Get Your International Relations Degree Recognized in Spain
International Relations is NOT a regulated profession in Spain: your degree is recognized via the declaration of equivalency (equivalencia) to bachelor's level. For a profile aiming at the diplomatic career, international organizations and development cooperation, it is the first document in the file. All for €176.
What legally applies to your degree
A foreign International Relations degree is recognized in Spain via the declaration of equivalency to bachelor's level. It is a non-regulated programme — there is no "college of internationalists" — but its natural career paths (diplomacy, international organizations, cooperation, public foreign trade) are full of doors that only open with a recognized degree.
The competitive exam for the Spanish Diplomatic Career requires Spanish nationality and a bachelor's degree — for foreign degrees, one with a declared equivalency. The same goes for the foreign-trade corps, cooperation agencies (AECID) and the merit scales of multilateral organizations based in Spain. In think tanks and private international consulting the formal requirement is lower, but a recognized academic record remains the foundation that holds up the rest of the profile.
- 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.
Career options in international relations in Spain: institutions, development and pay
The real destinations for this degree in Spain are more concrete than usually described. First, the administration with an external dimension: corps of the central administration, the diplomatic service, foreign trade corps and the regional governments' external action units. Second, development cooperation and humanitarian action: the Spanish development agency AECID, development NGOs with public funding, and European project consortia. Third, the internationalized private sector: country risk, international public affairs, sustainability and compliance departments, and consultancies managing European funds. Fourth, research at international studies centres and universities.
One feature of the sector is worth knowing before planning: a significant share of cooperation and European-project employment is temporary and tied to the duration of funding, with project-based contracts. Stability sits in the administration and in international organizations, and those are entered through competitive processes requiring a certified qualification and, frequently, more than one language.
On pay, the public side is the transparent one: subgroups A1 and A2, with amounts set each year in the State Budget Act. For the rest, the published general reference 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. International organizations have their own salary scales, published by each organization.
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 international relations degree correspond to?
The declaration of equivalency is issued at bachelor's level in the Social and Legal Sciences field. The Spanish comparison degrees are the Bachelor's in International Relations, now present across much of the university system, and the double degrees combining it with Law, Political Science or Economics, widespread given the interdisciplinary nature of the field.
It helps to know that this degree is relatively recent in Spain: for decades, anyone wanting an international career studied Law, Political Science or Economics and specialized afterwards. That explains why many of the profiles you will compete against in a public exam come from those three degrees, and why later specialization weighs so heavily in this field.
What your degree is called back home
Colombia usually issues Relaciones Internacionales, and also Gobierno y Relaciones Internacionales or Finanzas y Relaciones Internacionales. Peru has Relaciones Internacionales and Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales. Mexico has the well-established Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales, with a cédula profesional. Venezuela issues Licenciado en Estudios Internacionales. Argentina has Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales, with the certificado analítico as the academic document.
Diplomacy, Foreign Relations and International Politics enter by the same route: the same case, the same fee, and a decision issued at bachelor's level.
Scope of the equivalency: qualification yes, nationality no
This is not a regulated profession, so your case includes no aptitude test and no additional coursework: it is decided on academic level and documented workload.
The equivalency DOES cover the university qualification requirement in public exams and selection processes, in cooperation and public agency calls, in admission to official master's programmes and doctoral study, and in immigration procedures where qualifications score points.
The equivalency does NOT resolve two things that are decisive in this field. First, nationality: access to the Spanish diplomatic service is reserved to Spanish nationals, and other corps open to EU nationals; it is a requirement independent of your degree. Second, languages: international and European processes require certified levels of English and often French, and no degree recognition substitutes for them. Plan all three fronts — degree, nationality and languages — in parallel, because the slowest one sets your calendar.
After the equivalency: public exams, AECID and international organizations
If your goal is the diplomatic service, the route is long and tightly defined: Spanish nationality, a certified bachelor's degree, and an examination covering languages, law, economics and history, prepared over years. With your degree recognized you cover one of the access requirements; the rest is preparation and, where relevant, the residence-based nationality process.
If your horizon is development cooperation, the next steps are AECID calls, scholarship and junior professional programmes at multilateral organizations, and processes at development NGOs, where certified qualifications and field experience count in equal measure. And on either route, an official master's in international, European or development studies is the complement that recurs most often in the profiles that make it in.
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
Does the equivalency qualify me for the Diplomatic Career exam?
The equivalency resolves the degree requirement (a recognized bachelor's). The Diplomatic Career also requires Spanish nationality — if you don't have it yet, the equivalency remains useful for the other corps and organizations open to other nationalities, and for the path to nationality by residence.
Is it the same procedure if my degree is in International Studies or Diplomacy?
Yes. International Studies, Diplomacy, Foreign Relations or International Politics follow the same equivalency case to the bachelor's in Social and Legal Sciences, with the same €166.50 fee and the same baseline documentation.
How much do international relations professionals earn in Spain?
In the administration, pay for subgroups A1 and A2 is published each year in the State Budget Act, and international organizations publish their own scales. In the private sector and in cooperation, the general reference is the INE (Annual Structure of Earnings Survey 2024): €29,540.26 average annual earnings and a €24,497.17 median across employees. Bear in mind that much cooperation employment is project-based and fixed-term.
Can I work in development cooperation without a recognized degree?
At NGOs and private projects, often yes: field experience and languages are what count. In publicly funded calls, at AECID and in processes run by organizations based in Spain, a certified qualification is usually an admission requirement or a scored criterion.
Does the equivalency open the Spanish diplomatic service?
It covers the qualification requirement, but the diplomatic service also requires Spanish nationality. If you do not have it yet, the equivalency still serves for other corps open to non-Spanish nationals, for international organizations, and for the residence-based nationality route itself, where evidencing university training helps.
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
International Relations · full management for €176. You hand us the documents; we handle the file, the fees and the tracking until resolution.
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