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If I completed my previous studies abroad, what are the necessary requirements to pursue a doctoral degree in Spain?
The requirements for the applicants who have completed their previous studies abroad, depend on the country where the degree was obtained.
Depending on the case, the following documents will be required:
- Translations of documentation.
- The list of marks converted according to a scale from 1 to 10.
- Legalisation or apostille of the degree and of the official academic certificate.
- Official accreditation («homologación») of foreign higher education qualifications or, in the absence of it, the payment of a fee corresponding to the equivalent study degree.
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Should I have any previous professional experience to be admitted to the Doctoral programme?
No, it is not a mandatory requirement. In line with a specific doctoral programme, professional experience may only a criteria to prioritise applications in respect to one another if there are many admission applications.
More information:
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Which requirements must a student meet in order to apply for admission to the Doctorate?
For all purposes, in order to be admitted to a Doctorate Programme in its training period, it will be necessary to hold the official Spanish Undergraduate Degree (or equivalent) and University Master's Degree. Similarly, those who are in any of the following situations can also access:
1. For all purposes, in order to be admitted to an official Doctorate Programme, it will be necessary to hold the official Spanish Undergraduate Degree, or equivalent, and University Master's Degree.
2. Similarly, those who are in any of the following situations can also access:
a) To hold an official Spanish University Degree, or from other country member of the European Higher Education Area, which enables the access to a Master in accordance with the provisions of the article 16 in the Royal Decree 1393/2007, from 29 October, and have gained at least 300 credits ECTS in the official university studies, 60 of which may be Masters-level.
b) To hold an official Spanish Undergraduate Degree, the duration of which, according to the rules of Community law, must be at least of 300 credits ECTS. The mentioned graduates need to obligatory pursue the supplementary training mentioned in the article 7.2 of this regulation, unless the curriculum of the corresponding undergraduate degree includes research training credits, equivalent in training value to research credits from Master's studies.
c) University graduates who, after being admitted to the corresponding access test to specialised health training, have passed with a positive evaluation at least two years of training in a programme for obtaining an official degree of any of the specialities in Health Science.
d) To hold a degree according to foreign education systems, without needing to be homologated, after verification by the university that it is equivalent to the official Spanish University Master's Degree and that ir entitles the holder to access Doctorate studies in the country that issued the degree. This admission will not imply, under any circumstances, the homologation of the previous degree that the interested party holds nor its recognition for other effects different to the access to Doctorate studies.
e) To hold other Spanish Doctor's degree obtained according to previous university regulations.
f) To hold an official university degree equivalent to level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES, for its Spanish: Marco Español de Cualificaciones para la Educación Superior), in accordance with the procedure established in the Royal Decree 967/2014 from 21 November, that establishes the requirements and procedure for the homologation and the attestion of equivalence to degree and to an official university academic level and for the recognition of foreign higher education studies, and the procedure to determine the equivalence to the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education of official titles of architect, engineer, graduate, technical architect, technical engineer and diploma.More information:
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Which degree should I have to be admitted to the Doctoral programme?
Any of the following degrees:
A Bachelor’s and Master’s degree
A licentiate degree
A Master of Advanced Studies obtained in line with the Spanish Royal Decree 778/1998 as of 30 April or sufficient research work regulated in the Spanish Royal Decree 185/1985 as if 23 January.
Accreditation of a positive assessment of the courses in specialized healthcare training.
The PhD degree in the abovementioned regulations.
More information:
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Should I have completed the corresponding studies and obtained a certain degree to access and pre-enrol in the doctoral programme?
The students who finish their prior studies to access a PhD programme this academic year 2019-2020 can pre-enrol even if they have not completed these studies at the moment of application.
They can be admitted and enrol in the programme. However, this enrolment procedure will be subject to checking whether all the admission requirement were met before 30 November 2020 at 11.59 p.m. Failure to fulfil these conditions shall result in the cancelation of the official enrolment.
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Where can I find the specific requirements to access a doctoral programme?
