Issuing decisions by the Wielkopolski Kurator Oświaty on the recognition of education obtained abroad

Certificates issued abroad may be recognized by way of an administrative decision as a document confirming in Poland:

• entitlement to continue education, including the right to apply for admission to higher education, taking into account the scope of entitlements in the country of issue of the certificate,
• primary education,
• middle school education,
• vocational education,
• basic vocational education,
• specialized/technical secondary education,
• general secondary education.

 

I. General rules

1. 93-93h Act of Education System dated September 7, 1991 (Dz. U. (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 750, as amended).
2. Act of Code of Administrative Procedure dated June 14, 1960 (Dz. U. (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 572).
3. Regulation of the Minister of National Education dated March 25, 2015 on the proceedings for the recognition of a certificate or other document or confirmation of the educational qualifications or the entitlement to continue education, acquired in a foreign education system (Dz. U. [Journal of Laws] for 2015, item 447, amended 2016 – Dz. U. [Journal of Laws] for 2016, item 1369) version codified.

 

II. Place of submission of documents/jurisdiction of the WKO

The Kuratorium Oświaty w Poznaniu, 93 Kościuszki Street, 61-716 Poznań from Tuesday to Thursday from 8.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

The Wielkopolski Kurator Oświaty is responsible:

• due to the applicant’s place of residence (Wielkopolskie Voivodeship),
• in the absence of a place of residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland, the address of the registered office of the institution where the applicant intends to submit the certificate is decisive.

 

III. Required documents: 

1. Application for recognition of a certificate issued abroad.
2. Graduation certificate:

• the original or a duplicate or a notarized copy with an apostille affixed or attached to the document (list of countries – members of the Convention – https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41) or
• the original certificate or its duplicate legalized by the:

1. the consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country on whose territory or in the education system the certificates were issued, or
2. the education authorities of the country in whose territory or education system the certificate was issued, or
3. a diplomatic mission or consular office accredited in the Republic of Poland or another Member State of the European Union, 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) of the country on the territory of which or in the education system the certificate was issued.

 

REMEMBER, A DUPLICATE IS ISSUED IN PLACE OF THE LOST ORIGINAL.

3. If the certificate does not contain information about the course of education, the following documents issued or confirmed by the school or educational institution which issued the certificate, or confirmed by the educational authorities of the country on whose territory or in the education system the certificate was issued, together with their translation into Polish, should be attached:

1. a list of grades obtained during the exam determining the completion of a school or educational institution or the completion of a given stage of education,
2. a list of subjects and other classes completed as part of a given stage of education, together with the grades obtained,
3. information:
   • the completed curriculum regarding the content of education,
   • about the planned time of study,
   • about the grading scale.
4. information on the obtained entitlements to continue education at an appropriate level in the country in whose education system the certificate was issued, including the entitlement to apply for admission to higher education and the scope of these entitlements.

The documents should be issued or certified by the school or educational institution which issued the certificate, or by the education authorities of the country in whose territory or education system the certificate was issued.

4. Translation into Polish of a certificate after its legalization/apostille and documents drawn up in a foreign language should be prepared or certified by:

1. a person entered by the Minister of Justice on the list of sworn translators or
2. a person registered as a sworn translator in a Member State of the European Union, 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
3. the consul of the Republic of Poland, competent for the country on whose territory or in whose education system the certificate was issued, or
4. a diplomatic mission or consular office accredited in the Republic of Poland of the country on the territory of which or in the education system of which the certificate was issued.

5. Authorization in the case when the applicant acts through an appointed representative, in the form of:

• the original or
• certified for compliance by an attorney/legal advisor acting in the case, or
• certified for compliance by a notary.

An attorney-in-fact may be a person with legal capacity, residing in Poland.

 

IV. Important 

1. Along with the original documents, photocopies of all documents attached to the application should be presented.
2. A certificate/decision on admission/qualification for higher education at a university in the Wielkopolska Voivodeship must be presented.
3. The Kuratorium Oświaty w Poznaniu does not send back the original documents submitted in the case – the documents should be collected in person or by an authorized person at the Wydział Nauczycieli i Sieci Szkół (93 Kościuszki Street, 61-716 Poznań).
4. Information on the procedure for recognition of a certificate issued abroad is provided by the employees of the Wydział Nauczycieli i Sieci Szkół during office hours:

1. Estera Dębska-Wiśniewska, tel. 532 685 456,
2. Małgorzata Partyka, tel. 780 386 059,
3. Agata Krzywania, tel. 61 670 40 86.

 

V. Other information

1. In the case of persons who are under 18 years of age on the date of submitting the application. The application should be signed by the statutory representative/legal guardian. The legal representative/legal guardian should draw up and sign the authorization.
2. A certificate which entitles only to study in selected fields of higher education in a given country will entitle the holder to apply for admission in the same or similar fields of higher education in Poland due to the curriculum – Article 93(4) of the School Education Act.
3. In the event of submission of incomplete documentation, the applicant is called upon to complete formal deficiencies within a specified period. Failure to remedy the above-mentioned deficiencies results in leaving the application without consideration.
4. Applications are considered in the order in which they are received.
5. Proceedings in these cases are free of charge.

 

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