Nostrification of foreign certificates

Hlavní informace

The Education Act provides for two general ways of recognising a document of education from a foreign school in the Czech Republic: 

• issuing of a certificate of recognition of the equivalence of a foreign certificate in the Czech Republic; and
• decision on the recognition of validity - nostrification - of a foreign certificate in the Czech Republic.

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

Nostrification is carried out based on an application by the competent regional authority according to your place of residence. Only in exceptional cases is nostrification carried out by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, in cases where the foreign educational programme is conducted in agreement with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The Regional Authority assesses the content and scope of the education completed at the foreign school and compares it with a similar framework educational programme (hereinafter referred to as the FEP) 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:

• differs fundamentally from the closest framework educational programme in the Czech Republic, the regional authority will rejectthe application,
• differs in part or if the applicant cannot provide proof of the content and scope of education from the foreign school, the regional authority shall order a nostrification examination, which may be ordered in 1-5 subjects.

If you do not pass the nostrification examination, 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 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 educational outcomes of the completed education are comparable to the educational outcomes under this Act on the basis of the standards used in the European Union. In such case, the request for nostrification shall be granted.

The application shall also be granted if a foreign certificate issued under the law of a Member State of the European Union is considered to be a document entitling the applicant to access to higher education in the relevant Member State. Hence, if the proof of education you present is equivalent to a school-leaving certificate in a EU Member State and entitles you to access higher education, the regional authority will recognise  your school-leaving certificate from the foreign school without you having to take any nostrification exam.

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

Týká se vás to pokud

You are a graduate of a foreign primary, secondary or higher vocational school and you need your foreign certificate to be recognised in the Czech Republic.

Kdy službu řešit

You can apply for a certificate at any time after you have obtained proof of primary, secondary or higher vocational education from a foreign school.

Vyřízení služby

Co potřebujete pokud službu řešíte

You must apply for nostrification of your foreign school certificate. Please use the application form available on the website of the regional authorities:

• Prague City Hall
• Regional Authority of the Central Bohemia Region
• Regional Authority of the Ústí Region
• Regional Authority of the Pardubice Region
• Regional Authority of the Hradec Králové Region
• Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region
• Regional Authority Vysočina
• Regional Authority of the Pilsen Region
• Regional Authority of the Karlovy Vary Region
• Regional Authority of the Olomouc Region 
• Regional Authority of the Zlín Region
• Regional Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region
• Regional Authority of the South Bohemian Region
• Regional Authority of the Liberec Region

The application shall include the necessary attachments:

• original foreign certificate or a certified copy thereof,
• proof of the content and extent of education received at the foreign school,
• proof that the school is recognised by the country under whose law the foreign certificate was issued as part of its education system, unless the foreign certificate shows that this is not the case.

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

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

The application must be accompanied by an officially certified translation into Czech, unless it is in Slovak. 

Kde a jak službu řešit

The service is dealt with at the locally competent regional authority according to your place of permanent residence in the Czech Republic or, if you are a foreigner, according to your place of residence in the Czech Republic. If the local jurisdiction of the regional authority cannot be determined by your place of residence or domicile, it is governed by the place where the application is made.

The nostrification procedure may include a nostrification examination determined by the regional authority, at which your personal presence is necessary.

Kolik budete platit

The application is subject to a fee of CZK 1,000, which must be paid to the relevant regional authority.

Doplňující informace

Jaký má služba benefit

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

Možnosti odvolání

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports decides on appeals against decisions on applications for nostrification. The appeal shall be lodged through the regional authority which decided on the application.

Časté dotazy

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

There is no list of "automatically recognised" foreign diplomas, secondary schools or courses. Each application shall be assessed according to the content and scope of the items submitted by the applicant for consideration. The Regional Authority will assess the content and scope of the education completed in the foreign school in comparison with the education according to a similar framework educational programme in the Czech Republic, in particular the "relatedness" of the subjects in the "Czech" framework educational programme to the education completed abroad and the framework conformity of their hourly endowment.

Who can help me with the translation of my certificate and other documents for nostrification?

An officially certified translation of the above documents into Czech must be made by an interpreter registered in the Czech Republic in 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). A translation into Czech is not required for documents drawn up in the Slovak language.