Each doctoral programme can set specific requirements for the admission. The specific requirements for the admission can be found in the description of the Doctoral programme online on the websites of the Student Service and of the Doctoral School in the corresponding section of Doctoral programmes offering.
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What is the difference between a validated foreign degree and an apostilled or legalized foreign degree?
The process of legalization or apostille is necessary for the degrees and certificates issued by the university outside the European Union or any signatory countries to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or to the bilateral agreement with the European Union. A student should legalise or apostille the degree or the certificate in the country where it was issued.
Meanwhile, validation of the university degree issued outside Spain is a resolution authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Education, which declares that the foreign degree has an equivalent academic level or an official university degree in Spain.
To pre-enrol in a PhD programme at the Universitat de València and start the admission process, a student should legalise or apostille the degree issued by the university outside the European Union or any signatory countries to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or to the bilateral agreement with the European Union. Concerning the foreign degree validation by the Spanish Ministry of Education, it is sufficient for a student to pay the fees corresponding to the equivalent degree in Spain during the pre-enrolment procedure.
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What happens if I have been admitted to a master’s degree and I do not enrol within the period established?
Candidates who have been admitted to a master’s degree and do not enrol within the period established will lose their right to the place initially allocated to them, which will be offered to applicants on the waiting list or made available in the next pre-enrolment phase, as appropriate.
If you have been admitted in pre-enrolment Phase II and you do not enrol within the deadline set, you can ask the Student Services if there are any places available.
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Quins requisits ha de complir un estudiant per a sol·licitar l'admissió en el Doctorat?
Generally, for entering an official doctoral programme the applicants must hold one of the Spanish official qualifications such as an Undergraduate degree, or equivalent and a Master’s Degree qualification.
Although, acces will be given to those under the following circumstances:
a) To hold a Spanish official university qualification, or from other country of the European Higher Education Area, which entitles you to entry in a Master’s Degree according to the established in the article 16 of the Royal Decree 1393/2007 29 October, and having completed a minimum of 300 ECTS of official university studies, of which at least 60 are from Master’s level.
b) To hold a Spanish official qualification of Undergraduate Degree, whose duration, according to the regulations of the Community Law, is at least of 300 ECTS. These graduates must take compulsorily a bridging course that is referred in the article 7.2 of this regulation, unless the curriculum of the corresponding Undergraduate Degree includes credits of research training, which its training value is equivalent to the research credits from the Master’s.
c) The graduates who after obtaining a post in the training of the corresponding access test for entering in specialised health training posts and who have completed positively at least two years of training in a programme for obtaining the official qualification of some of the specialisations in Health Sciences.
d) To hold a qualification obtained from foreign educational systems, without need of its approval, after verification of the university that certifies an educational level equivalent to that of the Spanish official qualification of the Master’s Degree and that empowers to the country issuing the qualification for accessing the doctoral studies. The study of the equivalence of qualifications is subject to an administrative fee that is paid at the time in which you perform electronic pre-registration and amounts to €155,22.
e) To hold the Spanish qualification of Doctor obtained according to previous university ordinances.
f)To hold an official university degree corresponding to the level 3 of the Spanish Higher Education Qualifications Framework, according to the procedure stablished in the Decree Law 967/2014, 21 November, on the requirements and procedure for the homologation and attestation of equivalence of qualifications at an official university academic level and for the recognition or foreign higher education studies, and the procedure to determine the correspondence to the levels within the Spanish Higher Education Qualifications Framework of the determine the correspondence to the levels within the Spanish Higher Education Qualifications Framework of the official qualifications of Architect, Engineer, Degree, Technical Architect, Technical Engineer and Advanced Diploma.Those who hold a licenciatura (Spanish former Undergraduate Degree), Architects and Engineers who have a Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained according the Royal Decree 778/1998, 30 April or had reached the Research Proficiency regulated in the Royal Decree 185/1985, 23 January, also could be admitted in the doctoral studies regulated in the current Decree.
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Should I look for a thesis supervisor before starting the pre-enrolment procedure to the doctoral programme?
