Applications for recognition of foreign secondary and higher education and qualifications in the Czech Republic must be submitted to the Study Department.
Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions and on Amendments and Supplements to Other Acts (the Higher Education Act)
Act No. 500/2004 Coll., on Administrative Procedure (the Administrative Procedure Code)
International treaties binding on the Czech Republic (bilateral international treaties on the mutual recognition of the equivalence of educational qualifications)
Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (the Lisbon Recognition Convention)
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports decides on the recognition of education obtained by applicants in the following countries: Georgia, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
A public higher education institution offering an accredited study programme with comparable content.
The validity of higher education diplomas issued in the Slovak Republic is governed by the Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of the Equivalence of Educational Documents Issued in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, No. 33/2001 Coll. of International Treaties. Under this Agreement, diplomas issued by higher education institutions in the Slovak Republic are recognised as equivalent in the Czech Republic. All educational documents covered by the Agreement are valid in both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic without further official authentication.
A written application submitted by a graduate of a foreign higher education institution, containing the following information (see application form):
The graduate’s first name and surname
Date of birth
Permanent residential address
Address to which the decision should be sent
Name of the higher education institution attended, its location (city and country), and its website address
Start and end dates of study
Name of the study programme in Czech
Name of the field of study in Czech
Date of application and the graduate’s signature (if the application is submitted by a representative, an officially certified power of attorney must be provided)
Purpose of the application for recognition (whether for further study or professional employment in the Czech Republic)
An officially certified copy of the diploma, certificate, or equivalent document issued by the foreign higher education institution.
An officially certified copy of the Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records, or a record of all examinations passed and course credits obtained throughout the entire period of study.
If the documents listed above were not issued in Czech, Slovak, or English, a translation into Czech or English by a translator registered in the List of Court Experts and Interpreters is required. The list is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic – List of Experts and Interpreters. The translator must prepare the written translation in a format similar to that prescribed for a written expert report. The first page must state the language from which the document was translated, and the final page must include the translator’s certification clause, stamp, and signature. The translated document must be bound together with the written translation. If the document cannot be attached, a certified copy must be bound together with the translation instead. (Section 14 of Decree No. 37/1967 Coll.)
A written, officially certified power of attorney if the applicant is represented by an authorised representative.
If the applicant’s surname has changed since completing their studies, an officially certified copy of the marriage certificate or another document proving the change is required.
Descriptions of the courses completed, upon request.
Upon request, additional information confirming that the study programme was provided by an institution authorised to offer higher education, or information on the specific content of the higher education studies.
Act No. 137/2016 Coll., amending and supplementing the Higher Education Act, entered into force on 1 September 2016, introducing a requirement for applicants to pay a fee of CZK 3,000 when submitting an application for recognition of foreign higher education qualifications (nostrification).
Payment details:
Account number: 3584260247/0100
IBAN: CZ7101000000003584260247
SWIFT code: KOMBCZ PP
Variable symbol (payment reference): 100
Bank address: KB, U Průhonu 32, 170 04 Praha 7-Holešovice
Please enter your name in the payment note. If, during the proceedings, it is established that AVU does not have the requisite jurisdiction to decide on the application for recognition of foreign higher education, for example because AVU does not offer a comparable study programme, the applicant will not be charged the CZK 3,000 fee. If the fee has already been paid into AVU’s account, it will be refunded.
Termination of the proceedings due to deficiencies in the application that the applicant fails to remedy even after being requested to do so (for example, missing documents essential to assessing the application) does not constitute grounds for a refund. Rejection of the application due to substantial differences between the study programmes being compared does not entitle the applicant to a refund.
As part of the recognition procedure, AVU compares the content and scope of the foreign studies with those of a comparable accredited study programme offered at AVU.
A decision is normally issued within 30 days of receipt of a complete application without deficiencies. In complex cases, this period may be extended, for example by a further 30 days.
If AVU rejects the application, the applicant has the right to lodge an appeal within 15 days of receiving the decision. The appeal must be submitted to the authority that issued the decision, i.e. AVU. The Rector of AVU will either grant the appeal or refer it to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as the appellate authority. The Ministry will either grant the appeal or uphold the higher education institution’s decision. The decision on the appeal (or administrative review) is final. If AVU does not have the requisite jurisdiction to assess the application for recognition, it will forward the application and the fee to a public higher education institution offering the relevant or a comparable accredited study programme.
Requirements for authentication of signatures and stamps on original documents
Authentication is not required for higher education diplomas issued in countries that have concluded a legal assistance treaty with the Czech Republic: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, France, Georgia, Yemen, Croatia, North Korea (DPRK), Cuba, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Macedonia/FYROM, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Austria, Romania, the Russian Federation, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Syria, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Apostille authentication – If the country in which the issuing higher education institution is located is a party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (signatories), the final authentication of the document is carried out in the form of an apostille by the competent authority of that country (the apostille authority). A list of apostille authorities is available on the Hague Conference website under “Authorities,” listed by Convention (Convention No. 12; direct link).
Superlegalisation – The authenticity of the signatures and stamps on the diploma is usually verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in which the issuing foreign higher education institution is located. The document is then superlegalised by the relevant diplomatic or consular mission of the Czech Republic.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Department of Higher Education, Karmelitská 7, 118 12 Prague 1
Centre for the Equivalence of Educational Documents – Centre for Higher Education Studies, U Lužického semináře 13, 118 00 Prague 1
Information on the recognition of secondary and higher education is available from the AVU Study Department (Markéta Pecková): studijni@avu.cz, tel.: +420 220 408 243