Get Your Design Degree Recognized in Spain
Design is NOT a regulated profession in Spain: your degree is recognized via the declaration of equivalency (equivalencia) to bachelor's level. We prepare and file the complete case for €176, with the €166.50 official fee and follow-up through to resolution.
What legally applies to your degree
Graphic, Industrial, Product, Fashion or UX Design: in Spain none of these specialties is a regulated profession, so official recognition of your degree runs through the declaration of equivalency to bachelor's level, filed online with the Ministry.
The design industry hires on portfolio, not diplomas — and yet the equivalency covers three things a portfolio cannot: access to official design and innovation master's programmes at Spanish universities, public-sector creative and teaching posts, and proof of university-level education in immigration and residence procedures. For €176 you close that front for good.
- Official 790-107 fee
- €166.50
- Legal deadline for a decision
- 6 months
- Fully online procedure
- 100%
Which documents your file requires
The Document Agent checks every piece against the requirements of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities before filing — a file that goes in right the first time is the best defense against extra months of corrections.
- Proof of identity and nationality (passport or Spanish NIE)
- Official degree certificate, legalized with the Apostille of The Hague (waived for EU/EEA/Switzerland)
- Academic transcript showing programme length, courses taken and workload or credits, stamped and signed by your university
- Sworn translation (traducción jurada) into Spanish of the degree and the transcript
- Proof of payment of the 790-107 fee
Official fee: €166.50 (form 790-107)
The procedure fee is €166.50, code 107, paid with form 790-107. It is the same for both homologación (official recognition) and the declaration of equivalency. Beware: the 790-079 fee quoted on many websites applies to NON-university studies — paying it by mistake freezes your case.
If you pay from outside Spain, the transfer goes to the Ministry's account (IBAN ES16 9000 0001 2002 5310 8022, BIC ESPBESMMXXX) and bank charges are on you: if less than €166.50 arrives, the case stalls. We verify the exact amount before filing.
The fee is non-refundable if the application is rejected, lapses or is denied — one more reason to file the case right the first time.
And the visa? We've got you covered too
Recognizing your degree is half the journey. When it's time for the visa — work, study or residence — the Visa Agent guides you and we manage it with trusted partners specialized in each destination, with your academic file already resolved. Immigration requirements depend on the receiving country.
Official sources
Everything on this page is based on current official regulations. Check the primary sources yourself:
You provide the documents. We do the rest.
We assemble your file
We gather your degree certificate, the academic transcript with courses and credits, and your ID document. Our Document Agent checks that every piece meets the format required by the Ministry's online portal.
Apostille and sworn translation
We coordinate the Apostille of The Hague in your home country and the sworn translation (traducción jurada) into Spanish of your degree and transcript. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are exempt from the apostille.
Online filing
We file your application through the Ministry's electronic portal, pay the 790-107 fee (€166.50) and register the case. The entire procedure is handled online — no in-person appointments.
Follow-up until resolution
Our Regulator Agent monitors the status of your case and we respond to any request for corrections. The legal deadline for a decision is 6 months.
Start your recognition
- Upfront feasibility analysis of your file
- Apostille / legalization and sworn translation coordination
- Complete preparation and filing of your application
- File tracking until resolution
- Response to requirements and corrections
- Visa guidance with trusted partners
Official government fees (in Spain, €166.50 under form 790-107) are paid separately to the competent authority. Timelines depend on the receiving country.
Secure payment with Stripe. Right after paying you complete your profile and get straight into your Booka dashboard — the same account works in the mobile app.
Working as a designer in Spain: studios, digital product and salaries
Design in Spain has split into two markets with different logics and pay. The first is classic graphic and communication design — studios, agencies, publishing, packaging, events — with plenty of supply, fierce competition and tight bands. The second is digital product design: UX, UI, design systems and research at product companies, banks, insurers and retailers, where demand clearly outstrips the supply of profiles with a demonstrable method and conditions are markedly better. In between sit two solid niches: industrial and physical product design in the furniture, footwear, ceramics and automotive clusters, and fashion design along the Galicia-Levante axis.
The typical employer ranges from a studio of under ten people to a company with an in-house product team, with a third of the sector invoicing as freelancers per project. That last point matters: in design, a significant share of activity is not salaried, and there no collective agreement or reference band exists — you set the price and it depends on your portfolio.
As a public frame, the INE (Annual Structure of Earnings Survey 2024) puts average annual earnings at €29,540.26 and the median at €24,497.17 across employees, with the 2026 minimum wage (€1,221 a month over fourteen payments) as the legal floor; traditional graphic design tends to sit below that average in the early years and digital product clearly above. Beyond the degree, what is asked for is portfolio, method and tools: Figma and design systems in digital, CAD and prototyping in industrial.
Market figures on this page are indicative and come from public sources cited in the text. They are not an offer, a guarantee or an earnings forecast. Booka manages credential recognition and professional registration — we are not a recruitment agency.
Which Spanish degree does your design degree correspond to?
The equivalency is issued at bachelor's level, and here the field of knowledge depends on your specialization: Arts and Humanities for the Bachelor's in Design and the Bachelor's in Graphic Design, and Engineering and Architecture for the Bachelor's in Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development, a technical degree with mechanics and materials content.
