🌏 中文版
These six associations share a post because they show several ways a state can bring guide training into its institutions. Spain puts it inside the national sports-education system, so guides first earn a state qualification. Slovakia and Slovenia write guiding into law (Slovenia in a dedicated guide law, Slovakia in its Mountain Rescue Act). The Czech Republic lists guiding as a trade that needs proof of qualification. Poland has its own state mountain-guide licence, separate from IFMGA certification. The last one, EEMGA, is the opposite case: a multinational association that opens a path for countries without their own, and the only one in this group taught in English, which makes it the most likely entry point for Taiwanese readers.
The common IFMGA standard is covered in What You Learn and How You're Tested. This post covers only the national differences.
The six at a glance
| Country | Association | Duration | Approx. cost | Language | Required by law? | Can foreigners apply? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | AEGM | 2-year higher diploma + 1-year specialization, after prerequisite diplomas | State-diploma part about €7,150–7,460; IFMGA part not published | Not stated (inferred: Spanish, Catalan or Basque) | No national law; some regions allow only sports technicians to lead groups | Passport accepted for the entrance test; diplomas need equivalence |
| Poland | PSPW | 3–5 years | PLN 70,000–75,000 | Not stated (inferred: Polish) | Paid guiding at home needs a state licence; IVBV is not the same thing | Statute allows foreign members |
| Czech Republic | CAHV | 3–5 years (about 4 for the 2025 cohort) | €17,000–20,000 (2025 cohort) | Mainly Czech, some English/German | Yes, a regulated trade | Statute allows it, but training is in Czech |
| Slovakia | NAHVSR | 3+ years | Current figure not published; old official figure about €6,600 | Not stated (inferred: Slovak) | Yes, law limits guiding to members or registrants | No nationality clause; one Czech aspirant |
| Slovenia | ZGVS | Training within 3 years + 1 year as aspirant | About €5,000 after state subsidy (set by 2022 at the latest) | Not stated (inferred: Slovene) | Yes, the ZGV guide law | No nationality condition for entry; non-EU registration needs permanent residence |
| Multinational | EEMGA | 3 years 3 months minimum | About €13,000–15,000 (2018–2021); 2026 cohort not published | English | Varies by country | Nationals or residents of 20 countries; others can ask by email |
Spain: AEGM
Training steps
In Spain the route to IFMGA runs through the state education system. The state qualification is the "Técnico Deportivo Superior en Alta Montaña" (higher sports technician in high mountains), established by Real Decreto 701/2019. There are four stages:
- Two intermediate diplomas: Climbing TD and Mid-Mountain TD (RD 702/2019).
- A high-mountain entrance test covering skiing, ice climbing, front-pointing and rock.
- The 1,175-hour higher diploma, which Kirolene says usually takes two years.
- A further one-year IFMGA specialization course, after which you apply to AEGM for the international credential.
The Spanish Mountain Guides Association (AEGM) does not run courses itself; it signs agreements with schools. Only schools in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Aragón lead to the UIAGM (IFMGA) credential, and the three run a joint high-mountain entrance test (ETEVA).
Entry requirements
- Bachiller (upper-secondary diploma) or equivalent, plus the Climbing TD and Mid-Mountain TD. The old-system High-Mountain TD also qualifies.
- Pass every part of the high-mountain entrance test; results are valid nationwide for 18 months.
- A prep-course description lists the test content: a 1,500 m ski-touring climb, A2 aid, 6b sport, 6a trad in stiff boots, and 80–90° icefalls (ETEVA prep page).
- The 2026 test was held in Benasque on 20–21 January.
Cost
Using public prices from ICEM in Catalonia (price PDF created October 2023):
| Stage | Fee |
|---|---|
| Trekking foundation | €849.5 |
| Climbing TD | €2,705.6 |
| Mid-Mountain TD | €1,575.5 |
| High-mountain higher diploma | €2,325 |
| Total | About €7,150–7,460 (the shared module may only be paid once) |
This excludes the €80 entrance test, equipment, and food and lodging.
The IFMGA specialization year has no published fee; contact AEGM (info@aegm.org). Kirolene's specialization plan marks each module's hours as "pending a royal decree," so the year has no official fee yet.
Language
Not stated. ICEM's site is entirely in Catalan and Kirolene publishes in Spanish and Basque, so it probably depends on the school (inferred).
Legal status
Spain has no national guide licensing law. AEGM's checklist for clients says the guide should hold the matching qualification, and companies or self-employed guides should be on their province's Active Tourism Register. Some regions' adventure-tourism rules allow only sports technicians to lead groups in the natural environment (El Cohete, written by AEGM's technical secretary).
Foreigners
- You can register for the entrance test with an ID card or passport copy.
- The diploma requirement is "Bachiller or equivalent," so a foreign diploma probably needs formal equivalence first (inferred).
