Nostrification of foreign certificates

Main information

The Education Act regulates two general ways of recognising proof of education from a foreign school in the Czech Republic:

  • the issue of a certificate of recognition of the equivalence of a foreign certificate in the Czech Republic; and
  • a decision recognising the validity – nostrification – of a foreign certificate in the Czech Republic.

Nostrification is carried out if the certificate from a foreign school does not have an equivalent status to the certificate issued by a primary, secondary or higher vocational school on the basis of an international treaty on mutual recognition of educational documents.

Nostrification is carried out at the request of the competent regional authority according to your place of residence.  

A specific Czech field of study is always assigned to a foreign field of education.

The Regional Authority assesses the content and scope of education completed in a foreign school and compares it with a similar framework educational program (hereinafter also RVP) in the Czech Republic. In the case of higher vocational schools, the Regional Authority assesses education according to accredited educational programmes valid in the Czech Republic.

If the content and scope of your education in a foreign school:

  • fundamentally differs from the content of the closest framework educational programme in the Czech Republic, the regional authority rejects the application ;
  • distinguishes in part or if the applicant cannot provide proof of the content and extent of education from a foreign school, the regional authority shall order the holding of a nostrification examination, which may be ordered from 1-5 teaching subjects.
If you fail to pass the nostrification test, the regional authority will not grant the nostrification application and will reject the application. If you are not a citizen of the Czech Republic, you do not take the nostrification exam in the Czech language and literature.

Differences in the content and scope of education shall not be taken into account if the foreign certificate was issued under the law of a Member State of the European Union and if the outcomes of the education received are comparable to those under this Act on the basis of the standards applied in the European Union. In that case, the request for nostrification shall be granted.

An application shall also be granted if a foreign certificate issued under the law of a Member State of the European Union is regarded in the Member State concerned as a document entitling the applicant to access to higher education. Therefore, if your proof of education is the equivalent of a school-leaving examination certificate in a Member State of the European Union and entitles you to access university studies in that State, the regional authority will recognise  your certificate from a foreign school without you having to pass any nostrification examination.

In the case of recognition of the validity of a foreign certificate issued to graduates of the Czech lyceum sections in Dijon or Nîmes and to graduates of the bi-national bilingual educational cycle of the Friedrich Schiller Gymnasium in Pirna, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is competent to issue a decision.

In the case of recognition of certificates from a foreign school in the field of police and fire protection, the Ministry of the Interior is competent to issue a decision; in the case of recognition of certificates from a foreign school in the field of military matters, the Ministry of Defence is competent to issue a decision. These exceptions are described by the service Recognition of foreign certificates (nostrification) in the field of police, fire protection and military.

This applies to you if

  1. You are a graduate of a foreign primary, secondary or higher vocational school.
  2. You need your foreign certificate to be recognized in the Czech Republic.

When to use this service

Nostrification of the certificate can be solved at any time after obtaining proof of achieving primary, secondary or higher vocational education from a foreign school.

Vyřízení služby - osobně

What you need if you are using this service

You must submit an application for the nostrification of a certificate from a foreign school with the relevant attachments. 

Use the form available on the website of the regional authorities to submit your application:

The application shall include the necessary annexes:

  • the original of the foreign certificate or an officially certified copy thereof,
  • proof of the content and scope of education completed in a foreign school,
  • proof of the fact that the school is recognised by the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued as part of its educational system, unless this fact follows from the foreign certificate.

Unless an international treaty by which the Czech Republic is bound provides otherwise, the authenticity of the signatures and imprints of stamps on the originals of foreign certificates and the recognition of a foreign school by the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued must be verified:

  • the relevant embassy/consulate of the Czech Republic; and 
  • the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued or by a notary of that State.

The application shall be accompanied at the same time by an officially certified translation into the Czech language, unless it is a Slovak language. 

Where and how to solve this service

You deal with the service at the regional authority with territorial jurisdiction over your place of residence in the Czech Republic or, if you are a foreign national, over your place of residence in the Czech Republic.

If the territorial jurisdiction of a regional authority cannot be determined by reference to your place of permanent residence or place of residence, it is determined by the place of application.

As part of the nostrification procedure, the regional authority may set a nostrification test in which your personal presence is necessary.

How much will you pay

The application is subject to a fee of CZK 3 000, which must be paid to the competent regional authority.

Vyřízení služby - elektronicky

What you need if you are using this service

You must submit an application for the nostrification of a certificate from a foreign school. 

Use the form available on the website of the regional authorities to submit your application:

The application shall include the necessary annexes:

  • the original of the foreign certificate or an officially certified copy thereof,
  • proof of the content and scope of education completed in a foreign school,
  • proof of the fact that the school is recognised by the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued as part of its educational system, unless this fact follows from the foreign certificate.

Unless an international treaty by which the Czech Republic is bound provides otherwise, the authenticity of the signatures and imprints of stamps on the originals of foreign certificates and the recognition of a foreign school by the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued must be verified :

  • the relevant embassy/consulate of the Czech Republic; and 
  • the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State under whose law the foreign certificate was issued or by a notary of that State.

The application shall be accompanied by an officially certified translation of the annexes into Czech if they are drawn up in a language other than Czech or Slovak.

Where and how to solve this service

You deal with the service at the regional authority with territorial jurisdiction according to your place of residence in the Czech Republic or, if you are a foreign national, according to your place of residence in the Czech Republic.

If the territorial jurisdiction of a regional authority cannot be determined by reference to your place of permanent residence or place of residence, it is determined by the place of application.

The application may be submitted via the data box of the regional authority by means of an electronic document bearing an electronic signature.

Data boxes of regional authorities:

  • South Bohemian Region: kdib3yy
  • South Moravian Region: x2pbqzq
  • Karlovy Vary Region: siqbxt2
  • Vysočina Region: ksab3eu
  • The Hradec Králové Region: gcgbp3q
  • Liberec Region: c5kbvkw
  • Moravian-Silesian Region: 8x6bxsd
  • Olomouc Region: qiabfmf
  • Pardubice Region: z28bwu9
  • Pilsen Region: zzjbr3p
  • Central Bohemian Region: Keebyyf
  • Ústí nad Labem Region: t9zbsva
  • Zlín Region: scsbwku
  • Prague City Hall: 48ia97h
As part of the nostrification procedure, a nostrification examination may be established by the regional authority, during which your personal presence is necessary.

How much will you pay

The application is subject to a fee of CZK 3 000, which must be paid to the competent regional authority.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

A certified certificate from a foreign school has the same validity in the Czech Republic as a certificate obtained in a Czech school.

Appeal options

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports decides on the appeal against the decision on the application for nostrification.

The appeal is filed through the regional authority that decided on the application.

Legislation

Sanctions

None

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find a list of foreign schools or foreign educational programs that are recognized for nostrification?

There is no such list. Each application shall be assessed on the basis of the content and scope of the subjects submitted for examination by the applicant. The Regional Authority will assess the content and scope of education completed in a foreign school against education under a similar framework educational programme in the Czech Republic, in particular the ‘relative’ of subjects in the ‘Czech’ framework educational programme to education completed abroad and the framework agreement of their hourly subsidy.

Who will help me with the translation of certificates and other documents for nostrification?

A certified translation of those documents into Czech must be made by an interpreter registered in the Czech Republic on the list of experts and interpreters . The list of court interpreters is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice (www.justice.cz – experts and interpreters). In the case of a document drawn up in the Slovak language, a translation into the Czech language is not required.