The Council of Ministers has approved Royal Decree 773/2025, dated 2 September and published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 3 September 2025 (BOE-A-2025-17510). This decree introduces amendments to Royal Decree 581/2017, of 9 June, on the recognition of professional qualifications obtained in other Member States of the European Union.
The reform responds to the obligation to transpose Directive (EU) 2024/505 of the European Parliament and of the Council, dated 7 February 2024, concerning the recognition of professional qualifications of nurses responsible for general care trained in Romania.
Royal Decree 773/2025 entered into force on 4 September 2025, the day after its publication in the BOE.
European regulatory framework and context
Directive 2005/36/EC forms the cornerstone of EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications. Subsequent amendments — including Directive 2013/55/EU — adapted the framework to new training and labor mobility requirements.
Within this context, Romania developed a special revalorization program for nursing degrees to align its training system for general care nurses with European standards. In 2020, the European Commission certified that this program fully met the minimum training requirements.
The recent Directive (EU) 2024/505 expressly recognizes these revalorization programs, allowing professionals who have completed them to benefit from the automatic recognition of their qualifications, without needing to prove prior professional experience in Romania.
Key changes introduced by Royal Decree 773/2025
The new decree amends Article 45 of Royal Decree 581/2017, incorporating into Spanish law the provisions introduced by the European directive. Among its main innovations are:
• Recognition of Romanian nursing diplomas accompanied by professional experience certificates issued in the country of origin.
• Inclusion of the special revalorization program as a sufficient pathway to demonstrate training and obtain automatic recognition.
• Guarantee of validity and equivalence of Romanian-European nursing titles in Spain, provided they meet the criteria set out in the regulation.
• Preservation of acquired rights: recognitions already granted remain fully valid.
The decree also confirms that the implementation of these measures does not entail increased public expenditure or new administrative burdens, thereby reinforcing legal certainty and facilitating the mobility of healthcare professionals within the European Union.
Impact on professionals and employers
This reform represents progress in aligning Spanish law with EU legislation and has a direct impact on both healthcare professionals trained in Romania and the institutions and companies employing them:
• Simplification of qualification recognition procedures.
• Greater legal certainty for professionals and employers.
• Acceleration of labor mobility within the European single market.
• Strengthening of professional qualification guarantees in the healthcare sector.
Our support
At Feliu N&I, we closely monitor legislative developments that affect the international mobility of professionals and the recognition of qualifications in Spain and the European Union.
We offer our clients a specialized team in validation, equivalence, and recognition of professional qualifications, providing comprehensive advice throughout every stage of the administrative process.
Whether for healthcare professionals seeking to work in Spain or for healthcare companies aiming to hire qualified talent, we help ensure the legal validity of qualifications and provide expert guidance to navigate the applicable regulatory framework with confidence.
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