Homologation of non-university foreign qualifications: new agreement between State, Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia

Key data

If your company hires foreign workers with non-university qualifications obtained outside Spain, or if you manage selection processes in Basque Country, Catalonia or Galicia, this agreement changes how these homologations are processed and verified. The Resolution of October 27, 2026 from the General Technical Secretariat publishes the cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Education and the three autonomous communities to jointly manage these files.

Until now, each administration managed its files independently, which opened the door to duplicates and made it difficult to detect fraudulent documentation. With this agreement, all information is centralized and accessible in real time for all parties.

What does this regulation establish?

The agreement articulates four concrete pillars of cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the autonomous communities of Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia:

• Centralized IT platform: A shared software application will be developed that will allow all administrations to consult homologation files in real time, regardless of which administration is managing them.
• Prevention of duplicates and counterfeits: Before opening any new file, prior verification in the centralized system will be required. This prevents the same citizen from submitting simultaneous or successive applications in different autonomous communities with false or already processed documentation.
• Technical Coordination Commission: A Technical Commission is established with representatives from all signatory parties (State, Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia). Its function is to harmonize resolution criteria and resolve discrepancies between administrations.
• No economic cost: The agreement generates no expenses for any of the participating administrations.

Economic and operational impact

For administrations, the direct economic impact is zero: the agreement generates no costs for any of the signatory parties. However, the operational impact is relevant at several levels:

• Companies with multicultural workforces: The centralization of files speeds up resolution times, which can reduce the time a foreign worker takes to accredit their qualification to the employer.
• HR departments: Mandatory prior verification strengthens the reliability of homologated qualifications, reducing the risk of hiring people with fraudulent documentation.
• Management firms and advisors: The centralized platform facilitates tracking of ongoing files, regardless of which autonomous community initiated the process.

The main operational benefit is the elimination of administrative fragmentation: until now, a file initiated in Catalonia was not visible to managers in the Basque Country or Galicia. With the new system, any administration can consult the status of any file in real time.

Who does it affect?

• Foreign citizens requesting the homologation or validation of non-university qualifications obtained outside Spain and residing or processing their file in Basque Country, Catalonia or Galicia.
• Companies based or operating in Basque Country, Catalonia or Galicia that hire foreign workers whose qualifications require homologation.
• Human Resources departments managing the accreditation of qualifications of foreign candidates or employees.
• Management firms, labor advisors and immigration lawyers processing homologation files on behalf of their clients in these three autonomous communities.
• Non-university educational centers (institutes, vocational training centers) that must validate foreign qualifications of students or teachers.

Practical example

A citizen of Latin American origin with a Higher Technician qualification in Administration obtained in their country of origin requests homologation from the Generalitat of Catalonia. Before the agreement, they could have submitted the same application simultaneously to the Basque Government without either administration knowing about it.

With the new system, when the Generalitat of Catalonia opens the file, it is registered on the centralized platform. If the same citizen tries to open a parallel file in the Basque Country, mandatory prior verification detects the existing file and blocks the opening of a new one. Furthermore, if the documentation presented had been forged, the centralized system allows any of the three administrations—or the Ministry itself—to detect the inconsistency in real time.

For a Basque company hiring this worker, the practical result is that the qualification homologated by the Generalitat of Catalonia has the same recognition and can be verified more quickly and reliably than before the agreement.

What should companies do now?

1. Review internal qualification verification processes: If your company operates in Basque Country, Catalonia or Galicia and hires foreign workers with non-university qualifications, update your HR procedures to account for the fact that homologation files are now verifiable in a centralized manner.
2. Inform foreign candidates and employees: Communicate to affected workers that the homologation process in these three autonomous communities is now coordinated and that it makes no sense to initiate parallel procedures in different administrations.
3. Coordinate with management firms and advisors: If you outsource homologation management, ensure your advisor knows the new framework and can track files through the centralized system.
4. Take advantage of the system's greater reliability: Mandatory prior verification reduces the risk of document fraud. Use it as an additional argument to strengthen the validity of homologated qualifications in your selection processes.
5. Stay alert to Technical Commission developments: The Technical Commission will harmonize resolution criteria between administrations. Its decisions may affect the timelines and requirements for homologation in the three autonomous communities.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is purely informational in nature 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-2026-23237