Recognition of school certificate

1. Certificates of eligibility to apply for higher education issued by a school or educational institution operating in the educational system of one 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, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, United Kingdom;
2. IB (International Baccalaureate) and EB (European Baccalaureate) diplomas;
3. Certificates issued in countries with which Poland has concluded agreements on the mutual recognition of education, recognised under the terms of these agreements. This also applies to certificates issued during the validity of agreements which have already expired or have been terminated.
4. Promotional certificates giving the basis for the continuation of education in the Polish education system under separate regulations.

Legal basis:

1. Act of 7 September 1991 on the educational system (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1915 as amended);
2. the Act of 14 June 1960. - Code of Administrative Procedure (Journal of Laws of 2022, item 2000);
3. Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 24 August 2016 on proceedings for the recognition of a certificate or other document or confirmation of education or entitlement to continue education obtained in a foreign educational system (Journal of Laws, item 1369).
4. Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents drawn up at The Hague on 5 October 1961 (Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 112, item 938 and 939).

In matters concerning the recognition of a certificate or other document issued abroad, the competence lies with the school superintendent for the place of residence of the applicant in Poland, and in the absence of such place - with the school superintendent for the seat of the institution where the applicant intends to submit the certificate or other document issued abroad.

Recognition of diplomas and degrees obtained at foreign higher education institutions is handled by universities.

Required documents:

1.     Application for recognition of certificate;
2.     Original or duplicate certificate, legalised by:
   
   1.  a consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued, or
   2. the educational authority of the country on whose territory or educational system the certificate was issued, or
   3. a diplomatic representation or consular post accredited in the Republic of Poland or another Member State of the European Union, EFTA or OECD of the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued,
   4. with an apostille affixed to the document or accompanied by an apostille if the certificate was issued by an institution operating within the educational system of a State which is a party to The Hague Convention.
3. If the certificate does not contain information on the course of education, the application shall be accompanied by:
   
   1. a list of the grades obtained in the examination for graduation from the school or educational institution or for passing the given stage of education;
   2. a list of subjects and other classes completed within the given stage of education together with the grades obtained;
   3. information on the curriculum completed, including the content of the education, the planned duration of study and the grading scale;
   4. information on acquired entitlements to continue education at an appropriate level in the country in whose education system the certificate was issued, including entitlements to apply for admission to higher education, and the scope of such entitlements;
4. The documents referred to in points 2 to 3 shall be submitted together with a translation prepared or certified by:
   
   1. a person registered by the Minister of Justice on the list of sworn translators
   2. a person registered as a sworn translator in a Member State of the European Union, EFTA or OECD
   3. a consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued
   4. the diplomatic representation or consular post accredited in the Republic of Poland of the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued.

5. Photocopies of the above-mentioned documents.

6. If the applicant is not the person in whose name the certificate is issued, an authorisation from the owner of the certificate according to the attached model must be attached.

The documents referred to in point 3 should be issued or certified by the school or educational institution which issued the certificate or by the educational authorities of the country on whose territory or in whose educational system the certificate was issued.

If the translation of the documents into Polish encounters obstacles that are difficult to remove, the school superintendent may agree for the applicant to submit a translation made by another entity whose reliability is not objectionable.

If the certificate or other document does not provide grounds for recognition, the school superintendent may conduct an interview with the applicant to verify his/her level of education. A fee shall be payable for the examination interview.

A duplicate is understood to be a document issued in place of a lost original.