That fork has practical consequences: an industrial design degree with a strong technical load compares against the industrial design engineering degree and fits better into later technical routes; a graphic or fashion design degree sits in the arts field. Spain also runs Higher Artistic Education in Design alongside university degrees, equivalent to bachelor's for all purposes, which multiplies the names you will encounter.
What your design degree is called at home
Colombia issues Diseño Gráfico, Diseño Industrial and Diseño de Modas. Peru has Diseño Gráfico and Diseño Industrial, often from institutes as well as universities. Mexico issues Licenciatura en Diseño Gráfico, Diseño Industrial or Diseño de la Comunicación Gráfica, with a cédula profesional. Venezuela issues Licenciado en Diseño Gráfico or Diseño Industrial. Argentina has Diseño Gráfico, Diseño Industrial and Diseño de Indumentaria, often as a Diseñador title with the certificado analítico.
The critical point here is not the name but the issuer: the Ministry only processes official university degrees from your country. If your institution did not issue official university qualifications, no case is possible — and we check that before you pay anything.
What the equivalency resolves in design and what it does not
As this is not a regulated profession, there is no content review and no aptitude test. The risk in the case is purely formal, and in design it concentrates on one point: evidencing that your institution issued official university qualifications rather than its own private certificates.
The equivalency DOES let you access official master's programmes in design, innovation and creative direction, compete for public posts with a creative profile and for teaching, certify bachelor's level for immigration, and score points in public competitions and procurement where qualifications count.
The equivalency does NOT reserve any activity: in Spain anyone may work as a designer without a degree, and there is no compulsory professional membership — design associations are voluntary. Nor does it replace a portfolio in a private selection process. In short: this procedure buys institutional and academic access, not commercial advantage.
After the equivalency: teaching, master's programmes and public competitions
The route our design clients ask about most is teaching. With a recognized degree you can apply for teaching posts at higher and university-level institutions; for public secondary and vocational education you also need the Master's in Teacher Training, which is accessed precisely with the degree already declared equivalent.
The second route is academic: official master's programmes in UX, product design or strategic design, which also lead towards doctoral study and design research. And the third, less known, is public procurement: competitions for visual identity, wayfinding, exhibitions and service design run by administrations and museums, where a certified qualification is often part of the bidder's technical solvency requirements.
Manage your process from the app — with 10% off
Download the Booka app to track your file, upload documents and chat with your advisor from your phone. Use code BLOG10 for 10% off your process.
Frequently asked questions
I want to teach design in Spain — does the equivalency help?
For university and official-school teaching you will need a recognized degree — the equivalency fulfils that bachelor's-level requirement. Public secondary teaching additionally requires the Teacher Training Master's, which you access precisely with the equivalency already declared.
My degree is from a design school, not a university — can I file?
The Ministry's equivalency applies to official university degrees. If your school issued official university degrees in your country, it proceeds; if it was non-university proprietary training, there is no possible case before the Ministry. We verify it for free before you pay anything.
How much does a designer earn in Spain?
It depends mostly on whether you work in traditional graphic design or digital product, and whether you are salaried or freelance. The public frame is the INE (Annual Structure of Earnings Survey 2024): €29,540.26 average annual earnings and a €24,497.17 median across employees, with the 2026 minimum wage at €1,221 a month over fourteen payments. In freelance work there is no reference band and no professional fee scale: your portfolio and your negotiation set the price.
Do I need a recognized degree to work as a designer?
No. The sector hires on portfolio and practical tests, and there is no reserved activity or compulsory membership. The equivalency matters if your horizon includes teaching, an official master's, a public exam or public tendering.
I studied at a design school — can I still apply?
Only if that school issued official university degrees under your country's legislation. If it was private or non-university training, the Ministry cannot process the equivalency. We verify this free of charge before charging you for the service: it is the check that prevents the most disappointment in this field.
How long does the procedure take in Spain?
The legal deadline for a decision is 6 months from the moment the file is complete (Royal Decree 889/2022). Applicants' experience suggests longer real timelines depending on caseload; the Ministry publishes no official averages. A well-prepared file with no requests for corrections is the best way to avoid extra months.
Do I need the Apostille of The Hague and a sworn translation?
Yes, with limited exceptions. Your degree must be legalized with the Apostille of The Hague from your home country (EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are exempt), and both the degree and the academic transcript require a sworn translation (traducción jurada) into Spanish. We coordinate both as part of the service.
Can I start the process from my home country, without being in Spain?
Yes. The procedure runs entirely online through the Ministry's electronic portal, and the fee can be paid by international transfer. You never need to be in Spain or attend any in-person appointment.
What exactly does Booka do, and what do I do?
You hand us your documents; we do the rest: we verify the file at source with our Verifier Agent, coordinate the apostille and sworn translation, file the online application, pay the fee and track the case through to resolution, answering any request from the Ministry.
Other degrees we recognize in Spain
Your degree, recognized in Spain
Design · full management for €176. You hand us the documents; we handle the file, the fees and the tracking until resolution.
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