Recognition of education abroad

A.  Legal regulations of the recognition of university education and qualification abroad

• Act No. 111/1998 Series, on Higher Education Institutions and Amendments and Supplements to Some Other Acts (The Higher Education Act), Section 89, 90, 105, 106
• Act No. 500/2004 of the Statute Book about administrative procedure
• International treaties by which the Czech Republic is bound (bilateral international treaties about mutual recognition of the education certificate equivalence)
• Convention about the recognition of qualification in higher education (the so-called Lisbon Convention)
• Bilateral treaties of legal aid
• Hague Convention (Multilateral Contract)

B.  Authorities deciding about the recognition of education abroad

• Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports – decides about education the applicants acquired in the following countries: Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, Moldavia, Poland, Slovenia, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan

• Public university which implements an accredited study programme similar in content

• Ministry of Defence – decides about education acquired in the military field

• Ministry of Interior – decides about education acquired in the field of safety forces

C.  Request for recognition of education abroad

The graduate of Bachelor’s, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree programme at the foreign university submits a written application for recognition diploma to:

Brno University of Technology
Study department of Rector’s Office
Antoninska 548/1
601 90  Brno, CR

1) The written application must include:

• First and Family name of the graduate at the foreign university
• Date and Place of Birth
• Permanent Address
• Postal Address
• Name and address of the foreign university
• Name of the programme and field of study
• Date of beginning and closure of studies
• Date of the submission and the signature of the graduate of the foreign university (in case the application is submitted by the graduate’s representative, one needs to submit it with the approved power of attorney),
• Purpose of the recognition the applicant demands

2) Required enclosures of the application (point D.4 - application form) are:

• Original or approved copy of the university diploma, examination certificate or similar proof of the completion of studies issued by a foreign university
• Original or approved copy of the diploma supplement, possibly an original or approved copy of the transcript of records
• Official translations of both proofs into Czech language (in case the proofs are written in English, translations will not be required)
• Written power of attorney in case other person than the graduate himself is applying
• Decision of the recognition of the state of a refugee in case the applicant is a person whom this state was recognized

 

D. Verification of the authenticity of the signaturte and stamps on the original document

Diplomas and certificates of the closure of studies, issued in remaining countries, must be verified in accord with Section 90, Act No. 111/1998 Series on Higher Education Institutions. Authenticity of signatures and stamps on the original documents must be verified by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the relevant country where the foreign university has its seat or relevant foreign authority and relevant representative authority of the Czech Republic in a country where the foreign university has its seat.

Verification procedure can be divided, according to the existing international treaties, into the three following groups:

1. A bilateral treaty of legal aid with the relevant country
is made appendages stated in paragraph 90, article 3 of the Statute about higher education, do not apply to documents issued in contracting countries; these documents are valid in contracting countries without a necessity of further proof.

2. Multilateral treaty of a simplified process of verification of foreign public documents is signed with the relevant country (Hague Convention)
certificates do not need to be legalized by a representative authority of the Czech Republic in a contracting country in which the document was issued. A unified form of document verification is set by the so-called Apostilla. Contracting countries appoint authorities that will provide documents with Apostilla.

3. Other countries
Diplomas and certificates of the closure of studies, issued in remaining countries, must be verified by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the relevant country where the foreign university has its seat or relevant foreign authority and relevant representative authority of the Czech Republic in a country where the foreign university has its seat.
• List of individual countries with a link on the authority which decides about the first stage of the recognition of education abroad, as well as the required verification of university diplomas obtained in a particular country in this chart. 
• Searching convenient university in the CR: http://www.msmt.cz/Files/asp/vv/jazd.asp,
Or on-line database: http://www.csvs.cz/

• Application Form [.doc]
• Chart [.doc]