Get Your Social Work Degree Recognized in Spain
Your Social Work degree is recognized in Spain via the declaration of equivalency (equivalencia) to bachelor's level — the Ministry's official procedure, with a €166.50 fee. In a sector where the main employer is the public administration, a recognized degree is not optional: it is the key to public-sector exams. The whole case, for €176.
What legally applies to your degree
Social Work in Spain differs from other social-science degrees in one key way: most employment sits in the public administration and publicly funded entities, which do require a recognized degree and, usually, professional-association membership. That makes the equivalency of your degree anything but symbolic — it is the entry condition to the bulk of the sector's job market.
For municipal and regional social-services exams, the public employment pool and membership of the Official Colleges of Social Work, you need a recognized degree: the declaration of equivalency to bachelor's level is the document that proves it. In the third sector (NGOs, foundations) requirements vary, but membership — which requires the recognized degree — is increasingly common as a hiring condition.
- 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 social worker in Spain: administration, third sector and salaries
This is the profile on the site where the public employer weighs most. Primary social services at city councils and district authorities, specialized regional social services teams (children, dependency, disability, gender violence), hospital and primary care social work, and prison and justice services concentrate most stable employment. Alongside them, the third sector — large NGOs, foundations and contracted providers in elderly care, disability and homelessness — is the sector's largest private employer, almost always funded by public contracts and agreements.
Demand is sustained and structural: ageing, dependency, migration and mental health have expanded the service portfolio without a matching increase in professionals. That translates into public employment pools opening frequently in most regions.
On pay, public employment follows the subgroup A2 amounts set each year in the State Budget Act plus regional and local supplements — the only case on this site where you can know your exact salary before accepting the post. The third sector applies sector agreements for social intervention, with lower bands. As a general frame, the INE puts average annual earnings at €29,540.26 and the median at €24,497.17 (Annual Structure of Earnings Survey 2024), with the 2026 minimum wage at €1,221 a month over fourteen payments.
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 social work degree correspond to?
The equivalency is declared at bachelor's level in the Social and Legal Sciences field, and the Spanish reference is the Bachelor's in Social Work, which replaced the earlier three-year Diploma in Social Work.
That diploma detail matters more than it seems: if your foreign degree is three years long, the natural fit may still be bachelor's level, but documented workload is decisive. And do not confuse it with Social Education, a separate Spanish degree with its own professional association: they are two distinct professions with different functions and job pools, even where several countries of origin merge them under one title.
What your social work degree is called at home
In Colombia the title is Trabajo Social or Trabajador Social, followed by a professional card. Peru has Trabajo Social and Licenciatura en Trabajo Social, with compulsory registration in the national professional college. Mexico typically issues Licenciatura en Trabajo Social, with a cédula profesional. Venezuela issues Licenciado en Trabajo Social. Argentina has both Licenciatura en Trabajo Social and Licenciatura en Servicio Social, with the certificado analítico.
If you were already registered at home, submit that certificate: it does not replace the equivalency, but it evidences professional practice and helps in employment pool processes once your degree is recognized.
Why the equivalency really is essential in social work
Social work does not appear as a regulated profession in the Annex to Royal Decree 889/2022, so the correct procedure is the equivalency rather than homologación — and your case will involve no aptitude test and no additional coursework.
But unlike the other non-regulated degrees on this site, recognition here is not optional in practice. The reason is twofold: the majority employer is the administration, which requires a certified qualification in every call and pool; and membership of the Official Colleges of Social Work is a common requirement for practice, both in the administration and in many third-sector organizations — and the colegio will ask for a recognized degree.
In other words: the equivalency does not legally qualify you — it does not need to, because there is no state-reserved activity — but without it around 80% of the sector's real job market is closed. It is the degree on this site where the return on the procedure is most direct.
After the equivalency: colegio membership and public employment pools
The immediate step is joining the Official College of Social Work in your province or region, which accepts the declaration of equivalency as evidence of your qualification. With your membership number you can sign social reports and access professional indemnity cover and the colegio's continuing education.
The second step is registering with the public employment pools of your region and local councils, which open regularly and work on merit scoring: qualification, experience, specific training and a co-official language where applicable. And in the medium term, competitive exams for subgroup A2 posts, with pay published annually in the State Budget Act plus supplements by administration.
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
Can I join a social workers' professional association with the equivalency?
Yes — the Official Colleges of Social Work accept the declaration of equivalency to bachelor's level as proof of the degree for membership purposes. And membership is a standard requirement in the public administration and, increasingly, in third-sector organizations.
Do social-services exams require anything beyond the degree?
Each call sets its own requirements, but the bachelor's in Social Work (or a declared equivalent) is the common baseline of all of them. With the equivalency settled you can compete on equal footing; without it, you don't even pass the admission stage.
How much does a social worker earn in Spain?
It is one of the few cases where you can know precisely before accepting the post: in public employment, subgroup A2 pay is set each year in the State Budget Act and topped up with each administration's supplements. The third sector applies social intervention agreements, with lower bands. As a general reference, the INE puts the annual average at €29,540.26 and the median at €24,497.17 (Annual Structure of Earnings Survey 2024).
Can I work as a social worker without a recognized degree?
In practice, very little: the administration requires a certified qualification in every call and pool, and colegio membership — also a common requirement in the third sector — asks for the recognized degree. Some small organizations hire intervention profiles without it, but the ceiling is low and reached fast.
How long until I can apply to an employment pool?
The legal deadline for a decision is 6 months from the moment the file is complete, and colegio membership afterwards is usually resolved in weeks. Pools open recurrently, so what sets your calendar is when you start the case, not when the call comes out.
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
Social Work · full management for €176. You hand us the documents; we handle the file, the fees and the tracking until resolution.
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