Nostrification

Nostrification in Poland refers to the process of recognizing foreign educational documents equivalent to Polish ones. This is an important step if you’re planning to study in Poland and have completed your education in another country. The process is typically handled by Education Boards.

Here are the general steps for the nostrification of education documents in Poland:

  1. Submit your original educational documents (secondary school diploma, eligibility statement) to the Student Service Center (SSC). The officer will verify the authenticity of your documents.
  2. If your documents are not in Polish, you may need to provide certified translations. Check with the SSC for their specific requirements regarding translations.
  3. Fill out the nostrification application form provided by the SSC. This form usually includes personal information, and details about your educational background.
  4. Your documents will be sent to the Education Board in Opole by the university. They will assess whether your qualifications are equivalent to the Polish education system.
  5. You will be notified of the decision by the employer of SSC., and if successful, you will receive a certificate of recognition.

CERTIFIED TRANSLATION FROM POLISH:

Education Superintendent’s Office in Opole

ul. Piastowska 14, 45-081 Opole | www.kuratorium.opole.pl

email: kontakt@kuratorium.opole.pl

INFORMATION SHEET – Recognition of education obtained abroad

I. Legal basis

  1. Act of 7 September 1991 on the educational system (Dz. U. z 2020 r. poz. 1327 z póź. zm.) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2020, item 1327 as amended],
  2. Ordinance of the Minister of National Education of 25 March 2015 on proceedings for recognition of a certificate or other document or confirmation of education or right to continue education obtained in a foreign educational system (Dz. U. z 2015 r.  poz. 447 z późn. zm.) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2015, item 447 as amended],
  3. Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Dz.U. z 2005 r. Nr 112, poz. 938) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 112, item 938].

The list of States Parties to the Hague Convention is available under the following link: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

II. General information

Certificates and other documents confirming education in foreign educational systems may be recognised in Poland:

  1. By operation of law, i.e. without the need for an opinion or certification by Polish institutions or offices or
  2. by the education superintendent as a result of administrative proceedings.

RECOGNITION OF CERTIFICATES BY THE OPERATION OF LAW concerns: documents obtained in the educational systems of the countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association – European Economic Area and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), i.e. secondary school graduation certificates or diplomas, maturity certificates or diplomas or other documents that:

were awarded by a school or educational institution recognised by the country in whose territory or educational system such a school or institution operates and at the same time give access to higher education in the country in whose educational system they were awarded.

This applies to education documents issued in the education systems of the following countries:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, United Kingdom.

In addition, the following documents are recognised by law:

IB (International Baccalaureate) diplomas, issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;

EB (European Baccalaureate) diplomas awarded by the European Schools in accordance with the Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools, drawn up in Luxembourg, on 21 June 1994 (Dz. U. z 2005 r. Nr 3, poz. 10) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 3, item 10].

RECOGNITION OF CERTIFICATES BY THE EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT as a result of administrative proceedings concerns certificates and documents that are not recognised by law.

Unless international agreements provide otherwise, certificates and other documents issued abroad by schools or educational institutions recognised by the country on whose territory or educational system they operate, may be recognised by way of an administrative decision as a document confirming in the Republic of Poland primary education, lower secondary education, basic vocational education, secondary vocational education or secondary education, or a right to
to continue education, including the right to apply for admission to higher education, taking into account the extent of the right in the country in which the certificate or other document was issued.

If a given certificate or other document provides the right to apply for admission to specific higher education courses in the country of its issue, that certificate or document shall confirm
in the Republic of Poland the right to apply for admission to the same or similar fields of study in terms of curriculum or may be recognised as a document confirming in the Republic of Poland the right to apply for admission to the same or similar, in terms of the curriculum, fields of study in higher education.

III. Competent authority for processing the applications

  1. In applications for recognition of a certificate or other document referred to in Article 93(3) of the Act, or for confirmation of education or right to continue education referred to in Article 93a of the Act, the competent authority is the education superintendent for the place of residence of the applicant, hereinafter referred to as the “applicant”, and in the case of no place of residence on the territory of the Republic of Poland – the education superintendent competent for the seat of the institution where the applicant intends to submit the certificate or other document issued abroad.
  2. If an applicant referred to in Art. 93a (1) of the Act is a party to the proceedings, the administrative decision is issued by the education superintendent competent for the Mazovia province [województwo mazowieckie].

