Getting a school certificate recognised in Spain yourself: homologación, convalidación and volante

School certificate recognition: a 15-step plan

1. Work out what you need: homologación or convalidación

   Real Decreto 104/1988 separates two procedures. Homologación recognises a completed level as equal to a Spanish título (Graduado en ESO or Bachiller) for academic purposes (article 2). Convalidación recognises completed years so the student can continue studying in Spain (article 3). For Primaria and any year of ESO no procedure is needed at all.

   • Noted where the child is going: school, Bachillerato, FP or university
   • Checked the “Situation / What to file” table above
   • With several children, worked out the procedure for each

   Where: RD 104/1988, articles 1-3; Orden de 14 de marzo de 1988, apartado segundoTiming: before gathering documentsCost: free

   When to get help: the child did not finish the final year, moved between school systems or studied online at a foreign school, and it is unclear which level they have actually completed.

2. Check which Spanish level the certificate corresponds to

   The ministry sets the level using equivalence tables or, where there is no table for the country, by the content and length of study, precedents and reciprocity (articles 5 and 6 RD 104/1988). In Spain ESO lasts four years, from age 12 to 16, followed by two years of Bachillerato, so what is compared is the years completed, not the grade number. We could not access an official table for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus or Kazakhstan, so we do not claim which certificate (9 or 11 grades) is recognised as which level: check your country’s table on the ministry’s website before you apply.

   • Found the equivalence table for my country on the ministry’s website
   • Matched the child’s school years to ESO and Bachillerato years
   • I understand that the ministry makes the final decision

   Where: RD 104/1988, articles 5 and 6; website of the Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y DeportesTiming: before applyingCost: free

   When to get help: the certificate was issued under a programme that no longer exists (USSR, transition years), or the child finished as an external student.

3. Gather the documents

   You need the título or school-leaving certificate, an academic transcript with subjects, grades and years of study, and proof of nationality: the passport (Orden de 14 de marzo de 1988, apartado cuarto). For homologación a Graduado en ESO the ministry asks for grades for the four years corresponding to ESO; for Bachiller, for the years corresponding to Bachillerato. For FP you also need the curriculum with hours per subject and the work placement.

   • Certificate and the grades supplement (or a transcript of grades by year)
   • Child’s passport; for a minor, also the legal guardian’s documents
   • For FP: curriculum, hours, work placement details

   Where: the school that issued the certificateTiming: from a few days to weeks if you need a transcript or a duplicateCost: according to the school’s rules

   When to get help: the school has closed or is somewhere it is hard to get documents from.

4. Get an apostille

   Non-EU documents are filed with a Hague Convention apostille or legalised through diplomatic channels (apartado séptimo). The apostille is added in the issuing country. In Russia, education documents are apostilled by the executive authorities of each federal subject (resolution No. 1890 of 10.11.2023). In Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science does it through the state enterprise “Information and Image Centre”, with booking through an online account. For Belarus and Kazakhstan, check the competent authority on your country’s government portal.

   • Apostille on the certificate
   • Apostille on the grades supplement or academic transcript
   • Checked that the full name matches the passport in Latin script

   Where: the country that issued the certificateTiming: according to the issuing authority’s rulesCost: the issuing country’s fee

   When to get help: you are already in Spain and cannot apply for the apostille in person. See apostille on diplomas and certificates.

5. Order an official translation

   Documents not in Spanish are filed with an official translation (apartado séptimo). According to ministry materials, the translation is done by a traductor jurado recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Delegación del Gobierno also accepts translations made through a Spanish diplomatic or consular mission and through the country of origin’s mission in Spain. The apostille is translated too. How to do it: route card on sworn translation.

   • Found a translator on the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s list
   • The translation covers the certificate, grades and apostilles
   • I have the translation file for electronic filing

   Where: traductor jurado or consulateTiming: as agreedCost: the translator’s rates

6. Pay tasa 790-079

   The fee depends on the level. According to the ministry’s document for 2026, homologación a Graduado en ESO carries no fee, convalidación of the 1st year of Bachillerato costs €24.88, and homologación al título de Bachiller €49.76. You pay with modelo 790, código 079: the form is generated on the ministry’s website. Check the amount before paying, as it is revised.

   • Checked the amount on the tasa 790-079 page
   • Filled in the form for the child (the applicant), not for the parent
   • Kept proof of payment

   Where: ministry website, bank or online paymentTiming: before applyingCost: €0 / 24.88 / 49.76

   When to get help: you have no Spanish bank account or card. See what modelo 790 is.

7. Submit the application: sede or a registro in Barcelona

   The application is filled in on the ministry’s sede electrónica. With a certificado digital or Cl@ve you can send it online. Otherwise, the printed application and documents are filed at a registro: the Orden de 1988 lists the Áreas de Alta Inspección de Educación at the Delegaciones del Gobierno, other official registers and, abroad, the Consejerías de Educación and Spanish consulates (apartado tercero). In Barcelona this is the Alta Inspección de Educación en Cataluña; it works by cita previa, and the address is on the Delegación del Gobierno website.

   • Filled in the application on the sede
   • Chose how to file: online or at a registro with cita previa
   • Kept the justificante de registro

   Where: ministry sede; Alta Inspección de Educación en Cataluña; any registroTiming: before enrolment at the school or university opensCost: tasa 790-079

   When to get help: you have no NIE or digital signature and need to file urgently, or a representative is filing. See Cl@ve and Mi Carpeta Ciudadana.

