Recognition of foreign Education
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8 minutes of reading
Recognition of equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools
Recognition of primary, secondary and higher vocational international education
BASIC INFORMATION
Pursuant to Section 108 et seq. of Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on preschool, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (the Education Act), as amended, and Decree No. 12/2005 Coll., on the conditions for recognition of the equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools, the Prague City Hall Department of Education, Youth and Sport issues either:
- a certificate of recognition of the equivalence of a foreign school certificate obtained for duly completing education at a foreign primary, secondary or higher vocational school, or
- a decision recognising the validity of a foreign school certificate obtained for duly completing education at a foreign primary, secondary or higher vocational school (nostrification).
Recognition of foreign university education is the jurisdiction of public universities depending on the field of education or the Ministry of Education.
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION OF EQUIVALENCE
A certificate of recognition of the equivalence of a foreign school certificate is issued by the Prague City Hall Department of Education, Youth and Sport in cases where the Czech Republic is bound by an international treaty on recognition of the equivalence of educational documents with the country where the foreign school is legally established and accredited. The Prague City Hall Department of Education, Youth and Sport shall decide on recognition of equivalence based on an application that includes the following attachments:
- a certified copy of the legalised diploma translated by a Czech court-certified translator
- a certified copy of a transcript on the content and scope of education completed at the foreign school (summary of subjects and number of teaching hours for each year of study) translated by a Czech court-certified translator
- a document on payment of the administrative fee of CZK 3000
- a document on place of residence in the Czech Republic (e.g. copy of ID card, lease agreement, etc.)
- power of attorney for representation of the applicant (primarily for representation of persons under 18 years of age – power of attorney is signed by a minor’s legal representative or the person who is being represented)
Overview of international treaties: http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/cz/vyhledavani_smluv/index$45924.html
Treaty between the governments of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic:
According to Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs Communication No. 23/2015 Coll., on 28 November 2013, a treaty was signed in Prague between the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic on mutual recognition of the equivalence of documents on education issued in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.
Under Article 10 of the aforementioned treaty, “Documents on education pursuant to Articles 3 to 7 of this Agreement issued in one State Party shall, for the purposes under this Agreement, be recognised within the territory of the other State Party as equivalent without further official procedure.”
DECISION RECOGNISING THE VALIDITY OF A FOREIGN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE (“NOSTRIFICATION”)
If the Czech Republic is not bound by an international treaty to recognise the foreign school certificate in question as equivalent to an education document issued in the Czech Republic, the Prague City Hall Department of Education, Youth and Sport shall decide on nostrification based on an application that includes the following attachments:
- the legalised original of the foreign school certificate or a certified copy thereof, translated by a Czech court-certified translator
- the original of a transcript on the content and scope of education completed at the foreign school (summary of subjects and number of teaching hours for each year of study) or a certified copy thereof, translated by a Czech court-certified translator
- a document on payment of the administrative fee of CZK 3000
- a document on place of residence in the Czech Republic (e.g. copy of ID card, lease agreement, etc.)
- power of attorney for representation of the applicant (primarily for representation of persons under 18 years of age – power of attorney is signed by a minor’s legal representative or the person who is being represented)
- Legalisation of educational documents
In accordance with the official position of the Ministry of Education of 28 April 2025, in administrative proceedings pursuant to Section 108 of the Education Act, Prague City Hall now requires, with immediate effect, that applicants provide verification of the authenticity of signatures and stamps on original foreign school certificates and documents proving that the school is accredited by the state under whose laws the foreign school certificate was issued, either in the form of an apostille (in accordance with the 1961 Hague Convention) or by superlegalisation (a stamp from the foreign ministry of the issuing country which has been verified by a Czech diplomatic mission depending on the country of origin of the foreign school certificate (does not apply to educational documents issued in the Republic of Austria).
