INTCF and IMLCF positions contest 2026: keys for forensic officials

Key data

Officials in the forensic and judicial toxicology field have a new opportunity for internal mobility. The Order PJC/435/2026, of April 22, calls a specific contest for the provision of job positions in the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF) and in the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMLCF), both organizations dependent on the Ministry of Justice.

This process is not an ordinary transfer contest: as it is a specific contest, the selection incorporates the assessment of particular merits linked to the specific profile of each position, in addition to the usual general merits. This means that technical adjustment to the position has a differential weight in the resolution.

What does this regulation establish?

Order PJC/435/2026 regulates the process of job position provision in two specialized organizations of the Ministry of Justice:

• National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF): reference organization in judicial toxicology at the national level.
• Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMLCF): network of institutes that provide expert and forensic support in the judicial field throughout Spanish territory.

The mechanism used is the specific contest, which differs from the ordinary merit contest in that each advertised position has a defined profile with particular merits. This means that candidates must demonstrate not only their general trajectory as officials, but also competencies and experience directly related to the position they are applying for.

Interested parties must submit their application within the deadlines established in the contest bases, accompanied by the documentation determined therein. The call is directed at public officials who wish to change or advance in their position within these organizations.

Economic and operational impact

This type of call does not generate direct costs for private companies. Its impact is operational and institutional, affecting internal mobility of civil service personnel in the forensic justice system in Spain.

For participating officials, the practical effects are:

• Possibility of accessing a new position with different remuneration level or responsibility.
• Need to prepare and demonstrate specific merits linked to the profile of each position, which requires time and documentation.
• The contest resolution may imply a change of residence or work unit, with the personal and administrative implications this entails.

For the calling organizations —INTCF and IMLCF—, the process allows filling vacancies with technically adjusted profiles, improving operational capacity in such a specialized field as judicial toxicology and forensic medicine.

Who does it affect?

• Public officials assigned to the INTCF who want to change positions or access one with greater responsibility within the same organization.
• Public officials assigned to the IMLCF seeking mobility between institutes or towards positions with different profiles.
• Officials from other organizations who meet the requirements established in the bases and want to join the INTCF or IMLCF.
• Human resources managers of the Ministry of Justice and affected organizations, who must manage the administrative process of the call.

The call does not affect private companies or self-employed individuals. Its scope is exclusively that of the civil service in the area of forensic sciences and judicial toxicology.

Practical example

An official currently assigned to an Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in an autonomous community wishes to apply for a position in the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences with a more specialized profile in analytical toxicology.

Thanks to Order PJC/435/2026, this official can submit their candidacy to the specific contest. To do so, they must demonstrate both their general merits as an official —seniority, training, performance evaluation— and the particular merits defined for that specific position in the INTCF: for example, accredited experience in forensic toxicological analysis, specialized training or publications in the field.

If their profile fits the position better than other candidates, the contest resolution will assign them that position. If they do not act within the deadline set in the bases, they will lose this opportunity until the next call.

What should officials do now?

1. Consult the contest bases in the BOE: Order PJC/435/2026 refers to the bases to learn about the specific positions, the specific merits required and the submission deadlines. This is the essential first step.
2. Review the advertised positions and their profiles: Identify which positions are offered in the INTCF and IMLCF, and check if your profile matches the particular merits required in each one.
3. Prepare and gather merit documentation: Compile evidence of general merits (seniority, training, evaluations) and specific ones (technical experience, specialized training, publications or others set by the bases).
4. Submit the application within the deadline: Strictly respect the deadline set in the bases. Submission outside the deadline results in automatic exclusion from the process.
5. Monitor the process: Stay alert to publications from the Ministry of Justice regarding provisional lists, claims and final contest resolution.