8. Get the volante para inscripción condicional

   The volante lets the student enrol conditionally at a school, college or university while the procedure is pending (article 15 RD 104/1988). It is stamped by the registry that received the application. It is valid for six months from the stamp date or, if the student enrolled with it, until the end of the school year; it can be extended with a new volante if the delay is not your fault (apartado décimo). The volante states where you plan to enrol.

   • Got the volante with a stamp and date
   • Made copies for the school, college or university
   • Noted the date the six months run out

   Where: the registry that received the applicationTiming: 6 months or until the end of the school yearCost: free

   When to get help: the volante is about to expire, there is no decision yet, and the school or university is asking for the document.

9. Note the decision deadline

   The ministry decides within three months, but the clock starts from the date the file is complete or from the date of the expert report (article 11 RD 104/1988). Apply as early as you can: enrolment for Bachillerato, FP and university has its own deadlines, and you need the volante by then.

   • Noted the filing date and the expected decision date
   • Compared it with the preinscripció dates in Catalonia
   • I check my email and online account once a week

   Where: RD 104/1988, article 11Timing: up to 3 months from a complete fileCost: free

10. Answer the requerimiento

    If documents are missing, the ministry gives you 10 days to fix the gaps; otherwise the application is archived. If a document has to be obtained abroad or does not meet formal requirements (for example, it lacks an apostille), the deadline is three months (article 8 RD 104/1988).

    • Read the request and listed what is missing
    • Replied through the same channel I used to file
    • Kept confirmation of the reply

    Where: sede or registroTiming: 10 days or 3 monthsCost: free

    When to get help: the request concerns the content of the curriculum or a missing year. See how to answer a requerimiento.

11. Get the credencial

    The decision is issued as a credencial from the ministry (article 14 RD 104/1988). The credencial de homologación al título de Bachiller and a Graduado en ESO, and the credencial de convalidación of the 1st year of Bachillerato, show a nota media calculated with the conversion scale for foreign grades (Resolución de 3 de julio de 2024). For university, this is the figure that matters most.

    • Downloaded or received the credencial
    • Checked the full name, level and nota media
    • Gave a copy to the school, college or university in place of the volante

    Where: the ministryTiming: after the decisionCost: free

12. University: PAU and UNEDasiss

    University entry requires a título de Bachiller or equivalent and a pass in the prueba de acceso a la universidad (PAU, formerly EBAU and PEvAU) (article 4 RD 534/2024). Only graduates of EU systems and of countries with agreements are exempt from the PAU (article 6): Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are not among them, so you need homologación and the PAU. UNEDasiss runs the PAU for students from foreign systems: the admission grade is 0.4 of the average of the compulsory exams plus 0.6 of the Bachillerato nota media, and the pass mark is 5.

    • Applied for homologación al título de Bachiller before registering for the PAU
    • Chose where to sit the PAU and checked whether the organiser accepts the volante
    • Checked the subject weightings for the faculty I want

    Where: UNEDasiss or the PAU organiser; universityTiming: according to this year’s PAU calendarCost: the PAU organiser’s fees

    When to get help: starting university coincides with switching your residence permit to a student one. See student visa step by step.

13. FP: grado medio and grado superior

    FP grado medio requires the Graduado en ESO or a prueba de acceso; grado superior requires the título de Bachiller or another route provided by law. A foreign certificate only counts here after homologación or with a volante. In Catalonia, for preinscripció in Batxillerat or FP without a credencial yet, you file a declaració responsable stating that you intend to apply for homologation (form A815), and bring the volante at enrolment.

    • Chose the FP level and checked the qualification it requires
    • Prepared declaració responsable A815 for preinscripció
    • Brought the volante to matrícula

    Where: Departament d'Educació de la Generalitat, the school or collegeTiming: according to the preinscripció calendarCost: according to the centre’s rules

14. School: convalidación and enrolment

    A child going into Primaria or any year of ESO does not go through convalidación: the school decides the year under the current rules (apartado segundo). The procedure is needed when moving to Bachillerato: 1st year requires the Graduado en ESO (homologación), 2nd year requires convalidación of the 1st year. How to enrol at a school in Barcelona during the school year is covered in the school route card.

    • For ESO: enrolled at school without convalidación
    • For 1st year of Bachillerato: applied for homologación a Graduado en ESO
    • For 2nd year: applied for convalidación de 1º de Bachillerato

    Where: school, Consorci d'Educació de BarcelonaTiming: according to the enrolment calendarCost: 0 or €24.88

15. Refusal or partial recognition

    The ministry may recognise a lower level than requested or validate only some of the years: for example, recognising the Graduado en ESO instead of Bachiller. The decision states the type of appeal and the deadline; under Ley 39/2015 a recurso de alzada or recurso de reposición is filed within one month. Sometimes it is quicker to complete the missing year in Spain than to argue.

    • Noted the notification date and the appeal deadline given in the decision
    • Compared the options: appeal or complete the year
    • Told the school or university about the new status

    Where: the ministryTiming: one month for an administrative appealCost: no fee

    When to get help: admission this year depends on the decision. See appeals: reposición, alzada, court.