- Joining AEGM requires the matching Spanish qualification (how to join).
- Guides from other EU countries can use the European Professional Card, under RD 581/2017.
Number of guides
The IFMGA directory lists 203 AEGM entries (counted 2026-10-17). The directory is supplied by each association and is not the same as an active headcount.
Poland: PSPW
Training steps
The Polish Mountain Guides Association (PSPW), Poland's only IFMGA member, trains in seven steps:
- Application with a record of 55 hard routes from the last three years.
- Entrance test, in summer (rock) and winter (ice, ski) parts.
- 71 days of basic training, plus 4 long Alpine routes and 8 ski tours completed on your own.
- Stage exams: crag, theory, Alpine skiing, Alpine terrain.
- At least 30 days of practice under a guide's direct supervision.
- 12 days of final training.
- A 7-day final exam.
The whole scheme takes three to five years, roughly 127 days in total (inferred). Intakes are not annual; the last entrance test was in 2025.
Entry requirements
- Age 18 or over, no criminal record.
- Route list: at least 15 Alpine mixed routes, 15 rock routes (300 m, VI+ or harder, own protection), 25 ski tours, and 5 multi-pitch rock plus 5 ice routes. Big Tatra winter walls count.
- Entrance test: V+ in mountain boots, VII in rock shoes, WI4 front-pointing, piste and off-piste skiing.
- From the day you submit your list, you may not guide commercially beyond your qualification, on pain of expulsion.
Cost
Training costs PLN 70,000–75,000 per person depending on group size, plus exam and trip costs (PSPW training page). The entrance test fee is not published.
Language
Not stated. The website, statute and training plan are all in Polish, so teaching is probably in Polish (inferred).
Legal status
Paid guiding in Poland's mountains requires the state "przewodnik górski" (mountain guide) licence, issued in three classes by the regional marshal (biznes.gov.pl). Paid guiding without it is an offence under Article 60¹ of the Code of Petty Offences.
IVBV (IFMGA) certification is not the same as this state licence. A 2022 report says the ministry was still discussing how to bring IVBV and UIMLA holders into the state system.
Foreigners
PSPW's statute §10 says full members may be foreigners, "including foreigners not living in Poland." The training plan only asks for a criminal record certificate and sets no nationality or residency limit.
Number of guides
The official list has 51 guides: 49 active and 2 retired.
Czech Republic: CAHV
Training steps
The Czech Mountain Guides Association (CAHV) scheme:
- Winter and summer entrance tests, plus a review of your route list.
- After about 1.5 years, the rock-climbing instructor exam (Instruktor skalního lezení), which lets you guide rock in the Czech Republic.
- After about 2.5 years, the aspirant exam.
- At least a year as an aspirant, then the final exam around 3.5 years in.
The official minimums are 120 days of courses and tests, 30 days of personal climbing, and 35 days of teaching practice. The home page says three years, maximum five; the 2025/2029 cohort is actually scheduled over about four. The course is accredited by the Ministry of Education (MŠMT), and trainees earn two state instructor certificates along the way.
Entry requirements
- Age 18 or over, no criminal record, and no tax, health insurance or social security debts in the Czech Republic.
- Able to train in Czech, and to take some courses in English or German.
- Technical: 6b sport, 5a trad in mountain boots, WI4 ice, slopes up to 65° with one axe, and ski technique and fitness.
- Each item is scored 1–5; you need an average of 2.4 with no failed item.
- The 2025 route list: 20 rock routes, 10 ice/mixed, 5 big routes, 30 ski tours, all led within the last five years.
Cost
The 2025/2029 cohort costs about €17,000–20,000 including travel and accommodation, depending on locations and group size. The 2022 cohort was €15,000–17,000 (announcement), but that covered travel only, so the two are not directly comparable.
Language
Mainly Czech, with some courses in English or German; every course test includes a teaching demonstration in a foreign language.
Legal status
Mountain guiding in the Czech Republic is a "vázaná živnost" (regulated trade requiring proof of qualification) under the Trade Licensing Act 455/1991 and Government Order 278/2008. The CAHV course's ministry accreditation number is MSMT-27118/2020-1/308, which probably serves as the qualification proof the act requires, though the official page does not say so (inferred).
Foreigners
CAHV's statute allows both Czech and foreign citizens as members. But entry requires training in Czech and proof of no Czech debts, which makes the bar high for foreigners (inferred). We found no example of a foreigner in training.
Number of guides
The member list has 47 guides, matching the IFMGA directory's 47 entries. The home-page counter of 42 is probably an un-updated 2024 figure.
Slovakia: NAHVSR
Training steps
Slovakia writes guiding into its Mountain Rescue Act 544/2002, and Decree 570/2007 sets the training down to the hour. From 1 August 2026 the path is:
- Entrance test; fail it and you cannot start.