Even though it is not a general requirement to have a thesis supervisor before the pre-enrolment procedure, some doctoral programmes do include this demand as their specific requirement. To find more information, please, check the specific requirements of each doctoral programme in the “Admission” section.
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Should I prove my language proficiency to access the doctoral programme?
It depends on the specific requirements of each doctoral programme. The specific admission requirements can be found in the doctoral card of each programme in the “Admission” section.
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What happens if I were admitted and enrolled in a doctoral programme, but I cannot provide any certificate proving the completion of the previous studies before 30 November 2020, which would give me access to the doctoral programmes?
Starting from 30 November, the Doctoral School will cancel the enrolment of all student who have not certified the completion of their previous studies which give them access to the doctoral programmes.
Admission requirements
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How much do I have to pay for pre-registration?
Pre-registration is free of charge, except for students who have graduated in countries out of the European Higher Education Area and whose degree is not homologated by the Spanish government. In these cases, the procedure of pre-registration is subject to a fee of 155.22 Euros, corresponding to the study of equivalence of the degree with that with which the student aims at accessing the doctorate. This fee will be paid through the same electronic application at the time of application, using a bank card.
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What does the admission process to a doctorate programme involve?
Each doctorate programme has an Academic Coordinating Committee that runs the programme. As part of the admission process, after the end of the set deadline for the presentation of pre-enrolment applications, these committees meet and assess the candidate’s applications. As a result, the Student Services and the Doctorate School publish on their web pages the list of the admitted, on the waiting list and excluded students. Furthermore, each applicant is individually notified by e-mail at the end of the process.
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What’s the difference between pre-enrolment and enrolment?
Pre-enrolment is a process that takes place before enrolment during which applications for a course are assessed and the places available are allocated. Therefore, the final step in the pre-enrolment process is to notify candidates if they have been admitted, conditionally admitted, included on the waiting list or excluded.
Enrolment is the process following pre-enrolment. Students admitted in the corresponding pre-enrolment phase can enrol within the period established (refer to enrolment calendar). Also students conditionally admitted that have proved the compliance with the academic requirements within the period established.
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Do the deadlines for pre-enrolment remain without changes despite the state of emergency?
The deadlines for pre-enrolment to the doctoral programmes for the 2020-2021 academic year remains unchanged despite the current circumstances related to COVID-19. Please, find the calendar with all deadlines here.
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When does the pre-enrolment period for a doctorate programme start?
The calendar with the period for submission of pre-enrolment applications, the admission date and the enrolment period is published every year.
More information:
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Where can I find the complete doctoral programme offering?
Please, find the complete doctoral programme offering following this link.
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How many doctoral programme applications can I send during the pre-enrolment procedure?
Everyone can apply up to a maximum of three doctoral programmes presented in the order of preference. Yet, no one can be admitted to more than one programme. The final admission into one or another programme will depend on the final scale of assessment of the student merits and the order of preference indicated during the pre-enrolment procedure.
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Can I amend the pre-enrolment application that I submitted or attach new documents to it?
Students can amend their submitted pre-enrolment application or attach new documents to it once it has been submitted, from the moment of submission up to the end of the deadline set for pre-enrolment.
To amend the submitted pre-enrolment application, the doctorate student must send an e-mail to preinscripcio.doctorat@uv.es with the definitely chosen doctoral programme and line of research, and the desired order of preference, before the end of the deadline set for pre-enrolment.
To attach new documents to the application once it has been submitted, the student must access “My personal site” in the Online Office of the Universitat de València (ENTREU). There they can check the applications that they have submitted, choose the Doctoral pre-enrolment application and the column “Actions” offers the option to “Attach”.
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How can I change my preference in terms of which doctoral programs I want to pre-enrol in?
To make a change in the doctoral programmes selected or a change in their order, you must send an e-mail to preinscripcio.doctorat@uv.es, with the list of doctoral programmes athat you have finally chosen, as well as the desired order of priority. The request must be made before the end of the pre-enrolment application period.
