Spain validated 30,303 foreign medical degrees in 2025 — a record high and the largest single category among the 65,319 foreign university degrees recognised that year, according to a new report from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Medical degrees accounted for 76.3% of all professional-category approvals, far outstripping nurses (8.1%), health psychologists (3.1%), and physiotherapists (2.1%).
The figures reflect a broader European trend: as populations age and public health systems come under increasing strain, governments across the continent are turning to internationally trained professionals to fill critical gaps. Spain's numbers are particularly striking in scale, but the debate over whether this is a sustainable solution is intensifying.
Government defends the system
Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities Diana Morant described the overhauled degree recognition system as a matter of justice and economic efficiency. “Migration is an economic driver, a driver of knowledge and a driver of social transformation,” she said in a press release. “That is why we are committed to the regularisation of immigrants and why we are also committed to improving the accreditation system.”
The ministry reports that the backlog of pending applications has fallen from 122,890 to 72,337 between October 2024 and March 2026 — a reduction of 41.1%. For the first time since 2014, more applications were resolved than were registered. The government plans to standardise the six-month legal deadlines by 2027 and to create a National Office for Academic Recognition.
Most approved degrees come from Latin America, with Colombia leading (16,924 favourable resolutions), followed by Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina. The common language and the ability to start the process remotely without residing in Spain are key factors, according to Manuel Martínez-Sellés, president of the Official College of Doctors of Madrid (ICOMEM).
Structural problems beneath the numbers
Martínez-Sellés argues that the core issue is not the absolute number of doctors available. “There is a growing structural demand for doctors due to the ageing of the population, the increase in chronic illnesses and the expansion of health services,” he told Euronews. However, he pointed to a historical bottleneck in internal training: the number of MIR (medical internship) places has not kept pace with the system's needs.
“If the conditions offered were adequate, there would be no problem of a lack of doctors,” he said, though he acknowledged that conditions that may seem insufficient to Spanish professionals could still be attractive to those from other countries. He warned that standardisation should not become an alibi to avoid pending reforms. “The incorporation of foreign talent should be seen as a complementary measure within a broader strategy that includes long-term planning.”
The recruitment of foreign doctors, he added, “can alleviate tensions in the short term,” especially in areas suffering from critical shortages, but “does not in itself constitute a structural solution.”
Welcomed by colleagues, but systemic issues remain
On the ground, foreign doctors report a warm reception. Bulgarian gynaecologist Vangeliya Blagoeva Atanasova, who moved to Madrid with her Spanish husband, also a doctor, described her experience as “excellent, in the sense of being welcomed by my colleagues.” She works at the Gregorio Marañón Maternity and Children's Hospital and said, “I think it is a universal thing here, from what I have spoken to other foreign colleagues.”
Yet Martínez-Sellés insists the problem is structural. “There is not a lack of doctors, but rather a lack of doctors willing to work in certain conditions that are unacceptable.” He points to precariousness, seasonality, and work overload that paradoxically push many Spanish professionals to emigrate.
The government's push to streamline accreditation is part of a wider effort to manage migration and labour shortages, as seen in Spain's recent immigration amnesty, which drew 43,000 applicants in its first three days. But the healthcare debate remains unresolved: are homologations a necessary solution to strengthen the system, or merely a stopgap that avoids a profound reform of working conditions and long-term planning?