Nostrification exam
Should the content and scope of the education at the foreign school partially differ or the applicant not provide complete supporting documents evidencing the content and scope of the subjects taught, the Prague City Hall Department of Education, Youth and Sport shall order a nostrification exam, the successful completion of which is a prerequisite for the issuing of a decision recognising the validity of a foreign school certificate in the Czech Republic (nostrification).
As of the moment of submitting the application for recognition of equivalence of foreign education, the applicant consents, pursuant to Act No. 101/2000 Coll., on personal data protection and the amendment to certain acts, to potential provision of their personal data to the school designated to provide the nostrification exam pursuant to Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on preschool, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (the Education Act), as amended, and Decree No. 12/2005 Coll., on the conditions for recognition of the equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools.
WHO IS AUTHORISED TO APPLY
- the person (applicant) requesting recognition of the equivalence of their foreign education
- the applicant’s legal or authorised representative
HOW TO APPLY
Once the fee has been paid (at the payment desk on Jungmannova), applications are to be submitted for processing at either of the Prague City Hall filing desks (podatelna) – at Jungmannova 35/29, 111 21 Prague 1, ground floor of Škoda Palace, or at Prague City Hall, Mariánské náměstí 2/2, 110 01 Prague 1.
WHERE TO APPLY
Prague City Hall
Department of Education, Youth and Sport
Jungmannova 35/29, 111 21 Prague 1
Ground floor, Counter 42
V i s i t i n g hours of Prague City Hall
Monday: 8:00 – 18:00
Wednesday: 8:00 – 18.00
Staff contacts:
Mgr. Martin Fučík tel. no.: 236 005 214
Bc. Lenka Kálalová tel. no.: 236 005 240
Ing. Tomáš Obruba tel. no.: 236 005 051
O f f i c e hours of Prague City Hall filing desk (podatelna) for submitting applications:
Jungmannova 35/29, 110 00 Prague 1 | Mariánské nám. 2, 110 01 Prague 1
Monday 8:00 – 18:00
Tuesday 8:00 – 15:00
Wednesday 8:00 – 18:00
Thursday 8:00 – 15:00
Friday 8:00 – 11:00
DOCUMENTS
see Certificate of Recognition of Equivalence
see Decision Recognising the Validity of a Foreign School Certificate
FEES
The administrative fee of CZK 3000 to accept the application must be paid at the Prague City Hall payment desk (pokladna), Jungmannova 35/29, Prague 1.
Effective 1 March 2025 – in connection with the adoption of Act No. 52/2025 Coll., amending Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on higher education institutions and amendment to certain acts (the Higher Education Act), as amended, and related acts – the fee has been increased from CZK 1000 to CZK 3000.
“Pursuant to Section 9 of Act No. 67/2022 Coll., on measures in the field of education in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine caused by the invasion of Russian Federation forces, a foreign national who has been provided temporary protection in connection with the war in Ukraine or who has been granted a visa for a stay of over 90 days for the purpose of tolerated stay in the Czech Republic shall be exempted from the fee for accepting an application for recognition of validity or issuing of a certificate of recognition of equivalence of a document on primary, secondary or higher vocational education obtained at a foreign school. This measure is in effect from 21 March 2022 until the expiry of Section 9 of Act No. 67/2022 Coll.”
From 1 September 2024, the application of Lex Ukraine is changing. From now on, only those holders of temporary protection who have had it for less than 12 months as of the day of application are exempted from the nostrification fees.
DEADLINES
Processing takes up to 30 days, in more complicated cases up to 60 days.
FORMS
Application for recognition of equivalence of foreign education
LEGISLATION
- Act No. 561/2004 Coll.,
on preschool, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (Education Act), as amended - Decree of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic No. 12/2005 Coll.,
on the conditions for recognition of the equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools - Act No. 634/2004 Coll.,
on administrative fees, as amended - Act No. 500/2004 Coll.,
the Code of Administrative Procedure, as amended - Act No. 67/2022 Coll., on measures in the field of education in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine caused by the invasion of Russian Federation forces