NFTS: Homologation & Equivalence in Spain

NFTS graduates can hold qualifications issued under different awarding arrangements and with different course titles. Those distinctions matter when preparing the documents for Spanish homologation or equivalence. A recently renamed course does not alter an earlier graduate’s certificate, so the application should follow the award actually conferred, its issuer and the curriculum completed by that particular cohort.

Homologation or equivalence: choose the relevant Spanish route

Homologación seeks recognition against the Spanish qualification required for a regulated profession covered by the procedure. Declaración de equivalencia recognises academic level at Grado or Máster, with academic and administrative effects; it does not authorise practice of those professions. The appropriate application depends on your completed qualification and intended use. Neither university reputation nor an apostille guarantees recognition. Doctoral equivalence follows a separate procedure through a Spanish university.

The Ministry’s equivalence guidance requires study equivalent to at least three full-time years (180 ECTS or equivalent) for Grado and at least one full-time year (60 ECTS or equivalent) for Máster. The official qualification must also give access to master’s or doctoral study respectively. Meeting these minimum conditions does not guarantee approval; the actual award and evidence must be assessed.

Keep your graduation cohort and award title together

NFTS received full degree-awarding powers effective from 1 January 2023; its announcement identifies the Royal College of Art as the previous awarding institution for its MA degrees. Changes applying to courses beginning in September 2025 and January 2026 included converting many two-year MAs to MFAs and several postgraduate diplomas to one-year MAs for new students.

Begin with the degree certificate, identifying whether NFTS or another institution made the award. Give the records team the course specialism, entry date and completion date when asking for the authoritative transcript and award confirmation. If the course now advertises an MFA while your certificate says MA, retain your original title and seek a historical programme description where needed. A current course page is useful background, but it should not become evidence that your own qualification was renamed or upgraded.

Document practical production as assessed academic study

The current Directing Fiction course is a two-year, full-time MFA that includes a research project.

For film and television programmes, ask for records that connect productions, technical exercises and the research component to the formal curriculum. Project titles or a showreel may explain your specialism but do not show the complete academic workload. Check that the record includes credits, results and the duration of the award you completed. If your final document is a postgraduate diploma, establish that fact before choosing the Spanish route; a later master’s version of the course does not confer a master’s degree on earlier graduates.

Official sources for the qualification and document details above:

Prepare the degree certificate and academic record

Check the official document requirements and assemble:

Your degree certificate or an official certificate confirming its issuance.
An official academic record showing programme duration, subjects passed and workload in the required form, with the institution’s authentication. For equivalencia, a suitable Diploma Supplement may provide this information.
Identity evidence, payment evidence where required, and any additional documents requested for your application.

Ask the university to clarify missing information. Do not invent study hours or convert credits yourself. Check that names, qualification titles and award dates agree across the records. Plan the required legalisation and official translation for both the qualification evidence and the academic record; confirm the document format before proceeding.

For equivalencia, the Ministry’s document checklist also requires a certificate from the originating institution when transferred or recognised credits exceed 15% of the total. Identify earlier study before preparing a file based only on the final award.

University verification before solicitor certification and apostille

The Spanish Ministry’s UK-specific instructions require the solicitor or notary to state explicitly that authenticity has been verified with the issuing institution. A statement that a copy matches an original is insufficient. Arrange the necessary consent and institutional verification before the certification and FCDO apostille stages. The apostille authenticates the relevant signature; the Spanish authority separately assesses the qualification.

Separate documents, bundles and electronic apostilles

Do not assume that one apostille covering both the degree certificate and transcript will meet the application requirements. FCDO guidance advises checking whether the recipient needs separate apostilles or accepts a group of documents.

Spanish guidance recognises electronic apostilles with operational verification. For the UK electronic route, the PDF must be electronically signed by a UK solicitor or notary. Preserve the original signed PDF and follow the submission instructions. The UK apostille verification service uses the apostille number and issue date. Keep these verification details legible.

Official Spanish translation

The Ministry’s translation guidance requires a complete official translation into Castilian Spanish where applicable, including the legalisations. A Spanish Ministry-appointed sworn translator (traductor jurado) is one recognised route. Arrange translation of the final prepared documents and retain the source documents alongside it.

Questions about NFTS degree recognition in Spain

Does NFTS changing a postgraduate diploma into an MA upgrade my earlier award?

No retrospective change should be assumed. The School describes changes for specified new intakes, so an earlier graduate must use the qualification actually conferred. Ask NFTS to confirm your award and its academic record if the present course title differs. A postgraduate diploma should not be presented as an awarded master’s degree.

Is the apostille timetable the same as the Spanish assessment timetable?

No. University verification, certification, apostille production and translation are preparation stages. Spanish homologation or equivalence assessment is a separate procedure. Ask for a document-service timetable based on the records available, without treating preparation speed as a promised recognition deadline.

Official Ministry recognition guidance.

Prepare your NFTS documents with Ginkgo Advisory

Provide your NFTS specialism, entry and graduation dates, exact award title and certificate issuer for a review of the appropriate records.

Ginkgo Advisory can review your documents, arrange institutional verification, prepare solicitor certification and assist with paper or electronic apostilles, subject to review and confirmed scope. These services prepare the evidence for your application; the competent Spanish authority decides homologation or equivalence.

Contact Ginkgo Advisory or email info@ginkgoadvisory.com with your documents and intended Spanish procedure. We can confirm the verification route, service scope and quotation after reviewing the records.

National Film and Television School Degree Homologation and Equivalence in Spain