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Are there any doctoral programmes that are offered entirely online?
The concept of online doctoral programmes does not exist at the Universitat de València. For specific attendance requirements, you should consult the Academic Committee of the doctoral program you wish to study. The contact details for each doctoral programme can be consulted in the "Summary" section of the file for each programme.
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Are there any doctoral programs available entirely in English?
Generally, the communications between the coordination of each doctoral programme and the doctoral students is done in one of the official languages of the Universitat de València. This does not prevent, however, that on a more individual level with a foreign doctoral student, English can be used as the working language. In any case, you should consult the specific doctoral program in which you are interested, given that some programs have, among the specific admission requirements, the certification of knowledge of some language.
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What is the difference between full-time and part-time commitment?
Although the general commitment to a doctoral program is full-time, part-time commitment can be applied for in duly justified circumstances (compatibility of the doctorate with a job, family responsibilities, etc.). The application for part-time employment is made at the time of pre-registration, with the corresponding supporting documentation.
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How am I notified that I have been admitted to a doctoral programme?
You will receive a notification through the ENTREU online office informing you of your admission and providing you with the necessary data to carry out the enrolment.
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What do I have to do if I am admitted to a doctoral programme that I did not select as a preferred option and I have been placed on a waiting list for another program that I had marked first?
You will have to register in the programme you have been admitted to. If you are subsequently called up for the waiting list in the other program and are admitted, the Doctoral School will contact you to let you know so that you can modify your registration.
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How many waiting list calls are there?
A waiting list appeal is made whenever there are vacancies after enrollment, and only in the case that the Academic Committee asks for its activation.
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Do I have to be physically present in the waiting list call?
No, you don’t. The call of candidates from the waiting list is not made face-to-face. The Student Services staff will make the admission offers following the order of the waiting list according to the number of places available after the enrolment period.
The result of the waiting list call is notified to the students who are now admitted to a master’s degree.
Pre-registration
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What is the difference between an accredited foreign title and a legalised or apostilled foreign title?
Legalisation or apostille is a necessary procedure for academic titles and certificates issued by a country outside the European Union or not signatory to the agreement on the European Economic Area or the bilateral agreement with the European Union. The procedure for legalisation or apostille must be carried out by the student in the country that issued the official university degree.
On the other hand, the homologation of a university degree issued by a country outside the European Higher Education Area is the resolution issued by the Spanish ministry with responsibility for education. This resolution declares that the foreign degree is equivalent to a level of study in Spain or to an official university degree in Spain.
In order to pre-registrate in a doctoral programme at the Universitat de València and be admitted, degrees issued by a country outside the European Union or a country that has not signed the agreement on the European Economic Area or the bilateral agreement with the European Union must be legalised or apostilled. As for the homologation issued by the Spanish ministry with competence in education that is required for degrees that are not part of the European Higher Education Area, it is not necessary if instead, at the time of pre-enrolment, the fees corresponding to the degree equivalence study are paid.
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Do I have to translate my supporting documents into Spanish?
Supporting documents in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian or Portuguese are accepted. A translation will be required for the documents issued in any other language.
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When can I request an admission letter?
Starting from 28 October 2020, the date when the pre-enrolment results are published, you will be able to download your admission letter through “My personal site” in the Online Office (ENTREU). This electronic document includes a digital signature and a secure verification code (CSV) through which its validity can be verified by any official body.
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In what cases must supporting documents be legalised or apostilled?
In case a university degree is issued by the university outside the European Union or any signatory countries to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or to the bilateral agreement with the European Union, you should add to the electronic application legalized or apostilled and translated, if necessary, supporting documents. To process the electronic application, the university requires the documents to be added in an electronic format to the pre-enrolment application. In line with the Spanish Law 39/2015, no other certified copies should be presented.
In rare cases, when the authenticity of the presented electronic documents is doubtful, an applicant will be requested a verification of the submitted copies, so the original documents may be required. The documents will be verified by the Doctoral School of the Universitat de València, not by the registry offices.
