Once you have been admitted to IBEI, you will be asked to submit legalised hard copies of your undergraduate diploma and your transcript of grades to comply with the entry requirements. Master’s (or pre-Master’s) academic documents are not necessary.

Keep in mind that academic documents will only be accepted in Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Italian or Portuguese. If your diploma and/or academic transcript have been issued in another language, you will need to provide (in addition to the legalised original documents) a translation to either English or Spanish by a sworn translator from the official list of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Personal translations are not accepted. You can find the official list of Spanish sworn translators here.

Please note: IBEI will keep the academic documents that you submit. If you do not wish to submit your original documents, please do the following:

1. Legalise your academic documents following the steps indicated below according to the region where you obtained your qualification.
2. Make a copy of the legalised documents
3. Have the copy legalised by a notary.
4. Submit the notarised copies of your original academic documents.

For more information on how to legalise documents to be used in Spain, please visit the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation’s website.

If you obtained your undergraduate degree in Spain

You will need a “copia compulsada” of your diploma (or the certificate proving that you have paid the fees to issue the diploma) and transcript of grades. Your home university will be able to provide you with this “compulsa”.

If you obtained your undergraduate degree in another EU country

You will have to submit certified copies of your undergraduate diploma and transcript of grades.

We can accept:

• The original hard copies (with official seals and letter-headed paper)
• Certified hard copies with the wet stamp of your university
• Digital copies of your academic documents, as long as they can be authenticated online or through Adobe. In this case, please send the digital copies to admissions@ibei.org and bring them printed for submission.

European Union Member States

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. Also Switzerland by bilateral agreement.

If you obtained your undergraduate degree in a country within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) but outside of the European Union or European Economic Area:

If you graduated from a university in a country outside of the European Union but within the EHEA you must legalise your academic documents by means of the Hague Apostille in order for them to be recognised in Spain.

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

If you obtained your undergraduate degree in a non-EU country, non-EHEA country

If the country where you pursued your undergraduate studies is a signatory of the Hague Agreement of 5 October 1961

The Hague Agreement is meant to simplify the legalisation of documents between two countries signatories of this convention. This legalisation is commonly known as the “Hague Apostille''.

If the country where your undergraduate degree was issued is a signatory of the Hague Agreement, you will need to legalise your diploma and transcript of grades with an Apostille. Remember that, should you wish to keep the original, apostilled documents, you will need to make a copy of the documents with the apostilles (make sure they are clearly visible) and have the copy notarised.

If you have completed your previous studies in China, you must register your degree (学士学位) and academic certificate (学业成绩) in the database of the China Ministry of Education: CHESICC.

Signatory states of The Hague Agreement of 5 October 1961

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei-Darussalam, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,  Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,  Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tomé & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela.

Extensions: The Netherlands (Dutch Antilles); United Kingdom (Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, Cayman Islands, The Falklands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Santa Elena, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands). 

For more information on how to obtain an apostille for your academic documents, please take a look at the competent authorities.

Other Countries

Documents issued in all other countries must be legalised through diplomatic channels. This sort of legalisation consists of a series of stamps and signatures, in which each one certifies the previous one.

Recognition of the signatures by the Ministry of Education: You must first get the original document authenticated by the Ministry of Education in the country where the degree was issued.

Legalisation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Once you have obtained the stamp recognizing the signatures, you must submit the same documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the documents were issued, which will affix the corresponding legalisation to the document.

Legalisation by the Spanish consulate/embassy in the country where the documents were issued: Finally, you must take the documents to the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in the country where the certificates were issued to recognise the legalisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Spanish Embassy or Consulate will put a transparent security sticker on the document to verify the prior seals. 

Remember that, should you not want to submit the original legalised copies, you will need to make a notarised copy of the original. The notarised copy must show all of the stamps and signatures that appear on the original certificate, even if they are on the back. Missing one seal/stamp would result in an incomplete legalisation, and the document would thus not be considered legalised in Spain.

*All students holding a degree issued outside the EHEA will have to pay the corresponding fee of €50 for the Undergraduate Degree Equivalence. The procedure can be requested online