- Aspirant course: at least 628 hours of teaching plus 80 hours of assessment.
- At least 19 days of supervised practice (12 summer, 7 winter), with optional work placements.
- A 140-hour guide course in the Alps.
The final exam is 6 hours of theory and 24 of practice. The website says "at least three years," while the 2022 flowchart runs into a fourth. The final exam must be passed within 60 months of starting. After qualifying, guides take a 3-day refresher and retest every three years.
Entry requirements
- Age 18 or over, no criminal record, a health certificate; the application includes your permanent address and a three-year climbing log.
- Minimum experience: 30 alpine routes above 2,000 m, 10 multi-pitch sport routes (UIAA VI+), 10 WI4 ice routes, and 25 ski tours.
- Entrance test: UIAA VII in rock shoes, V+ in boots, WI4, a timed ski tour, and an oral exam on Tatra mountain knowledge.
- The 2026 winter entrance test was on 9–11 March.
Cost
The law says training fees "equal the necessary costs," set by the association. The current amount is not published; contact NAHVSR's technical committee (tk@nahvsr.sk).
Older figures for reference:
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Old NAHVSR site (2010–2016 archive) | About €6,600 over 3 years (courses, exams, required practice) |
| Blog of a 2013–2016 trainee | €12,692 total, of which €9,257 went to instructors |
The trainee paid more than the official figure; the difference was travel, accommodation and lifts.
Language
All official documents are in Slovak and nothing states the language of instruction; it is probably Slovak (inferred).
Legal status
Required. Under 544/2002, guiding off marked trails, teaching mountaineering technique, or leading off-piste skiing is limited to association members or registrants, who must carry at least €1 million in liability insurance. The association has disciplinary powers, up to a two-year ban. Since 1 July 2026, foreign guides must also register with NAHVSR.
Foreigners
Neither the law nor the website sets a nationality limit; only a permanent address is required. In practice, the only person on the aspirant list, Vít Orava, is Czech, so foreigners have been admitted.
Number of guides
The guide list has 72 guides, matching the IFMGA directory (2026-10-17).
Slovenia: ZGVS
Training steps
The Slovenian Mountain Guides Association (ZGVS) follows a path set by the guide law ZGV:
- Call for applications, written screening, entrance test.
- Four 14-day courses plus exam days: guiding fundamentals, rock, alpine ski touring, snow and ice. 80 days including the entrance test.
- One year as an aspirant (pripravnik).
- A 5-day professional exam, then certification.
Training must be finished within three years, and the whole path including the aspirant year within four. The next intake closes on 25 November 2026 and starts in January 2027.
Entry requirements
From the 2027 call for applications:
- Age 18 or over, at least upper-secondary education, an occupational-medicine certificate, and a criminal record certificate.
- At least 50 alpine ascents (at least 10 each on rock, snow/ice, and mixed), 20 rock routes at VI+, and 15 full-day alpine ski tours.
- Entrance test: grade VI in rock shoes, grade V in boots, 50–60° ice slopes, and skiing any terrain in any snow.
Cost
Trainees pay about €60 per day, roughly €5,000 for the 80 days, plus food, lodging and travel. The state funds training each year. The site's wording has not changed since the 2023 archive, so the figure was probably set in 2022 at the latest (2023 archive).
Language
Neither the law nor the call states it. ZGVS says it trains "Slovenian alpinists," and foreign documents must come with a certified Slovene translation, so teaching is probably in Slovene (inferred).
Legal status
Required. ZGV says you must pass all statutory exams and be entered on the register of active guides to work in Slovenia. ZGVS keeps the register, and guides must carry liability and accident insurance (government SPOT page).
Foreigners
- Entry: ZGV Article 7 sets no nationality condition for training.
- EU, EEA and Swiss nationals: occasional work needs no notification; long-term work requires applying to ZGVS for registration (Article 4.a).
- Everyone else: ZGV Article 5 is still in force. A non-EU guide who qualified through an IFMGA association can be registered only with permanent residence in Slovenia. Without it, Article 4 allows only occasional work, and only with clients you bring from abroad.
Number of guides
The official register shows 71 entries marked "IFMGA" and 6 aspirants (counted 2026-10-17).
Multinational: EEMGA
Training steps
The East European Mountain Guides Association (EEMGA) was founded in 2016 and became a full IFMGA member in 2019, the first multinational association. It trains guides for countries without their own association, borrowing many instructors from France's ENSA, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia's ZGVS and others.
The 2026 cohort's schedule:
- Entrance test: April–May 2026 in Chamonix, 6 days.
- Year 1: rock and alpine, in Chamonix, the Dolomites and Romania.
- Year 2: skiing and ice, including Austria and Chamonix.
- Aspirant phase (May 2027 to March 2029): 10 supervised days each in the Alps and on skis, plus 5 days of expedition.
