How do I get my foreign diploma recognised?
Two different things: academic recognition (for further study or a general statement of comparability) and professional recognition (to practise a regulated profession: nurse, teacher, engineer, electrician). NAWA — ENIC-NARIC Polska (22 390 35 00) — the ENIC-NARIC centre for Poland — issues the comparability statement and tells you whether your profession is regulated and which authority recognises it. Regulated professions go to the competent authority per profession; EU qualifications benefit from the automatic or general system. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych — Dział Legalizacji (apostille) (22 523 90 00) handles school and higher-education recognition. Your diploma may first need an apostille and a sworn translation — Urząd wojewódzki — wydział spraw cudzoziemców / Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców (22 601 74 01).
🗣️ What to say
"I hold [diploma], awarded by [institution, country] in [year], and want to [work as … / continue studying in …] in Poland. Is the profession regulated, which authority recognises the qualification, and what documents and translations do you need?"
🪜 Step by step
- Regulated or not?Check the EU regulated-professions database or ask NAWA — ENIC-NARIC Polska. Unregulated: employers decide, a comparability statement helps.
- Comparability statement: NAWA — ENIC-NARIC PolskaOnline application, copies of diploma and transcript, translation. Weeks to a few months.
- Regulated: the competent authorityNAWA — ENIC-NARIC Polska names it. EU diplomas: recognition within months, possibly with an adaptation period or test.
- Apostille and translationOften required for non-EU documents; the apostille comes from the issuing country. See the apostille page.
- Refugees and missing documentsThe European Qualifications Passport for Refugees and interview-based assessments exist; ask NAWA — ENIC-NARIC Polska.
📇 All contacts
❓ Frequently asked
Does an EU diploma need recognition?
For a regulated profession yes — but the procedure is faster and often automatic (doctors, nurses, architects…). For an ordinary job, no.
What does it cost?
Comparability statements are cheap or free; professional recognition has fees per authority. Ask before you apply.
My profession is regulated and I am from outside the EU
Recognition is case by case, sometimes with an aptitude test. Start early; it can take a year.
📎 Sources
- NAWA — ENIC-NARIC Polska →
- Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych — Dział Legalizacji (apostille) →
- Urząd wojewódzki — wydział spraw cudzoziemców / Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców →
- Powiatowy urząd pracy →
🔎 Common searches
Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.
- “diploma recognition Poland”
- “enic naric Poland”
- “foreign qualification recognised work”
- “regulated profession recognition Poland”
- “comparability statement diploma”
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