More information:
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Do I have to present a paper copy of my disability certificate?
No. It would be sufficient to add this document in an electronic form to the pre-enrolment application. The degree of disability indicated in the certificate must be equal to or greater than 33%.
More information:
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Do the UV students have to attach the documents to the pre-enrolment application?
No. The documents associated with the degrees issued by the Universitat de València should not be submitted. Only if the students pre-enrol at the university, and their previous study cycle has not finished yet, they should send an e-mail to preinscripcio.doctorat@uv.es notifying that the degree shall be issued before the deadline for modifications expires.
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Where and when do I have to send the paper copy of my pre-enrolment documents?
According to the Spanish Law 39/2015, there is no need to present the “certified copies” and, thus, file any document in paper form.
In rare cases, when the authenticity of the presented electronic documents is doubtful, an applicant will be requested a verification of the submitted copies, so the original documents may be required.
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What documents do I have to attach to my online application to be admitted to a PhD programme?
Generally, together with your online application, you must submit the following scans of documents:
- The university degree certificate required to be eligible for admission to the PhD degree studies.
- The academic transcript of records obtained at the university studies required to be eligible for admission to the master’s degree, which must include the average mark. Foreign students must calculate their average mark according to the procedure established by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
- A copy of DNI (Spanish citizens), NIE (Spanish residents), or passport (foreign citizens).
Depending on specific situations, a student may be asked to provide additional documents. Please, see the corresponding section on documentation on our website.
In addition, each PhD programme may request additional documents depending on specific requirements established in that degree.
More information:
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I am a foreign student. Do I need a visa to gain admission to a doctorate programme?
A visa is not a requirement for admission to a doctorate programme, but it is for your stay in Spain if you are a non-EU citizen.
Also, check answer to: When can I apply for an admission letter?
More information:
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Quina documentació cal adjuntar a la sol·licitud electrònica per a ser admès/esa en un programa de doctorat?
Amb caràcter general, s’ha de presentar en format electrònic, escanejada juntament amb la sol·licitud electrònica: Una còpia de la titulació universitària prèvia amb la qual s’accedeix als estudis de doctorat. Una còpia del certificat de notes o qualificacions, de la titulació universitària prèvia amb la qual s’accedeix al doctorat, amb indicació de la nota mitjana. Si ets estudiant estranger, hauràs de presentar aquesta nota mitjana calculada segons el procediment establert pel Ministeri d’Educació, Cultura i Esport. Una còpia del DNI, NIE o passaport. Segons la situació de cada estudiant, haurà d’aportar aquesta documentació o més. Es recomana veure l’apartat documentació de la nostra web. A més, cada programa de doctorat pot requerir documentació addicional segons els requisits específics que s’hagen pogut establir.
Més informació: http://go.uv.es/30OjEww
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When can I apply for a doctoral programme pre-admission letter?
Some scholarship awarding bodies require a letter of pre-admission to a doctoral programme to apply for a scholarship. The interested person who has made his or her application for pre-registration may request a letter of pre-admission from the Doctoral School. The Doctoral School will issue the pre-admission letter after verifying that the pre-enrolment application has been made and that all the requirements for admission to the doctoral programme have been met.
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When do I have to submit legalised or apostilled documentation for pre-enrolment in a doctoral programme?
In the case of university degrees obtained in countries outside the European Union or signatories of the agreement on the European Economic Area or the bilateral agreement with the European Union, at the time of the electronic application, the documentation must be legalised or apostilled and, if applicable, translated. The presentation of the documentation in electronic format with the pre-registration application will be a requirement for its processing.
In accordance with the provisions of the Spanish Law 39/2015, it is not necessary to submit certified copies. Exceptionally, where there are doubts as to the authenticity of the electronic documentation submitted, a reasoned request will be made to compare the copies provided by the interested party, for which purpose the original document may be required to be shown. The matching of the copies will be carried out at the Universitat de València's Doctoral School, never at the registration units.
Documentation
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What is the legalisation of an official document?
