Fast-Track Degree Validation in Spain

Fast-Track Degree Validation in Spain: Secure Your Job Offer and Work Legally

Are you a highly-qualified international professional currently working in Spain or planning to relocate, and your career progression hinges on the official recognition (homologación) of your foreign university degree?

The Spanish government has implemented a crucial resolution creating a priority procedure (procedimiento preferente) for fast-tracking the validation and equivalence declaration of foreign university degrees. This measure is specifically designed to attract top international talent and ensure legal compliance right from the start.

If you have a confirmed job offer in Spain, this process is your direct route to working legally and securely in your field

Priority Validation: The Right Way to Start Your Spanish Career

The new rule establishes a rapid track for professionals who possess a firm, highly-skilled job contract (contrato de alta cualificación) that legally requires the homologación or equivalence of their university degree.

This means your application will skip the regular queue and be processed with priority. This is the government’s way of simplifying bureaucracy while ensuring that all legal requirements—especially those related to professional qualifications—are met. Doing things right means starting your job quickly, without compliance risks.

What Counts as a ‘Highly-Qualified’ Degree for Priority?

To qualify for this streamlined process, your degree must be from a Higher Education institution, have a minimum duration of three years, and be equivalent to at least Level 2 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES).

Impeccable Documentation: The Key to Fast-Tracking Your Compliance

For your fast-track degree validation to be effective, you must submit your application (or improve an existing one) via the General Secretariat of Universities’ Electronic Headquarters, including two essential documents. Compliance is mandatory; any error could delay your priority status.

Firm Job Contract or Pre-Contract: A document confirming the binding job offer from a Spanish employer.
Employer’s Sworn Declaration (Declaración Responsable): This is the critical legal document. It must be signed by the employer, certifying that the position legally requires the degree validation for you to perform the duties, and including a formal commitment to hire you as soon as the validation is obtained.

Mandatory Details in the Employer’s Declaration

To ensure full compliance and secure your priority status, the employer’s declaration must strictly include:

Job Details: Company name, tax ID (CIF/NIF), address, and a detailed description of the role and its legal requirements.
Validation Necessity: An express declaration that the degree validation is indispensable for the legal performance of the job.
Hiring Commitment: The company’s formal commitment to proceed with your hiring immediately after you receive the official degree recognition.
Legal Signatures: Signature, name, position, and date of the company’s Legal Representative.

Proactive Step: After submitting your application with the priority documentation, you must proactively inform the instructing body by sending an email to: agiliza.contrato@ciencia.gob.es. This step is vital to activate the priority review process.

Already Applied? How to Upgrade Your Existing File

If you already initiated your validation process and now have a firm job offer, you can upgrade your pending application by providing the same additional documentation (contract and sworn declaration), following Article 68.3 of Law 39/2015.

Do things right: Seek expert legal assistance to ensure the upgrade is executed correctly and notified to the official body via agiliza.contrato@ciencia.gob.es.

💡 Expert Legal Advice: Compliance and Speed

Our goal is to remove administrative barriers for highly-skilled professionals. The fast-track procedure offers speed, but only if documentation is 100% compliant. An error in the Sworn Declaration, for example, can nullify your priority status.

As your Immigration and Degree Validation Lawyer, we ensure:

Rigorous Vetting: We meticulously review and draft the Employer’s Sworn Declaration to guarantee it meets all legal demands for priority.
Correct Submission: We manage the proper electronic submission of all documents to the Ministry.
Full Compliance: We ensure that you are “doing things right” from the start, mitigating legal risks and securing your professional future in Spain.

CONTACT US TODAY AND SECURE YOUR PRIORITY VALIDATION

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