How much does it cost to register as a psychologist in Spain?

During the four (or more) years that we spent training to be psychologists, we heard over and over again the name of a certain Official College of Psychologists of our autonomy. It seems that if you join him, you will be able to have many advantages.

We do not know very well if we have or should register, or if it is really something mandatory to do so. College sounds like something very strong in our minds, something that perhaps being barely in our twenties we see as something very big.

Be that as it may, we can't help but wonder how much does it cost to register as a psychologist in Spain, if it is profitable or if there is a lot of effort to do. Well today is the day we are going to give an answer to this question.

• Related article: "Why study Psychology? 10 points that you should value"

How much does it cost to register in the field of Psychology in Spain?

We have finished our degree in psychology, or we have been psychologists for many years but not practicing as such. We have heard that it is advisable to join a college if we want to have more opportunities and opportunities within our professional field, however, a question comes to mind: how much does it cost to register as a psychologist?.

We do not think only about the economic, but also about the bureaucratic aspect. What if we will have to do a lot of paperwork, if we will have to pay too much, if we will have to talk to a lot of people...

Well then. Here we are going to try to resolve this question, although we already anticipated that in the case of Spain things vary a little from region to region. As each autonomous community has its own Official College of Psychologists (COP) (there are even for some provinces) the process to register varies depending on where we are, although, in essence, it is the same. For example, if you practice in Catalonia, you must be registered with the Col·legi Oficial de Psicòlegs de Catalonia, while if it is done in Madrid, it will have to be done at the Official College of Psychologists of Madrid.

But what we must first be clear about is that, If we want to practice as psychologists in the clinical-health field, we must register. In the case of practicing as a psychologist, both publicly and privately, without registration, an act punishable by law would be committed, being considered a punishable administrative offense. Outside the clinical field, it would not be obligatory, but if the activity to be carried out is directly aimed at citizens, it should be registered. Likewise, in any of the cases this process is recommended.

There is a law that specifies this mandatory membership of psychologists who want to practice as such, specifically the one that is included in Article 6 of the General Statutes of the Official College of Psychologists, saying the next:

"Incorporation to the College is mandatory, in the modality of practitioner, under the terms provided in article 3.2 of Law 2/1974, of 13 of February, regulating Professional Associations, modified by Law 7/1997, of April 14, on Land Liberalization Measures and from Professional Colleges, for all those who, having an official degree, practice the profession of psychologist in their territorial area. Public officials are exempted from said obligation when they act at the service of public administrations by reason of official dependency.

Who can join?

The necessary requirements to be able to join any Official College of Psychologists in Spain are relatively simple. Not much effort is required to fulfill them, beyond what is expected to be done by a person who has finished their studies in Psychology.

In order to carry out the procedures, it is necessary to be of legal age to have Spanish nationality or one of the states members of the European Union, or from countries that are empowered by virtue of an international agreement or treaty with Spain. Logically, you must have completed a degree or degree in Psychology and, if it is a foreign degree, it must be approved by the Ministry of Education.

People who are in possession of a degree in Philosophy and Letters, section or branch of Psychology can be incorporated into the Colleges; Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, section or branch of psychology; or the homologation of your academic title to any of the aforementioned qualifications, according to the general system of recognition of higher education titles legally established.

The other requirements are fairly easy to meet, unless a serious crime has been committed. You must not be involved in causes of incapacitation nor must you be disqualified from practicing psychology as a professional.

And as a last requirement, essential to be able to join any institution, be it psychologists or another profession, there is the most important requirement for these schools: pay. Although it is not that it motivates us a lot, it is the main requirement, apart from being qualified psychologists, that will allow us to have the license.

What documents must be provided?

Now we are going to talk about paperwork, about how much it costs us to join a college in bureaucratic terms. Bureaucracy is, and this may be a somewhat stereotyped statement, a fundamental aspect of Spanish culture.

No matter what region you are in, there will be papers to sign. Fortunately, the Colleges of Psychologists throughout Spain break the rule a bit, and everyone agrees on the paperwork that must be submitted, which, to tell the truth, is not much. These documents are:

1. Certified photocopy of title

The typical thing to present is a certified photocopy of the original bachelor's degree or degree in psychology, on both sides. In case of not having it yet, it will be necessary to present a certified photocopy of the receipt that demonstrates that the issuance fees have been paid.. In addition, the certified photocopy of the academic certification will be presented, in which it will be possible to see what grades have been completed and the completion of the degree.

In the event that the qualification has been obtained outside of Spain, as we have mentioned before, it must be submit a certified photocopy of the homologation or credential issued by the Ministry of Education.

2. Photocopy of the National Identity Document (DNI)

The typical photocopy of the DNI that we are asked for in a multitude of bureaucratic processes could not be missing here, since it is always necessary. If you do not have such a document because you are a foreign national, you must present your valid passport or residence card, both the original and its photocopy. Be it DNI or any other identity document, passport size photographs must be attached.

3. Documentation of having finished the studies in the last promotion

This particular case is for those who have put the batteries and have decided to join the same year that they have finished. Congratulations, you are going to save some money.

In order to have this discount, it will be necessary to present the same as point 1, only showing that the studies have been completed in the last year. As it is most likely that the degree has not even been received, what will have to be done is to present the receipt of having paid for it and the academic certificate.

