Colegiado

Colegiado is a term used in Spanish-speaking countries to denote a person who is a member of a professional college or professional body. A professional college is a regulated association that groups practitioners of a given field and sets standards for entry, practice, ethics, and continuing education. Being a colegiado usually requires completing the relevant training and registering with the college, which grants the right to practice the profession and imposes obligations such as adherence to a code of ethics and participation in ongoing education.

The concept appears across professions such as law, medicine, architecture, engineering, accountancy, and education, among others. In many jurisdictions, the colegio profesional issues a professional credential, often called a carnet de colegiado or equivalent, and in some cases may provide membership services, disciplinary oversight, and professional liability coverage. The status can be active (en ejercicio) or inactive, and there may also be honorary categories (colegiado de honor).

The term has general use beyond formal bodies, occasionally appearing in phrases to indicate collegial relations or to refer informally to a colleague, though the primary sense in practice is membership in a professional college. The exact powers, requirements, and benefits of being colegiado vary by country and profession, but the overarching idea is membership in a regulated professional community accountable to a governing body.