Midwives

The profession of midwife is covered by the system of mandatory and automatic recognition of diplomas, awarded at European level for a limited number of professions.

Scope

Only qualifications acquired in a Member State and listed in the relevant directive are eligible for mandatory and automatic recognition throughout the European Community. If your qualification was acquired in the former East Germany, however, you may be required to submit a supplementary certificate showing that your training was followed by two years of supervised professional practice; if your qualification was acquired either in the United Kingdom or in Portugal and covers initial training as a nurse responsible for general care, followed by less than two years supplementary training as a midwife, you may be required to produce an additional certificate showing that your training was followed by one year of supervised professional practice.

Formalities in Spain 

How to proceed

Applications for recognition should be sent to the:

• Ministerio de Educación y Cultura
  Subdirección General de Títulos, Convalidaciones y Homologaciones
  Paseo del Prado 28, 4ª planta E-28014 Madrid
  Tel: +34.91.701.85.00 
  E-mail: información@educ.mec.es

Information and/or documents to be submitted to the competent authorities 

Certified copies of:

• Certificate(s) or diploma(s) qualifying you fully to practise as a midwife in your country of origin or last country of residence.
• Document providing proof of nationality of a Member State of the European Union.
• A sworn translation of these documents into Spanish must be provided.

The documents must be certified by one of the following authorities: 

• Office (Registro) of the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs (Madrid) or offices of the government sub-delegates (Subdelegaciones del Gobierno) in the rest of Spain; 
• Spanish diplomatic and consular missions (embassies or consulates); 
• notary.

Fees 

The processing of applications for recognition of qualifications is totally free of charge. Applicants are, however, responsible for their own document translation and attestation fees.

Reference documents 

• Royal Decree 1017/1991 of 28 June 1991, amended by Royal Decree 279/1994 of 18 February 1994

Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2005
Reproduction is authorised.