4. Other data

This is where there are a bit of differences between college and college. What everyone agrees on is that they have to present the bank details (IBAN and Swift BIC) in order to carry out the payment.

It may be that the College specifically asks us for some type of special document, such as having studied at a specific university, having taken language courses or having other educational titles, which give us certain advantages. These data will have to be asked to the specific institution.

Once we have overcome this brief but intense and exciting bureaucratic process, the official college of our autonomy or province will make us delivery of a membership card, together with the access codes to the virtual area of ​​the corresponding COP and other "awards" that vary according to the region.

The expenses of what it implies to register as a psychologist

How much does it cost economically to register as a psychologist in Spain, in economic terms? Well, it depends on autonomy. As we have mentioned, each region has its own COP and applies different prices to its future members. In addition, prices may vary from year to year, even from semester to semester. In addition, the discount for having studied in the last promotion must be taken into account.

But if you want a quick answer to this question, we are going to say that the registration to be able to join a college is around €100 in most of Spain, while the fee per semester fluctuates a lot (very much), ranging from €90 to almost 200€. In addition, there are other payments that must be made at the time of registering at the corresponding school, which are:

• Registration fee
• College fee proportional to the corresponding semester.
• Other payments (only in some schools).
• You will have to pay regularly.

But let's go directly to the prices by autonomies. Next we will see the breakdown of the prices per registration and the semester fee in all the autonomous communities and some provinces of Spain.

1. Registration prices

• Galicia: €94.80
• Asturias: no information
• Cantabria: €91.31
• Guipuzcoa: €100.45
• Vizcaya: €97.00
• Álava: €102.00
• Navarre: €167.40
• La Rioja: €95.00
• Aragon: €104.40
• Catalonia: €86.78
• Castile and Leon: €97
• c. Valencian: €151.88
• Balearic Islands: €100.20
• Murcia: €100.00
• Castile-La Mancha: €80.00
• Madrid: €160.00
• Extremadura: €100.00
• Eastern Andalusia: €170.00
• Western Andalusia: €147.16
• Tenerife: No information
• Las Palmas: €151.00
• Ceuta: €50.00
• Melilla: €120.00

2. Prices per semester fee

• Galicia: €94.80
• Asturias: €93.84
• Cantabria: €91.31
• Guipuzcoa: €100.45
• Biscay: €102.00
• Álava: €102.00
• Navarre: €95.40
• La Rioja: €95.00
• Aragon: €104.40
• Catalonia: €101.10
• Castile and Leon: €118.86
• Murcia: €95.04
• Castile-La Mancha €94.38
• Madrid: €100.00
• Extremadura: €100.02
• Eastern Andalusia: €127.00
• Western Andalusia: €123.00
• Tenerife: €97.02
• Las Palmas: €103.00
• Ceuta: €79.50
• Melilla: €110.00

And what benefits does membership entail?

The personal, bureaucratic and economic effort of the entire registration process is much less than the benefits it entails. When considering joining a college, the question should not be how much it will cost us, but what it will bring us and, fortunately, it is a lot.

The collegiate and collegiate can access legal advice for free on professional issues. These consultancies can be your safeguard to avoid situations in which malpractice occurs or in which, by not knowing how to protect yourself professionally, you end up paying. In addition, it allows speeding up the process of obtaining certain recognitions in the field of profession, such as professional certificates, psychology consultations and centers, authorization of centers sanitary...

Also the COP of each region can offer training courses at low prices or free to update the knowledge of their members. In other words, the COP can help us to be better professionals, keeping us up to date on the latest psychological therapies and theories and avoid falling behind other health professionals mental.

Significant discounts are also obtained when contracting insurance such as civil liability, social, life, consultations or centers psychology, pension plans, home, automobiles, accidents at work, temporary sick leave, dependency... Insurance professional civil liability of the psychologist, exclusive for members, involves an annual cost of just over €10 and has coverage of 1.000.000 €.

The COPs offer scholarships and grants for the scientific and professional development of their members. In addition, it makes it easier to carry out activities such as presentations, conferences, publication of books or development of informative documents of psychological interest. It also makes it possible to get in touch with eminent people in the field, facilitating the free circulation of opinions and knowledge.

College is synonymous with more job opportunities, and therefore more money. Registered psychologists receive alerts for job offers, in addition to receiving professional guidance and help in their job placement. If requested, the logo or brand of the regional COP can be used, giving more prestige to the exercise professional of the psychologist showing that he has the legal support of the official institution of psychology of his autonomy.

We could highlight a very extensive and convincing list of what are the benefits of joining a college and why, clearly, doing so is profitable. In short, joining a college will allow us to have guarantees to be able to practice our profession, it will give us greater visibility among our colleagues and also facing potential clients/patients, in addition to facilitating access to new knowledge in Psychology. Registering as a psychologist does not cost that much.

Bibliographic references:

• Official College of Psychologists of Murcia (s. f.) College fees. Murcia, Spain. Official College of Psychologists of Murcia https://www.colegiopsicologos-murcia.org/web1/index.php/ventanilla-unica/colegiacion/54-cuotas-colegiales