Depending on the country where your undergraduate degree diploma was issued (EHEA or not), you might have to legalise your undergraduate diploma and academic transcript before you arrive in Barcelona. Upon your arrival in Barcelona you will be asked to submit these documents to the Admissions Office.

Please make sure you follow these steps in the order outlined below.

WHAT?

EHEA (European Higher Education Area) students:

If you have studied in an EU country:

• Certify copies of your original diploma and academic transcript(s), in case you do not wish to submit originals.
• Translate the previously certified diploma and academic transcript(s) if in a language other than Spanish, English, Catalan, French, Italian or Portuguese.

If you have studied in a non-EU country:

• Legalise your original diploma and academic transcript(s).
• Translate the previously legalised diploma and academic transcript(s), if in a language other than Spanish, English, Catalan, French, Italian or Portuguese.
• Certify copies of your original, legalised diploma and academic transcript(s), in case you do not wish to submit originals.

NON-EHEA students need to:

• Legalise their original diploma and academic transcript(s).
• Translate the previously legalised diploma and academic transcript(s), if in a language other than Spanish, English, Catalan, French, Italian or Portuguese.
•  Certify copies of your original, legalised diploma and academic transcript(s), in case you do not wish to submit originals.

WHERE?

• Legalise via the Hague Apostille or diplomatic/consular channels, depending on the issuing country.
• Translate by an official translator or through the Spanish embassy in your country.  
• Certify by a notary public (NON-EU)

HOW?

LEGALISATION:

European Union Member States

You do not need to get your university diploma and transcript  legalised if you are a holder of a university degree obtained within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in a European Union Member State or a signatory of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. However, the originals need to bear the official seal of the university that issued these documents.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. Also the United Kingdom, according to Royal Decree-Law 38/2020 of 29 December, extended by the Council of Ministers until the academic year 2023-2024, and Switzerland by bilateral agreement.

Signatory states of the Hague Agreement of 5 October 1961

If you are a holder of a university degree obtained in any of the countries ascribed to the Hague Agreement, your undergraduate university diploma and transcript must bear the Hague Apostille. The recognition and the Apostille must have been affixed to the original document before you have the photocopy certified. 

Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Cabo Verde, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldavia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Niue, Oman, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Republic of Korea, Republic of North Macedonia, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vicente and the Grenadines, Santa Lucia, Santo Tomé & Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Surinam, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela.

Extensions: The Netherlands (Dutch Antilles); United Kingdom (Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Isle of Man, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, Cayman Islands, The Falklands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Santa Elena, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands).

All other Countries

Documents issued in all other countries must be legalised through diplomatic channels. This sort of legalisation consists of a series of stamps and signatures in which each one certifies the previous one. The legalisation must be affixed to the original document before the certified copy is made. It is important for the certified copy to contain all the stamps and signatures that appear on the original certificate, even if they are on the back. Missing one seal/stamp would result in an incomplete legalisation and the document would thus not be considered legalised in Spain.

Recognition of the signatures by the Ministry of Education: You must first get the original document authenticated by the Ministry of Education in the country where the degree was issued.

Legalisation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Once you have obtained the stamp recognising the signatures, you must submit the same documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the documents were issued, which will affix the corresponding legalisation to the document.

Legalisation by the Spanish consulate/embassy in the country where the documents were issued: Finally, you must take the documents to the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in the country where the certificates were issued to recognise the legalisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Spanish Embassy or Consulate will put a transparent security sticker on the document to verify the prior seals. 

EXCEPTIONS

• Canada: university qualifications only need the stamps of Global Affairs Canada and the stamp of the diplomatic or consular representation of Spain in Canada (Consulado General de España).

*All students holding a degree issued outside the EHEA will have to pay the corresponding fee of €50 for the Undergraduate Degree Equivalence. The procedure can be requested online