For an Indian university degree to be valid in Spain you apply either for its homologación (if it gives access to a regulated profession, such as medicine, nursing, engineering or architecture) or for its equivalencia to bachelor's or master's level (for everything else), before the Spanish ministry responsible for universities, with three documents apostilled by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator: the degree certificate, the complete transcript (consolidated marksheet) and, for homologación, the syllabus. The sworn translation of the degree certificate costs €50 and is delivered in 24/48 hours; the transcript is quoted once I see it. I am Elena Peñaranda, sworn translator of English no. 7310, and every month I translate files from Indian universities for this procedure; this is the guide I give my clients before we start.
An honest warning: the decision (whether your degree is recognised, which equivalence you are granted and how long it takes) rests with the Ministry, and real waiting times are measured in months. My job is to make sure the paperwork arrives right first time: the correct apostille, a complete and consistent translation, and no request for missing documents over a piece of paper.
Homologación, equivalencia or access: which one applies to you
| You want to… | Route | Before whom | Indian documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practise a regulated profession (doctor, nurse, engineer, architect, pharmacist, lawyer…) | Homologación to a specific Spanish degree | Ministry responsible for universities (online portal) | Degree, complete transcript, syllabus, proof of the right to practise in India if you have it |
| Have your degree count as a bachelor's or master's to work in a non-regulated profession, sit public exams or continue studying | Equivalencia to academic level and field | The same Ministry | Degree and complete transcript |
| Enter a Spanish university with secondary education (Class XII) | Homologación of the secondary qualification and access accreditation | Ministry of Education and UNEDasiss | Class X and XII certificates with marksheets |
| Do a master's in Spain with your Indian bachelor's | Direct admission (no homologación) if the university accepts it | The university | Whatever the university asks for: translated degree and transcript |
Homologación and equivalencia of university degrees are governed by Royal Decree 889/2022. For a Spanish master's many universities admit a foreign bachelor's without homologación; ask before starting a procedure that can take months.
Which Indian documents the Ministry asks for
- Degree certificate (the final degree, issued at convocation). The provisional certificate will do to start the application if the final one is delayed, but the Ministry will want the final degree; translate both if you have both.
- Consolidated marksheet or transcript with every subject, semester, mark and, ideally, credits or hours. If your university only issues semester marksheets, request the consolidated one: the translation comes out cleaner and the Ministry reads it more easily.
- Syllabus stamped by the university, only for homologación to a regulated profession: the Ministry compares content and hours with the Spanish degree.
- Proof of professional registration in India where it exists (National Medical Council, Bar Council, Pharmacy Council…), for regulated professions.
- Passport (not translated) and proof of payment of the fee.
Two Indian particularities worth anticipating: single-word names and the father's name field, which I translate as they are without inventing surnames, and marks given as percentages, CGPA or division, which I reproduce literally with their scale; the conversion to the Spanish scale is done by the Ministry, not by the translator. A three-year bachelor's (BA, BSc, BCom) and a four-year one (BTech, BE) do not always receive the same equivalence; it is decided case by case.
The MEA apostille, step by step
India is a party to the Hague Convention, so its documents are legalised with an apostille, not through the consulate. For academic documents the circuit is:
- Prior verification by the university that issued the degree and, depending on the state, attestation by the state education or human resource development (HRD) department.
- MEA apostille, requested through the collection centres and the outsourcing agencies authorised by the Ministry: a sticker with a QR code that is attached to the document and becomes part of it.
- One document, one apostille: the degree and the transcript are apostilled separately.
Important: apostille first, translation second. The apostille is translated as part of the document; if you send me the degree without it and obtain it later, the translation has to be extended. The MEA procedure for the other documents (birth, marriage, PCC) is covered in Indian documents for a Spanish visa.
What I translate and what it costs
I translate from English into Spanish the documents issued in English by the Indian university, apostille included. If your degree is only in Hindi or another regional language, you first need the official English version from the university itself (most issue one); I do not translate from unofficial translations, because the Ministry rejects them.
| Document | MEA apostille? | Sworn translation | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree certificate (1 page) | Yes | €50 | 24/48 hours |
| Provisional certificate | Yes, if you submit it | €50 | 24/48 hours |
| Consolidated marksheet / transcript | Yes | fixed quote within 2 hours | Date fixed with the quote |
| Syllabus | Usually the university stamp is enough; check | Fixed quote within 2 hours | Depends on length |
| Professional registration certificate | Yes | Fixed quote within 2 hours | 24/48 hours |
| Passport | No | Not translated | — |
Prices from the price list, per standard one-page document. A syllabus can run to dozens of pages: I quote it once I see it, and if the Ministry only requires the subjects of your specialisation, I tell you so that you do not translate more than you need.
The right order (and the mistakes I see every month)
- Gather the final originals: degree certificate, consolidated marksheet and, if you are applying for homologación, the stamped syllabus.
- MEA apostille on each document, with whatever prior verification your state requires.
- Scan everything, apostilles included, and send it to me by WhatsApp, email or the calculator on this site; you get a fixed price and a date within 2 hours.
- Sworn translation of the whole set, with names, dates and subjects identical across all documents; an electronically signed PDF for the online portal.
- Application on the Ministry's online portal, payment of the fee and waiting. If a request for documents arrives, forward it to me and we resolve it.
The most frequent mistakes: translating before apostilling; submitting only the degree without the complete transcript; sending loose semester marksheets with names spelt differently; and translating the degree from a Hindi version through an unofficial English translation. All of them are avoided with the order above.
If you live in India and the degree is only part of your file (student visa, digital nomad visa, family reunification), the guide for clients in India has the full picture of documents, apostilles and payment with an Indian card.
Send me your degree and transcript on WhatsApp and I will tell you what to apostille, what to translate and what the set costs. You can also read the sworn English translator page.