IV. Documents required

  1. An application for recognition of a certificate obtained abroad (sample – Annex 1) should include:
    • name and surname,
    • date and place of birth,
    • residential address (correspondence address),
    • the name, number and date of issue of the certificate for which recognition is sought,
    • the name and address of the issuing authority,
    • the name of the country in whose education system the institution which issued the certificate operates,
    • an indication of the level of education for which recognition is sought.
  2. Original or duplicate certificate legalised by:
    • a consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country in whose educational system or territory the certificate was issued, or
    • the educational authority of the country in whose territory or educational system the certificate was issued, or
    • a diplomatic representation or consular post of a country, in whose territory or educational system the certificate was issued, accredited the Republic of Poland or another European Union country, a Member State of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or a Member State of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
    • or
    • If the certificate was issued by a school or an educational institution operating within the educational system of a country which is a party to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done in the Hague on 5 October 1961 (Dz.U. z 2005 r. Nr 112, poz. 938 i  939) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 112, item 938 and 939], the application is accompanied by the original certificate or its duplicate – to be inspected, or a copy of the certificate certified by a notary to be a true copy of the original, together with an apostille placed on the document or attached to the document.
  3. If the certificate does not contain information on the transcript of student’s record, the application shall be accompanied by:
    • a list of the marks obtained in the examination for graduation from the school or educational institution or for the completion of a given stage of education;
    • a list of subjects and other classes carried out within the given stage of education, together with the marks obtained;
    • information on the completed curriculum regarding the teaching content, planned learning time and marking scale;
    • information on acquired rights to continue education at an appropriate level in the country in whose system the certificate was issued, including rights to apply for admission to higher education in the country of issue and the extent of such rights.
    • These documents shall be issued or endorsed by the school or educational institution which issued the certificate or by the educational authority of the country in whose territory or educational system the certificate was issued.
  4. Persons who are not Polish citizens shall attach to the application a document confirming their right of residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
  5. Documents enclosed with the application shall be submitted together with a translation into Polish made or certified by:
    • a person entered on the list of sworn translators by the Minister of Justice, or
    • a person who is registered as a sworn translator in a Member State of the European Union, a Member State of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which is a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or a Member State of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), or
    • a consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued, or
    • a diplomatic representation or consular post of a country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued, accredited on the territory of the Republic of Poland.

V. Fees

  1. Decisions on the recognition of a certificate obtained abroad shall be issued free of charge.
  2. In proceedings for recognition of a certificate or other document issued abroad by schools or educational institutions recognised by the state on whose territory or in whose educational system they operate, if the certificate or other document does not provide grounds for recognition, the education superintendent may conduct an interview with the applicant to verify the level of his or her education. The interview shall be conducted by a committee appointed by the education superintendent. There is a fee for the interview. The fee is the sum of the remuneration of the committee members and the translator/interpreter. The amount of the fee and the bank account to which it is to be paid will be notified to the applicant in an appropriate letter.

VI. Place of submission of documents.

The application together with documents for recognition of a certificate obtained abroad should be submitted to the Registry Desk of the Education Superintendent’s Office in Opole in room 609 (6th floor) in the working hours of the Office, i.e. 7:30 – 15:30 or sent by mail.

VII. Unit responsible for handling the application and providing information.

Department of Education Development

VIII. Time limit and the result of application.

Applications for recognition of a certificate obtained abroad are considered without undue delay, no later than within a month, and in particularly complicated cases within 2 months – Article 35 of the Act of 14 June 1960 Code of Administrative Procedure (Dz.U. z 2021 r. poz. 735) [Polish Journal of Laws of 2021, item 735].

If the submitted documentation is not complete, the applicant shall be obliged in writing to complete it within the prescribed time limit.

If the certificate or another document does not provide grounds for recognition, the education superintendent may interview the applicant to verify the level of his/her education.

The procedure for recognition of a certificate obtained abroad shall end with the issuance of an administrative decision on recognition or non-recognition of the certificate.

IX. Method of communicating the result of application.

Decisions on recognition or non-recognition of a certificate obtained abroad are sent by post (return receipt requested) to the address indicated in the application.