For first-cycle or long-cycle admission, some foreign school certificates are recognised automatically while others need an individual NAWA recognition statement.
Official source: NAWAOfficial source: NAWAPoland Navigator
Education & qualifications
Understand what you actually need in Poland for study or work: automatic recognition, a NAWA statement, nostrification, language evidence, or a profession-specific recognition route.
DryRights does not make people learn recognition rules before they can study or work in Poland. DryRights explains which route may apply and what to do next.
Start with your goal
What do you want to do?
Study, continue education, work with a foreign qualification, enter a regulated profession, prove a qualification to an employer, or retrain.
Not every foreign degree needs nostrification.
Start with your situation
What do you need now?
I do not know what recognition procedure I needI want to understand the Polish education systemI have a foreign secondary-school certificateI want to apply to a Polish bachelor's or long-cycle programmeI do not know whether my foreign school certificate is recognised automaticallyThe university asks me for a NAWA recognition statementMy school certificate was already recognised by a Kurator OświatyMy foreign school documents are incomplete or missingMy foreign certificate was issued late and I may miss university recruitmentI need to prove the language of instruction for university admissionI need a Polish B2 certificate or another accepted language documentI want to study in English in PolandI want to apply for second-cycle studies with a foreign degreeI want to continue studies or enter doctoral educationI want to transfer or continue unfinished studies in PolandI have a foreign university diploma and want to work in PolandMy employer asks how my foreign degree is recognisedI need a NAWA individual recognition statementI want to check my diploma in KWALIFIKATORI think my diploma needs nostrificationI need to find a university competent to conduct nostrificationI want to know the nostrification fee and deadlineI cannot obtain all documents needed for recognitionI am a refugee / displaced person with missing education documentsI want to know whether my profession is regulated in PolandMy profession is not regulated in PolandI have EU/EEA/Swiss professional qualificationsI have professional qualifications from outside the EU/EEA/SwitzerlandI need to find the competent authority for my regulated professionThe authority requires an adaptation period or aptitude testMy professional-qualification application was refusedI am a teacher with foreign qualificationsI am a healthcare professional with a foreign diplomaI am a psychologist or another profession with its own recognition rulesI want to retrain for another professionI want vocational education or an adult qualification courseI want to confirm practical skills or a vocational qualificationI want a Polish-language course for study or professionI want to take a state Polish-language certificate examI want to understand tuition-fee rules for foreign studentsI want to find a scholarship or NAWA programmeI have a foreign academic degree or scientific titleI want to work at a Polish university or research institutionI need an apostille, legalisation or certified translationMy university or authority asks for a document I do not understandI received a refusal or procedural decision and want to know what I can challenge
Which recognition route?
Automatic recognition, a NAWA statement, KWALIFIKATOR, nostrification and recognition of professional qualifications are different routes. The purpose, document and profession determine the next step.
Practical education guidance
Polish education system map
This section explains when the “Polish education system map” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Foreign secondary-school certificates
This section explains when the “Foreign secondary-school certificates” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Automatic recognition of school certificates
This section explains when the “Automatic recognition of school certificates” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
NAWA statement for a school certificate
This section explains when the “NAWA statement for a school certificate” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Kurator Oświaty recognition
This section explains when the “Kurator Oświaty recognition” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Admission to first-cycle / long-cycle studies
This section explains when the “Admission to first-cycle / long-cycle studies” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Admission to second-cycle studies
This section explains when the “Admission to second-cycle studies” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Doctoral education and academic continuation
This section explains when the “Doctoral education and academic continuation” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Foreign-student recruitment rules
This section explains when the “Foreign-student recruitment rules” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Language-of-instruction proof
This section explains when the “Language-of-instruction proof” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Polish B2 and state certification
This section explains when the “Polish B2 and state certification” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Foreign higher-education diploma
This section explains when the “Foreign higher-education diploma” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
KWALIFIKATOR
This section explains when the “KWALIFIKATOR” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
NAWA individual recognition statement
This section explains when the “NAWA individual recognition statement” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Nostrification
This section explains when the “Nostrification” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Nostrification competent institution
This section explains when the “Nostrification competent institution” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Nostrification fee and time limit
This section explains when the “Nostrification fee and time limit” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Recognition when documents are missing
This section explains when the “Recognition when documents are missing” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Regulated profession
This section explains when the “Regulated profession” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Non-regulated profession
This section explains when the “Non-regulated profession” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
EU/EEA/Swiss professional recognition
This section explains when the “EU/EEA/Swiss professional recognition” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Third-country professional recognition
This section explains when the “Third-country professional recognition” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Competent professional authority
This section explains when the “Competent professional authority” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Adaptation period / aptitude test
This section explains when the “Adaptation period / aptitude test” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Teacher qualification
This section explains when the “Teacher qualification” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Healthcare professions
This section explains when the “Healthcare professions” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Other profession-specific routes
This section explains when the “Other profession-specific routes” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Vocational education
This section explains when the “Vocational education” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Adult retraining
This section explains when the “Adult retraining” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Polish language for profession
This section explains when the “Polish language for profession” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Academic degrees and titles
This section explains when the “Academic degrees and titles” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Documents, apostille and translations
This section explains when the “Documents, apostille and translations” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Appeals and complaints
This section explains when the “Appeals and complaints” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Tuition fees and scholarships
This section explains when the “Tuition fees and scholarships” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
NAWA programmes
This section explains when the “NAWA programmes” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Cross-domain work/status routing
This section explains when the “Cross-domain work/status routing” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Next action: First identify your purpose, document type, country of issue and—if this concerns a profession—whether it is regulated.
