When you’re new to Spain, alongside getting your residency permit and finding a place to live, healthcare is a top priority. I was chatting with friends recently and realized many don’t know how to verify if a doctor’s background and credentials are legitimate. Running into an unlicensed clinic or a doctor without a license could lead to serious problems. So today, I’m sharing a super useful official tool: the online search system of the Spanish General Council of Official Medical Colleges (CGCOM).
You can think of this website as the official national registry for all legitimate doctors in Spain. Each province’s ‘Colegio de Médicos’ (Medical College) reports the information of its registered doctors here. Any doctor legally practicing in Spain must be registered here and will have a unique registration number. Therefore, by using this website, we can easily verify a doctor’s identity, giving us peace of mind.
How to Use the Official Website to Search?
The process is actually very simple, just three steps, and it’s user-friendly even for those of us with basic Spanish skills.
Step 1: Access the Search Page
Go to the official CGCOM website and look for a link on the homepage or in the menu labeled “Registro de Colegiados” (Registry of Members) or something similar. Sometimes it might be found under a section like “Profesión Médica” (Medical Profession). The most direct way is to search for “CGCOM Registro de Colegiados” in a search engine; the correct link is usually the first result.
Step 2: Enter the Doctor’s Information
Once on the search page, you’ll see a form where you need to enter the doctor’s information. Usually, just filling in the first and last names is enough. If you know where the doctor is registered, such as Madrid or Barcelona, the search results will be more precise. Of course, if you have the doctor’s registration number, entering it directly will give you a surefire match!
| Search Field | Recommendation |
|---|
| Apellidos (Last Names) | Required, try to enter the full last name |
| Nombre (First Name) | Required, enter one or both first names |
| Nº de Colegiado (Registration Number) | Most accurate method, not required |
| Colegio (Medical College/Province) | Optional, used to narrow the search |
Step 3: Review the Results
After submitting your query, if the doctor is legally registered, the system will display their basic information, including their full name, registration number, and current practicing status. The most important thing to check is if their status is “Ejerciente,” which means “Practicing.” If the status shown by the Spanish Medical Council is something else, like “Jubilado” (Retired) or “Baja” (Inactive), you should be cautious. This simple step can help you filter out many unnecessary risks, especially when looking for a private doctor. I hope this little tip helps everyone. Wishing you all the best with your healthcare experiences in Spain!
