Acknowledgment of the Educational and the International Exchange Office is a unit responsible for confirming the equivalence of foreign documents certifying education on the basis of international agreements and reviewing foreign education documents not embraced with agreements.. In the light of law school certificates, higher education diplomas and university titles which are not embraced by the bilateral agreements on the reciprocal recognition of the education, can be regarded equal to relevant Polish documents, only by way of recognition proceedings. In case of education documents obtained in the countries with which Poland concluded a contract on mutual educations acknowledgment, the relevant international conventions or bilateral agreements are in force
The Republic of Poland on 17 December 2003 ratified a Convention on the recognition of qualifications associated with obtaining higher education in Europe
The Convention was concluded in Lisbon in 1997. The Lisbon Convention does not constitute the direct legal basis for acknowledging foreign education documents , but contains directives on general principles of evaluation of foreign qualifications and the good practice in recognizing them. The Convention imposes the obligation of making– at the request of the person interested –assessment of the classification of the educating obtained in other country.
Up to 6th of August 2004 Poland was a side of the Convention on the reciprocal recognition of the equivalence of documents of graduating from secondary schools, professional secondary schools and higher education institutions, as well as documents about giving university academic titles, drawn up in Prague on 7th June 1972
Documents about the education, issued in countries – signatories in the period of applying to the Prague Convention, are still recognized.
The recognition of foreign higher education diplomas (that is recognition of the higher education diploma obtained abroad) is conducted by a council of the organizational unit of Universities entitled to grant a Doctor's degree in a specified field of science and artistic disciplines corresponding to the specialization, of which the completion was confirmed with obtained abroad diploma. Person applying for the recognition of the higher education diploma should submit an application together with following attachments into the chosen council:
- an original of the diploma obtained abroad,
- a copy of the school certificate,
- a copy of the maturity certificate or the diploma of the higher education, on the basis of which the candidate was accepted to studies, finished with obtaining the acquired degree abroad for which recognition he is applying,
- Curriculum Vitae written in Polish,
- declaration that the obtained diploma abroad did not constitute the subject matter of the recognition proceedings at no Polish university by now.
The University Council can also demand:
- the legalization of the diploma by the Consul of the Republic of Poland holding an office in the country in which the diploma was obtained,
- the presentation of documents of studies stating the course, index in particular, mark sheet (transcript), supplement to the diploma or describing the thesis,
- the translation into Polish of documents drawn up or certified by the competent Consul of the Republic of Poland or by a certified translator, entered on the list of certified translators kept by the Minister of Justice.
The University Council, before passing a resolution regarding the diploma obtained abroad as equal to the higher education diploma, obtained in the country or about the refusal of acknowledging the diploma received abroad, within three months from the day of presenting by the candidate all necessary documents, may pass a resolution about the need of passing the classes by the candidate or passing specific examinations.
Recognition proceeding is being finished within three months from the day of presenting by the candidate of all necessary documents, but in case of the need of passing additional examinations by the candidate, in the month- time from the day of the admittance of documents confirming it. In case of passing a resolution about acknowledging the diploma, the university organizational unit is issuing the certificate confirming the equal status of the diploma obtained abroad with the one obtained in the country. One should provide this certificate including the original of the diploma obtained abroad. The organizational unit manager, for which a council conducts validation proceedings, establishes the amount of payment proceedings. This payment cannot be higher than 40% of maximum rate of the base salary of the Professor. The payment is contributed irrespective of the result of validation proceedings.
