AGE Civil Service Exams 2026: groups M3, M2, M1, E2 and E1 — key aspects of the selection process

Key data

The General State Administration opens in July 2026 a new selection process to incorporate fixed-term staff in five professional groups of the IV Single Collective Agreement: M3, M2, M1, E2 and E1. The announcement, published on July 6, 2026, is complemented by this Resolution of July 8, 2026 that delegates the material management of the process to the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy.

The distinction is relevant: the legal ownership and formal acts remain the responsibility of the Under-Secretariat of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory. The State Secretariat acts as the operational executive arm, not as a decision-making body.

What does this regulation establish?

The Resolution of July 8, 2026 formalizes a management delegation: the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory delegates to the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy the material execution of the selection process, but not the legal competence. This means that administrative acts with external effects (admission resolutions, appointment of tribunals, final resolution) continue to be signed by the Under-Secretariat.

The specific functions delegated to the State Secretariat are as follows:

• Reception and processing of participation applications
• Management of lists of admitted and excluded applicants
• Proposal of members of selection bodies (qualifying tribunals)
• Operational coordination of the selection process exercises

The five professional groups announced belong to the IV Single Collective Agreement for staff of the General State Administration. The following table summarizes the access modalities by group:

The expenses arising from the process are entirely borne by the Budget program 921P of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory. The delegation has a validity of 18 months counted from the publication of the announcement in the BOE (July 6, 2026), which places its maximum expiration in January 2028.

Economic and operational impact

For applicants, the direct impact is one of employment opportunity: accessing a position of fixed-term staff in the AGE implies contractual stability, remuneration set by collective agreement and professional career rights within the Administration.

For the Administration, the management delegation allows concentrating the operational burden of the process in a single specialized body — the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy — without altering the chain of legal responsibility. This streamlines processing and reduces the risk of procedural errors that could lead to appeals or challenges.

The cost of the process is charged to Program 921P, which finances the general services of the State Administration. No specific spending amounts have been published in the analyzed resolution.

Who does it affect?

• External applicants (open access): citizens who meet the qualification requirements and conditions established in the announcement of July 6, 2026 for each group (M3, M2, M1, E2, E1).
• Public employees in internal promotion: AGE staff who already hold a lower group position and wish to advance to one of the five announced groups.
• Selection bodies (tribunals): their members will be proposed by the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy, although formal appointment corresponds to the Under-Secretariat.
• HR managers of the AGE: must coordinate with the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy everything related to the operational aspects of the process over the next 18 months.

Practical example

A public employee who currently holds a staff position in group M2 of the AGE and wishes to access group M1 may apply through the internal promotion route under this announcement. Their application will be received and processed by the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy, which will also manage their inclusion in the list of admitted or excluded candidates. If excluded, the administrative act of exclusion — and any potential appeal — will be processed before the Under-Secretariat, which retains legal ownership of the process.

Similarly, an external citizen who meets the requirements for group E1 will submit their application through the channel enabled by the State Secretariat, but any resolution with legal effects (final admission, appointment as fixed-term staff) will be signed by the Under-Secretariat of the Ministry.

What should applicants do now?

1. Consult the base announcement: read in full the Resolution of July 6, 2026, which sets the requirements, positions, syllabi and deadlines for submitting applications for each group (M3, M2, M1, E2 and E1).
2. Verify the group they can apply for: check that the qualification requirements are met and, in the case of internal promotion, the minimum time of permanence in the group of origin required by the IV Single Collective Agreement.
3. Submit the application within the deadline: applications are channeled through the State Secretariat for Territorial Policy. Follow the instructions in the BOE and the enabled electronic office to avoid exclusion due to formal defect.
4. Review the lists of admitted and excluded candidates: once published, check the status and, if appropriate, submit a claim to the Under-Secretariat within the established deadline.
5. Mark the calendar: the delegation has a validity of 18 months from July 6, 2026. All acts of the process must occur within that maximum period.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-15553