Legalisation is an administrative act by which a foreign public document is given validity by verifying the authenticity of the signature placed on the document and the authority signing the document. This procedure is carried out in the country of origin.
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What is the deadline for the legalisation of the documents?
The deadline is permanently open.
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What kind of university documents can I legalise?
Official documents can be legalised by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and non-official documents (degrees, diplomas...) can be legalised by a notary.vació i Universitats, i els documents no oficials (títols, diplomes…) que es legalitzaran per via notarial.
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What official academic documents can I legalise?
- Official university degrees that are valid throughout Spain, issued by the Principal of each University.
- Higher education and postgraduate degrees, issued by the Ministry of Education.
- Official academic certifications of studies leading to obtaining the degrees mentioned in the previous sections. -
What are the requirements for submitting the documents?
The documents will always be originals, written in Spanish or bilingual text.
The academic certifications must be signed by hand or digitally and must indicate the position and full name. -
I have a signed certificate with an electronic seal, can I legalise it?
Certificates issued and signed with an official electronic seal are considered equally valid, in accordance with the section 42 of the Spanish Law 40/215, of 1 October, of the Legal System of the Public Sector.
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If the certificate is signed by order, can I legalise it?
No. Signed rubrics by Order, Absence or Authorization will not be recognised.
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Where do I submit the documents?
They will be submitted in person at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
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Once I request the legalisation of the documents from the administration, when do I get the originals back?
The documents are returned on the spot.
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Can I advance the process from home?
To speed up the process of signature recognition, prior to the legalisation of documents (official university degrees, supplementary official degree certificates and personal academic certificates) you can send an e-mail with the images of these documents to the address: legalizacion@educacion.gob.es.
The subject of the message will be: “Reconocimiento de firmas” (Spanish for Signature Recognition). In the body of the message you can indicate details identifying the person who will submit the documents. If it is an academic certificate in electronic format, send only the file itself as an attachment.
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Are all signatures on a certificate or degree accepted?
Signatures of non-official degrees, certificates of studies not leading to the degree (if you have not completed all the subjects/credits leading to the degree), and university entrance exams (university entrance exams or equivalent) will not be accepted.
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If I am in Valencia and it is not possible for me to go to Madrid, how can I do the procedure?
The Education Unit of the Government Sub-delegation in Valencia is the administrative unit responsible for processing applications for the validation of foreign degrees and studies - both university and non-university - by sending them either to the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training or to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
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Who can help me in this process?
The Education Unit of the Sub-delegation of the Government in Valencia, carries out guidance and advice tasks, since most of the people interested do not know both the procedure and the documentation to be submitted.
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Is there a website where I can find information about the legalisation process in the Valencian Community?
There are two links, depending on whether the studies are university or non-university:
For non-university studies: http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/catalogo/gestion-titulos/estudios-no-universitarios.html
For university studies: http://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/menuitem.26172fcf4eb029fa6ec7da6901432ea0/?vgnextoid=d8a7f08ad12b4610VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD -
Can I legalise a document that is written in any language?
Documents whose content is in a language other than Spanish must be translated by a Spanish sworn translator.
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If my academic documents are not official, how do I legalise it?
If the document is intended for a country that has signed the Hague Convention:
1.- The signature of the academic authority issuing the document will be recognised by the Principal of the Universitat de València.
2.- The recognition of the signature by the Notary.
3.- Recognition of the signature of the previous Notary by the Dean of the College of Notaries to which he or she belongs, who will stamp the Hague Apostille. -
If the document is intended for a country that is not a signatory to the Hague Convention, how do I proceed?
This procedure consists of four steps:
- Recognition of the signatures of the Academic Authorities issuing the document, by the Notary who knows them.
- Acknowledgement of the signature of the previous Notary by the Dean of the Notary School to which he belongs.
- Legalization itself:
- Presentation to the Ministry of Justice.
- Presentation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
- Acknowledgement of the previous signatures at the Diplomatic or Consular Representation in Spain of the country where the document is to take effect.