11 de September, 2026
Can a foreign doctor work as a doctor in Spain? The answer is yes, and the path is often more straightforward than people assume. For years, Spain has become one of the most attractive European destinations for doctors from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Brasil, Paraguay, Ecuador, and beyond — driven by a rare combination: a relatively fast degree-recognition process, a structural shortage of specialists across the public and private healthcare systems, a high quality of life, and, for Spanish speakers, a shared language.
Unlike other European countries — such as Portugal, where every university runs its own theoretical exams, practical exams, and thesis defense — becoming a licensed doctor in Spain as a general practitioner is a mostly document-based process. There are no in-person exams or clinical tests required to get your foreign medical degree recognized. And for Spanish-speaking doctors specifically, there’s an added advantage that sets them apart from other foreign doctors in Spain: they don’t need to prove Spanish proficiency.
This guide covers the job market for doctors in Spain, doctor salaries in Spain, the step-by-step process to work as a doctor in Spain, and the option of studying medicine in Spain from the ground up.
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The shortage of doctors in Spain isn’t a recent or one-off issue — the country has faced more than a decade of imbalance between the number of new doctors being trained and what the system actually needs. The Ministerio de Sanidad (Ministry of Health) tracks the problem periodically through its “Modelo de Simulación de Médicos Especialistas en España 2021-2035.” According to that report, more than 60% of specialists surveyed report a shortage above 10% in their own field.
The shortage is worse in small towns and rural areas, where it has always been harder to attract and keep doctors — even when residency (MIR) positions are formally available, many go unfilled in those regions.
This creates real opportunities for a foreign doctor in Spain, both in the public system (in specific situations, even before specialty recognition) and, above all, in the private sector.
According to the outlet The Objective, Family and Community Medicine tops the list — it’s the specialty with the most unfilled residency spots in recent years, particularly outside major cities.
It’s also the field most often flagged by specialists as understaffed (83.6% of those surveyed report a shortage), followed by Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (76.3%), Geriatrics (75%), Psychiatry (67.3%), and Radiology (63%).
Doctor salaries in Spain vary quite a bit depending on the autonomous community, the type of contract (public or private), the specialty, and the number of on-call shifts (guardias) worked. According to CESM (Confederación Estatal de Sindicatos Médicos) and regional medical unions, 2026 reference figures are:
Regional gaps are significant — for the same role, doctor salaries in Spain can differ by more than €2,000 a month between autonomous communities. For updated official figures by region and residency year:
👉 Medical salary tables – CESM
To legally work as a doctor in Spain, a physician trained in Latin America needs to complete four main steps, in order:
1. Medical degree recognition (homologación) The first step is getting your medical degree officially recognized by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, together with ANECA (the national quality assessment agency). The process is fully digital, with no theoretical or practical exams — evaluation is strictly document-based, looking at your coursework, credit hours, and supervised clinical training. The current average processing time is 8 to 18 months.
2. Spanish language Here’s one of the biggest advantages for Latin American doctors: since Spanish is their native language, doctors trained in Spanish-speaking countries don’t need to prove language proficiency — unlike, say, doctors from Brazil or other non-Spanish-speaking countries, who must submit a B2-level certificate (DELE or SIELE). Sworn/certified translations are still required for any documents not already issued in Spanish.
3. Registration with the Colegio Oficial de Médicos (Colegiación) Once the degree is recognized, the doctor must register with the Colegio Oficial de Médicos (Official Medical Association) in the province where they plan to practice. There’s no single national registry — colegiación is always handled at the provincial level, although registration authorizes practice across all of Spain.
4. Visa and residency Alongside the professional steps, the doctor also needs to sort out immigration status — whether through a job contract, hiring within the public healthcare system, or a visa for qualified professionals.
Once these four steps are complete, the doctor can legally work as a doctor in Spain at the General Practitioner level, mainly in the private sector: clinics, private hospitals, health insurance companies, and emergency services.
Spain has bilateral degree-recognition agreements with a handful of countries — including Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. These agreements exist alongside the general recognition system and can simplify or speed up certain documentation requirements, depending on what each specific agreement covers.