- Final exams (April–July 2029): ski, alpine and rock.
The whole scheme is 136 days (100 teaching plus 36 assessment), at least 3 years 3 months, and must be finished within 5 years of entry.
Entry requirements
- Nationals or legal residents of these 20 countries: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.
- Other nationalities, in the announcement's words: "Applicants from other nationalities should contact us via email to discuss eligibility."
- Age 18 or over, good English.
- At least 3 years and 55 routes: 15 snow/ice alpine, 15 trad rock walls, 10 multi-pitch routes of 6a or harder, 10 WI4 ice routes, plus 25 ski tours.
- Entrance test: lead 5a in boots, 6b in rock shoes, WI4 with two tools, and skiing in all snow.
- 19 people took the 2026 test and 9 were admitted (results).
Cost
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Entrance test | €300 (2026) |
| Full scheme (2018 cohort) | €13,000–15,000 |
| Full scheme (2021 cohort) | About €15,000, including tuition, lift passes, some huts |
The 2026 cohort's full fee is not published; contact EEMGA's technical director (technical.director@eemga.org). The 2021 announcement says the cost varies with the number of trainees; the 2026 announcement says travel, food and lodging, equipment, visas and insurance are all extra.
Language
English. Interviews, exams and courses are all in English; the concept paper explains that with trainees from many countries, English favours no one.
Legal status
Depends on where graduates work. EEMGA's 2022 article lists Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus and Ukraine as countries where the profession is not regulated.
Foreigners
On paper eligibility depends on nationality or residence, but in practice it is broader. The 2026 cohort includes trainees from Hong Kong, Israel/Austria, Belgium/France and Russia/Italy.
Number of guides
The EEMGA list has 27 full guides: Romania 9, Bulgaria 8, Greece 3, Poland 3, Hungary 2, Cyprus 1, Ireland 1. The 2026 cohort has 10 trainees (including one carried over from the previous intake).
What this means for Taiwanese readers
In this group, EEMGA is the most likely to accept a Taiwanese applicant: it teaches entirely in English and admitted a Hong Kong trainee in 2026, but Taiwan is not on its list, so you would need to email first. The other five require the local language, and Slovenia also requires permanent residence to register as a guide. For how to choose among the options, read The Path for Taiwanese Climbers.
References
- AEGM: Training
- AEGM: How to join
- AEGM: Find a guide
- BOE: Real Decreto 701/2019 (in Spanish)
- BOE: Real Decreto 702/2019 (in Spanish)
- BOE: Real Decreto 581/2017 (in Spanish)
- ETEVA: High-mountain entrance test 2026 (in Spanish)
- ETEVA: Becoming a UIAGM guide (in Spanish)
- ICEM: High-mountain higher diploma price PDF (in Catalan)
- Kirolene: High mountain (in Spanish)
- El Cohete: The mountain guide profession in Spain today (in Spanish)
- IFMGA directory: AEGM
- PSPW: Training programme (in Polish)
- PSPW: Statute PDF (in Polish)
- PSPW: Guide list (in Polish)
- biznes.gov.pl: Mountain guide licence (in Polish)
- Code of Petty Offences, 2025 consolidated text PDF (in Polish)
- Rzeczpospolita: Guiding to be examined (in Polish, 2022)
- CAHV: How to become a guide (in Czech)
- CAHV: 2025 cohort announcement (in Czech)
- CAHV: 2022 cohort announcement (in Czech)
- CAHV: 2025 route list form (in Czech)
- CAHV: Statute (in Czech)
- CAHV: Guide list (in Czech)
- Czech Trade Licensing Act 455/1991 (in Czech)
- Czech Government Order 278/2008 (in Czech)
- IFMGA directory: CMGA
- NAHVSR: Becoming a guide (in Slovak)
- Slovak Act 544/2002 (in Slovak)
- Slovak Decree 570/2007, 2026 version (in Slovak)
- NAHVSR: Mandatory registration for foreign guides (in Slovak)
- NAHVSR: Old training plan, 2016 archive (in Slovak)
- Miroslav Peťo: Guide course 2012–2016 (in Slovak)
- NAHVSR: Aspirant list
- NAHVSR: Guide list
- ZGVS: Become a guide (in Slovene)
- ZGVS: 2027 call for applications PDF (in Slovene)
- ZGVS: 2027 intake news (in Slovene)
- ZGVS: Become a guide, 2023 archive
- ZGVS: Guide register
- PISRS: Mountain Guides Act ZGV, current consolidated PDF (in Slovene)
- SPOT: Mountain guide (in Slovene)
- EEMGA: Training structure and overview
- EEMGA: Entry test 2026
- EEMGA: Entry exam 2026 results
- EEMGA: 2021 entry test announcement update
- EEMGA: Concept
- EEMGA: Alpine summer 2022
- EEMGA: Guides