40 new forensic doctors appointed as career civil servants: ranking and sub-rankings 2026

Key data

The National Body of Forensic Doctors incorporates 40 new permanent staff members as of 23 July 2026. The Order PJC/740/2026 closes the selective process convened by Order PJC/1446/2024, of 10 December 2024, and formalizes the appointments with all their legal and ranking effects from the date of publication in the BOE.

This staffing reinforcement affects the Administration of Justice throughout the national territory and represents the incorporation of specialized forensic medicine personnel in the service of Spanish courts and tribunals.

What does this regulation establish?

Order PJC/740/2026 regulates three specific aspects:

• Formal appointment: The 40 people who passed the selective process are appointed career civil servants of the National Body of Forensic Doctors with all the rights and obligations that this entails.
• General ranking: The order of position in the ranking is determined by the scores obtained in the three phases of the selective process. The higher the accumulated score, the better the position in the ranking, which has direct implications for the assignment of positions and future professional career.
• Territorial sub-rankings: For autonomous communities with co-official language—Catalonia, Valencian Community, Galicia and Basque Country—specific sub-rankings are published that incorporate the score obtained in the co-official language test as an additional ordering criterion.

The legal framework supporting these appointments is twofold: the Organic Law of the Judicial Power and the Organic Regulation of the Body of Forensic Doctors of 2023, the latter being a regulation that updated the statutory regime of the body.

From a procedural point of view, the order exhausts the administrative remedy, which means that no appeal is available. Those affected who disagree have two options:

• Optional reconsideration appeal to the same body: deadline of 1 month from publication (until 23 August 2026).
• Administrative litigation appeal before the National Court: deadline of 2 months from publication (until 23 September 2026).

Economic and operational impact

For the Administration of Justice, the incorporation of 40 forensic doctors as career civil servants represents a permanent increase in staffing with recurring salary costs in the budgets of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. Forensic doctors are civil servants with remuneration set by the general state budget laws.

For the 40 successful candidates, appointment as career civil servants implies:

• Access to the job stability inherent to permanent public employment.
• Fixed position in the body's ranking, determining for future calls for transfer competitions and internal promotion.
• Incorporation into the Social Security regime for public civil servants (MUFACE in the case of State civil servants, as appropriate).
• In communities with co-official language, the position in the territorial sub-ranking conditions the preference in the assignment of positions in those territories.

From an operational perspective, the institutes of legal medicine and forensic sciences throughout the national territory will be able to fill structural vacancies with newly incorporated personnel, reducing the workload on current staff.

Who does it affect?

• The 40 successful candidates: They are the only direct parties affected by the appointment. Their position in the ranking is fixed from 23 July 2026.
• Administration of Justice (national scope): Courts and institutes of legal medicine that will incorporate these new staff members.
• Autonomous Communities with co-official language: Catalonia, Valencian Community, Galicia and Basque Country, where specific sub-rankings are applied with the co-official language score.
• Candidates who did not pass the process: The publication of the ranking allows them to know the actual cut-off scores, useful information for future calls.
• Legal advisors and sector unions: Must verify that the process has complied with the regulations and, if applicable, advise on the available appeal deadlines.

Practical example

A candidate who has passed the three phases of the selective process convened by Order PJC/1446/2024 obtains, with the publication of Order PJC/740/2026, their formal appointment as a career civil servant of the National Body of Forensic Doctors.

If that candidate aspires to work in Catalonia, their position in the specific sub-ranking for Catalonia—which incorporates the Catalan language test score—will determine their preference in choosing a position compared to other colleagues in the same promotion with similar overall scores. The better their co-official language score, the better position they occupy in that territorial sub-ranking and the greater capacity to choose a position in that community.

If they believe their position in the ranking is incorrect—for example, due to an error in the calculation of scores—they have until 23 August 2026 to file a reconsideration appeal, or until 23 September 2026 to go directly to the National Court.

What should those affected do now?

1. Verify position in the ranking: The 40 appointed must check that their position in the general ranking and, where applicable, in the corresponding territorial sub-ranking (Catalonia, Valencian Community, Galicia or Basque Country) is correct according to the scores obtained in the three phases of the process.
2. Review appeal deadlines: If any error or discrepancy is detected, the deadline for reconsideration appeal expires on 23 August 2026 and the deadline for appeal to the National Court expires on 23 September 2026. After these deadlines, the appointment and ranking become final.
3. Manage taking office: New civil servants must attend to the incorporation requirements communicated to them by the Ministry of Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, including taking office in the assigned position.
4. Legal advice (if applicable): Those who believe that the selective process or the ranking order does not comply with the regulations should consult with a lawyer specializing in administrative law before the appeal deadlines expire.

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-2026-16020