Recognition and registration of Academic Degrees obtained abroad
Requirements and procedures to request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile the recognition, by virtue of agreements, of professional qualifications obtained abroad.
The applicants (Chilean or foreign citizens), must have obtained their degrees in one of the following countries which have signed agreements with Chile:
Bilateral Treaties
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Spain (applies to Chilean citizens only)
- Peru
- Uruguay
Multilateral Treaty
Convention signed in Mexico City in 1902
This agreement applies to degrees obtained in:
- Bolivia
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Peru
| About the recognition and registration of Academic Degrees obtained in other countries, please contact to Universidad de Chile:
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Procedures to request the recognition of Academic Degrees
A. – Submission of documentation
1. The applicant must have and submit in person at the Degrees Section of The Consular Legal Department, under the Directorate General for Consular Affairs and Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (No. 1320 Agustinas Street, First Floor, Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM) the following documents:
- Handwritten academic degree (original)
- Handwritten certificate (original) of academic transcript of university studies issued by the university or post-secondary studies center.
- Handwritten certificate (original) of authority of the country where the degree was issued, accrediting the legal existence of the university or post-secondary studies center.
Note:
The three previous documents must be duly authenticated (legalized) by:
- The authorities of the country of origin,
- by the respective Consul of Chile,
- and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (1320 Agustinas Street, First Floor, Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM)
Photocopy of identity card in the case of Chilean citizens (front and back) and passports in the case of foreign citizens (only pages containing the bearer’s photograph, personal data and validity).
2. Applicants must be Chilean citizens or have the NATIONALITY of the country where the qualification was obtained;
3. Documents issued in Brazil must also be officially translated into Spanish. Official translation may be obtained at the Translations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (No.1320 Agustinas Street, First Floor, Mondays through Fridays, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Phone: 82745189). This official translation is subject to payment of a statutory stipend.
B. – Submission of application form
Once the applicant has filled out his/her documentation, the staff at the Degrees Section will hand him/her the respective application form for the degree registration, where a certificate of recognition and the free exercise of professional activities in Chile is also requested.
Note:
The preliminary acceptance of that documentation is “ad referendum”, i.e., preliminary, subject to double-check it later, from the legal standpoint.
C. – Submission of documentation by the applicant
The application form must be filled out in typescript and signed before a Chilean notary, submitting the applicant’s identity card in person. After that, the document must be submitted by the applicant at the Registry Office of this executive department of government located at No. 1345 Bombero Salas Street, First Floor, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM). The photocopies of the documents mentioned in section 1 (authorized by a Chilean NOTARY PUBLIC) should also be accompanied with the formula “true copy of the original.”
The same mechanism should be used for any subsequent request of copies of recognition certificates, in which case the applicant can attach a photocopy of the document itself to facilitate the procedure.
D. – Delivery of recognition certificate of academic degree
The Degrees Section hands over the Recognition Certificate of Academic Degree to the applicant, which authorizes the free exercise of professional activities.
Notes:
- In the case of law graduates or lawyers, once the procedure is concluded, a “certificate of registration” is handed over, which expressly states not enabling the exercise of professional activities, which can only be performed after the Most Honorable Supreme Court of Chile grants the corresponding law degree.
- Except for the statutory stipend for the payment of an official translation, all the arrangements related to the recognition of professional degrees at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are free of charge.
E. – Special cases requiring a general exam
Those holding a degree granted by a Member State of the Convention of Mexico of 1902 related to medicine and surgery (e.g. Physicians, Dentists, Pharmacists, Veterinary Surgeons, Nutritionists, Obstetricians, Kinesiologists, Medical Technicians, Nurses), must previously take a general exam, pursuant to Article III of the aforementioned international instrument. For this purpose, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after assessing records, refers applicants to Universidad de Chile. If this university informs that the applicant passed the exam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues the corresponding recognition certificate. If the university informs that the applicant failed the exam, or that he/she has let time go by without taking it, the Degrees Section will return the documents to the applicant.