Worth setting realistic expectations here: having a bilateral agreement doesn’t mean automatic recognition, and it doesn’t remove the need to formally apply for degree recognition. Fee waivers vary too — agreements with countries like France, Germany, Italy, and China waive the administrative fee, while the agreements with Argentina, Chile, and Colombia still require payment.
Other countries in the region, like Paraguay (a signatory of the Convenio Andrés Bello) and Uruguay, also have some level of facilitated recognition, though without a specific bilateral agreement with Spain for medical degrees.
To live and work as a doctor in Spain, you need either EU citizenship or a spanish visa.
Dual citizenship: many professionals in the region — especially from Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries with a history of European immigration — have Italian or Spanish ancestry and may qualify for EU citizenship through that route. Anyone who already holds citizenship from an EU country other than the Spanish citizenship can formalize residency through the EU Citizen Registration Certificate.
For those who need a visa, the right option depends on the situation:
Legal residency can also be arranged through a spouse, via family reunification — for example, if one partner qualifies for a digital nomad visa, they can later bring the rest of the family under that status.
Degree recognition lets a doctor work as a General Practitioner in Spain, but it doesn’t authorize them to officially practice as a specialist — even with years of specialty experience back home. There are two paths to becoming a recognized specialist:
Doctors who are already specialists in their home country can request direct recognition of that title in Spain, without repeating residency through the MIR. This process runs through the Ministerio de Sanidad (Royal Decree 459/2010) and starts with an individualized review of the applicant’s curriculum, training record, and residency hours. Based on that review, there are four possible outcomes:
For those who’d rather enroll directly in a Spanish university — instead of getting a foreign degree recognized — Spain is also accessible to international students, although admission is competitive.
Candidates from outside the EU generally don’t take the standard Spanish Selectividad (EBAU) exam. Instead, the path runs through UNEDasiss, a system run by Spain’s National University of Distance Education (UNED) that evaluates students from foreign education systems. The general steps are:
Worth noting: some countries in the region have their own specific rules. Colombia, for example, has a bilateral agreement that allows access with just a Bachiller diploma and Saber 11 test results, no prior degree recognition required. It’s always worth confirming the applicable path for your specific country before starting the process.
The admission score can go up to 14 points, combining the academic record with the PCE results. Medicine is one of the most competitive programs in Spain: cut-off scores usually exceed 13 points at universities like Universidad Complutense de Madrid or Universidad de Valencia — though they vary quite a bit by university and year, and can be more accessible at other schools around the country.
It’s worth pointing out that this path — completing a full medical degree in Spain — takes considerably longer (6 years of undergraduate study, followed by the MIR for specialization) than recognizing a degree already earned abroad, so it’s a better fit for those still early in their academic journey.
No matter where you are in your career — recent graduate, established specialist, or physician with years of experience — working as a doctor in Spain is achievable, but it takes attention to timelines, paperwork, and getting the order of each step right: degree recognition, colegiación, visa, and specialization, if you pursue one.
Atlantic Bridge supports Latin American doctors — from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, and other countries in the region — through every stage of this transition: from degree recognition to guidance on colegiación, the MIR, and immigration paperwork.
👉 Ready to take the first step to work as a doctor in Spain? Click here to talk to our specialized consultants!
Yes. It requires getting your degree recognized by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, registering with the Colegio Oficial de Médicos in the province where you’ll practice, and sorting out your visa and residency. Unlike other foreign doctors, Spanish-speaking doctors don’t need to prove language proficiency.
No, not if you plan to work as a General Practitioner in the private sector. The MIR is only required for those who want to officially practice as a specialist, particularly within the public system.
If the doctor doesn’t hold EU citizenship, they’ll need to apply for a visa to legally reside in the country.
No, not if you plan to work as a General Practitioner in the private sector. The MIR is only required for those who want to officially practice as a specialist, particularly within the public system.
It depends on the autonomous community, the contract type, and years of experience. In the public system, a general practitioner earns between €2,900 and €4,800 gross per month. A resident (MIR) starts around €1,380 and rises to about €1,900 in the final year. An established specialist typically earns between €45,000 and €54,000 gross per year, going above €70,000 in some specialties.
Yes. Argentina, Chile, and Colombia have bilateral degree-recognition agreements with Spain that can speed up certain steps of the process — though they don’t make it automatic or fee-free in every case.
Author:
Atlantic Bridge
