administration, look at the appeal notice at the bottom of that decision: do not simply carry over the rules of the national procedure.

If your recognition has been refused, it is worth having a lawyer review the decision before deciding how to act and within the deadline: you can consult it on our foreign qualification recognition page.

If you are coming to Spain to study or arriving with your children

Academic recognition is one thing and the authorisation to reside or study in Spain is another.

For third-country nationals who are going to stay more than 90 days, immigration law distinguishes according to the studies: it covers higher education, including higher-level vocational training (FP de grado superior), and regulates other cases of post-compulsory education with their own requirements. Age can also change the route that applies to you. We explain it in which studies count for the student card (in Spanish) and in the student visa (in Spanish) guide.

If you are coming with children or have to coordinate enrolment, recognition and your immigration situation, it is worth looking at the three calendars separately. A legal consultation can help you determine which immigration authorisation applies to your case, without guaranteeing a favourable academic or immigration decision. If you have to chain the recognition together with a student visa or with your children's reunification, start with our foreign qualification recognition page.

Frequently asked questions about recognising a foreign high school diploma in Spain

What are the requirements to homologate a high school diploma?

You have to prove official foreign studies that can be homologated to the Spanish Bachiller (high school diploma) and submit the documentation required by the procedure (you have it in the requirements table above).

How long does the recognition of a foreign high school diploma (homologación) take?

The maximum legal deadline is three months from when the file is correctly completed, with the particularities provided for when reports are needed. There is no general official average that lets you be sure how long each file will take.

What is the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional)?

It is a document that can allow you a provisional enrolment or to sit certain exams while the recognition is being decided. It is not the same as a favourable decision and remains conditional on the final outcome of the file.

Can I homologate my high school diploma to enter university?

Yes, the recognition can form part of your access route, but not every education system needs it in the same way. Check your route first in UNEDasiss and the university's requirements.

Can I submit the application through another person?

Yes, the procedure allows representation, as long as you prove it correctly.

Do I need to translate a certificate issued in Spanish?

Not simply because you are a foreigner: an official translation is required when the document is not written in Spanish.

Are recognition of foreign qualifications and validation of studies the same thing?

No. Recognition of foreign qualifications (homologación) recognises equivalence with a Spanish qualification. Validation of studies (convalidación) recognises studies or courses in order to continue certain teachings.

What to do now if you have an enrolment coming up

The first thing is to identify which academic route you really need: recognition of foreign qualifications, UNEDasiss, the PCE or a conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional). If you also need a stay or residence authorisation, process it as a separate matter but coordinated with the academic calendar.