Index

• Application for prior authorisation and certificate of accreditation of studies
• • Required documentation
  • Requirements for documents issued abroad
  • Document validation 
• Document legalisation
• Translation of documents issued in foreign languages

Students with a qualification obtained outside the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) equivalent to a Master’s degree may access PhD studies, without the prior need for their foreign qualifications to be officially approved or declared equivalent to the academic level of a Master/Doctor, by requesting prior authorisation from the Rector.

Students requesting prior authorisation from the Rector to access a RD 99/2011 PhD programme with a foreign qualification that is not officially approved or lacking a declaration of equivalence to the academic level of Master/Doctor must accredit the following:

1. That the qualifications accredit a level of training equivalent to that of an official Spanish Master’s degree. This verification, in accordance with art. 6.2.d) of RD 99/2011, is the responsibility of the university, although the interested party may also request a declaration of equivalence of their degree in accordance withRD 889/2022,18 October.

2. That the qualification provided qualifies for access to a PhD course in the country of issue.

3. A number of credits equal to or higher than 300 ECTS or equivalent in all official university studies, of which at least 60 ECTS or equivalent are at Master’s level

Application for prior authorisation and certificate of accreditation of studies  

The application for prior authorisation for those with degrees from foreign educational systems together with the certificate of accreditation of studies must be addressed to the Rector of the University of Seville who, after verifying that the foreign degree presented by the interested party corresponds to the level of University Master’s Degree, will make a prior decision on the possibility of access to PhD studies.

Applications and attached documentation must be submitted to the General Registry of the University of Seville.

Required documentation  

Applications must include the following documentation (indicated on the back of the application):

All required documentation must be attached:

1. Legalised copy of the foreign higher education degree or of the certificate accrediting the issue of same with which you are applying for access to PhD studies at the University of Seville (the degree must be officially approved in the issuing country for access to PhD studies).

2. Certified copy of the academic certification of studies carried out by the applicant to obtain the degree with which they are applying for access to PhD studies, stating the following:

2.1. Official duration of the studies carried out in each of the academic years.

2.2. Subjects taken.

2.3. Number of hours for each subject taken.

2.4. Grade obtained in each of the subjects taken.

2.5. Short CV

3. Accreditation of previous official university studies* (Undergraduate and Bachelor’s Degrees, Certificate of Advanced Studies, etc.) that qualify the applicant for access to PhD programmes. The certification of previous studies (or proof of payment of issuing fees) will be required.

4. Certified copy of academic certification of studies prior* to those that qualify for access to PhD studies, stating:

4.1. Official duration of the studies carried out in each of the academic years.

4.2. Subjects taken.

4.3. Number of hours for each subject taken.

4.4. Grade obtained in each of the subjects taken.

5. Original translation of documents (in the case of languages other than Spanish).

Requirements for documents issued abroad  

Documents issued abroad shall comply with the following requirements:

1.- They must be official and issued by the relevant authorities, in accordance with the legal system of the country concerned.

2.- They must be legalised* through diplomatic channels or, where appropriate, by Apostille of the Hague Convention. View: Document legalisation. This requirement shall not apply to documents issued by the authorities of Member States of the European Union or signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

* It will only be necessary to submit the foreign higher education degree with which you are applying for access to PhD studies at the University of Seville (point 1 of the previous section). In the case of the academic certification of studies carried out by the applicant to obtain the degree with which they are applying for access to PhD studies (point 2 of the previous section), the accreditation of previous official university studies (points 3 and 4 of the previous section -degree and academic certification of previous studies-) does not need to be legalised. An official translation into Spanish will be required where applicable.

3.- The documents must be accompanied, where appropriate, by the corresponding official translation into Spanish.　

Document validation

In the event of doubt as to the authenticity, validity or content of the documents provided, the necessary steps may be taken for verification, and the competent authority issuing them may be contacted to validate any doubtful cases.

Securing admission does not imply, in any case, official approval of the foreign degree, nor its recognition for purposes other than that of pursuing PhD studies and, more specifically, does not confer the status of student of the University of Seville, nor does it guarantee admission to a PhD programme, if applied for.

If you need more information about the process of applying for prior authorization from the Rector, you can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Document legalisation  

The legalisation of documents is a necessary step for access to PhD studies, for the official approval and application for the PhD degree, the declaration of equivalence to the academic level of Doctor. The procedures for the legalisation of documents vary depending on the country of origin of the studies or degrees, and there are different channels for legalisation:

Legalisation channels:

The procedures vary depending on the country of origin of the studies or degrees:

1. Member States of the European Union or signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
   Also Switzerland, by bilateral agreement with the EU. For documents issued in these countries, legalisation is not required (only comparison with the original), the translated documents will be sufficient.
2. Signatory States to the “Hague Convention” of 5 October 1961 (Albania, member since 9 May 2004, without effect for Spain).
   To legalise documents from these countries, the “Apostille” (model according to the Hague Convention) issued by the competent authority of the State from which the document originates is sufficient.
   More information: at e-Apostille (e-APP)
3. Countries that have signed the Andrés Bello Convention (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamp not required)
   Documents must be legalised through diplomatic channels, on presentation:
   1. The Ministry of Education of the country of origin for diplomas and certificates of studies and at the relevant Ministry for birth and nationality certificates.
   2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the documents were issued.
   3. The diplomatic or consular representation of Spain in that country.
4. All other countries:
   For documents issued in other countries, legalisation must be carried out through diplomatic channels. This type of legalisation consists of a chain of stamps and signatures, each one certifying the previous stamp and signature.
   1. Signature recognition procedure: You should take the original documents to the competent authority in your country: in the case of documents accrediting studies, this will probably be the Ministry of Education (although it can also be the universities themselves, as is the case, for example, in Japan or Brazil).
   2. Legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Once you have completed the signature recognition procedure, you must take that same documentation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the documents were issued, where they will  certify the legalisation of the document. (More information)
   3. Legalisation at the Spanish consulate/embassy of the country where the documents were issued: Finally, you must go to the Spanish consulate in the country where the degree was completed for the legalisation signature of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be recognised.

Documents issued by diplomatic or consular authorities of other countries in Spain must be legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

More information: Ministry of Education and Vocational Training - Foreign University Degrees

Translation of documents issued in a foreign language  

All documents issued in a foreign language must be presented with a translation into Spanish, which may be done:

• By a sworn translator, duly authorised and registered in Spain.
• By UNESCO, the Office of the Ibero-American Centre for Cooperation or any other organisation recognised in Spain.
• By any diplomatic or consular representation of the Spanish State abroad.
• By the diplomatic or consular representation in Spain of the applicant’s country of nationality or, where appropriate, of the country of origin of the document.