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Recognition of ESO and Bachillerato by country

Prepare recognition of your foreign studies: choose where you studied and check documents, apostilles, translations, costs and how to submit an application from Murcia.

Choose the country where you studied

Before you start: do you need recognition?

This guide covers only recognition as the Spanish Graduado en ESO and Bachiller qualifications. Choose the country and education system that issued the documents, rather than your nationality. Seek advice before paying if you studied in several countries or at a school belonging to another system.

  • You do not need recognition of previous studies to enter a year of Spanish primary education or ESO: contact the school directly. Obtaining recognition as the ESO qualification is a separate procedure.
  • Studies must be official and complete school years must have been passed. A qualification called “bachiller” in its country of origin does not by itself guarantee Spanish equivalence.
  • Country guides explain official tables and guidance; the competent authority decides each application. University degrees, vocational qualifications and professional licences are outside this guide.
  • If you have not completed the final upper secondary qualification, recognition of the first year of Bachillerato may be possible. That is a separate procedure and is outside these country guides.

Sources and verification

1. Gather the common documents

Use this list together with your country guide. Check that names, dates, school years and institutions match across your ID, qualification and transcripts.

  • Official application, identification and, if someone acts for you, their authorisation and identification. You may use a passport; an NIE is not required to start. You need not provide a DNI/NIE copy if you authorise the identity check.
  • Official qualification, diploma or certificate confirming completion of the relevant studies and final examinations. For ESO, check the school year or certificate required by your education system’s table.
  • ESO: certificates for the last 4 relevant school years. Bachiller: at least the last 3 years. They must state subjects, grades and academic years; the country guide may require further documents.
  • If you previously studied in Spain, include your official Spanish academic record or certificate. The processing authority may request additional documents.
  • Apostille or legalise originals where required, then obtain verified copies at a Spanish registration office: bring the originals, which are scanned and returned. A plain photocopy is not a verified copy.

Sources and verification

2. Authenticate and translate

An apostille authenticates the signature and the signatory’s capacity; it does not grant academic recognition. Follow your country guide in order to avoid paying for an unsuitable procedure.

  • Apostille: issued by the competent authority in the country of origin. Check any prior educational signature certification. It must authenticate the original academic document, not only the signature of a person who photocopied it.
  • Diplomatic legalisation: where the apostille does not apply, the usual chain is the education authority, the country’s foreign ministry and Spain’s diplomatic mission. Check the specific consular instructions before sending documents.
  • Documents not in Spanish require an official Spanish translation, including stamps, apostilles and annotations. A sworn translator authorised in Spain is one option; the Ministry also accepts specified consular and foreign official translator routes.
  • When using an official translator abroad, check the authentication of their signature. Ask for a quote covering the whole file; Spain has no single fixed sworn translation fee.
  • Country guides reflect Senegal’s apostille and Algeria’s July 2026 change. Mali follows a different route: do not reuse another country’s instructions.

Sources and verification

3. Calculate fees and expenses

The Spanish amounts are those published by the official sources consulted on 13 October 2026. Confirm the amount on the official form when paying; total costs depend on documents and procedures in the issuing country.

  • ESO: no Spanish recognition fee (€0). This does not make certificates, authentication, delivery or translation free.
  • Bachiller qualification: published Spanish fee of €49.76, code 079, form 790. Do not use the university degree recognition form.
  • Payment in Spain: follow form 790 and the participating bank’s instructions. Generate a separate form for each application and keep proof of payment.
  • Payment from abroad: the official page allows a bank transfer. Obtain current bank details from that page and cover bank charges so the full fee arrives. Payment alone does not submit the application.
  • Add document issue/certification, apostille or legalisation per document, translation and possible delivery. Each country guide separates verified amounts, exemptions and costs to check; no unsupported total estimate is provided.

Sources and verification

4. Submit your application from Murcia

Murcia’s Government Delegation describes two steps: complete the Ministry’s online application and submit it with the documents at an official registration office. Creating an account or downloading a form does not itself start the procedure.

  • Open “Open the application on the electronic portal”, register and select ESO or Bachiller. Check your details and download the application and, if needed, the conditional enrolment form.
  • Print, sign and submit the file with supporting documents and proof of payment for Bachiller. You can use an official registration office at your council or another administration that accepts applications; check appointments and service arrangements before travelling.
  • You do not need to attend Murcia’s Government Delegation in person. If you use an accepted electronic registration route, obtain the final submission receipt: a saved draft or unregistered form is insufficient.
  • Keep the registration number, date and a copy of everything submitted. Do not upload personal documents to OrientUP: applications use official channels.
  • For enquiries in Murcia: educacion.murcia@correo.gob.es, published on the High Inspectorate page. Specify country, year, qualification and purpose; check which documents they need before sending personal data.
  • Murcia’s High Inspectorate decides applications for the countries on its official list. Mali is not listed: the Ministry decides applications from other systems. You can still submit through an authorised registration office.

Sources and verification

5. Conditional enrolment, tracking and decision

If you want to study while your application is processed, ask the school about admission deadlines and the conditional enrolment form (VIC). Recognition and admission are separate procedures.

  • Submit the completed VIC with the application and have the registration office stamp it. It allows conditional enrolment during its validity; it guarantees neither a place nor a favourable decision.
  • If the decision does not grant the recognition requested, the conditional enrolment and results obtained under it may become invalid. Confirm the conditions with the school.
  • Track your file on the electronic portal, check notifications and answer requests within the specified deadlines. Keep receipts for additional submissions.
  • The statutory decision period is 3 months from the date the file is properly completed. This is not a promise of a decision within 3 months of the first application.
  • No decision within the time limit does not mean approval. Administrative silence has negative effects to allow an appeal, and the administration must still decide. The notification states appeal routes and deadlines.
  • After a favourable decision, obtain the recognition credential from the portal and check its details. This proves recognition; neither the payment receipt nor the VIC replaces it.

Sources and verification

If the table does not fit or documents are missing

For older curricula, technical studies, adult education, changes of country or incomplete records, explain your educational history to the processing authority. Do not infer equivalence solely from years attended.

  • Ask the original school or its education authority for a duplicate or official certificate. Check which alternative the processing authority accepts before paying for translations or travel.
  • If you cannot obtain documents, explain this and request instructions for your case. There is no promised general exemption, and a personal declaration does not replace a qualification.
  • Recheck sources before paying: fees, portals and requirements can change. The review date records the source check, not approval of any application.

Sources and verification

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