Concept explanations
Recognition
This section explains when the “Recognition” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Automatic recognition
This section explains when the “Automatic recognition” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Nostrification
This section explains when the “Nostrification” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Recognition statement
This section explains when the “Recognition statement” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
KWALIFIKATOR
This section explains when the “KWALIFIKATOR” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
SYRENA
This section explains when the “SYRENA” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Regulated profession
This section explains when the “Regulated profession” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Non-regulated profession
This section explains when the “Non-regulated profession” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Professional qualification
This section explains when the “Professional qualification” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Competent authority
This section explains when the “Competent authority” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Adaptation period
This section explains when the “Adaptation period” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Aptitude test
This section explains when the “Aptitude test” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
First-cycle studies
This section explains when the “First-cycle studies” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Second-cycle studies
This section explains when the “Second-cycle studies” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Long-cycle studies
This section explains when the “Long-cycle studies” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Doctoral school
This section explains when the “Doctoral school” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Language of instruction
This section explains when the “Language of instruction” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
B2 level
This section explains when the “B2 level” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Apostille
This section explains when the “Apostille” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Legalisation
This section explains when the “Legalisation” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Sworn translation
This section explains when the “Sworn translation” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Academic degree vs professional title
This section explains when the “Academic degree vs professional title” route is relevant and how it differs from other procedures.
Important current updates
If the competent Kurator Oświaty has already recognised the certificate, an individual NAWA statement is not needed for university admission.
Official source: NAWAA NAWA statement for a foreign school certificate is issued through SYRENA, electronically in Polish and free of charge.
Official source: NAWAFor specified foreign candidates, language-of-instruction evidence at least at B2 is assessed under rules effective from 1 August 2025. This does not mean every foreigner needs the same B2 certificate.
Official source: ELIOfficial source: Ministry of Science and Higher EducationThe Ministry's 4 August 2026 communication concerns foreign-school graduates, document timing and language evidence. Each university sets its own recruitment schedule.
Official source: Ministry of Science and Higher EducationRecognition of a foreign degree's level is not the same as equivalence to a specific Polish diploma or title.
Official source: NAWAOfficial source: NAWAKWALIFIKATOR provides official general information on selected foreign qualifications. It is not nostrification or a professional licence.
Official source: NAWAA NAWA individual statement for a higher-education diploma is available through SYRENA and free of charge. It is different from nostrification.
Official source: NAWANostrification is conducted by a competent higher-education institution. After a formally complete application, the decision period is 90 days excluding specified interruption periods.
Official source: Study in Poland / official portalNostrification is fee-based, but its statutory cap is tied to professor remuneration and can change. Check the current amount in the official source.
Official source: Study in Poland / official portalOfficial source: NAWAFor a non-regulated profession, formal professional recognition is not always required: the employer assesses qualifications and may ask for evidence or a NAWA statement.
Official source: NAWAFor a regulated profession, the authority and route depend on the profession and qualification origin. The EU/EEA/Swiss route is not the same as the third-country route.
Official source: NAWAOfficial source: Ministry of Science and Higher EducationFor EU/EEA/Swiss teacher qualifications, an adaptation period or aptitude test may apply where substantial differences are found.
Official source: Gov.pl / Your EuropeForeign academic degrees and titles have separate recognition rules and should not be treated as ordinary higher-education diplomas.
Official source: NAWAEducation & Qualifications guide library
A non-regulated profession
Formal professional recognition is often unnecessary, but an employer may assess documents.
Academic recognition
NAWA and an education institution have different roles depending on the purpose.
Apply to university in Poland
Requirements depend on the institution; there is no single Poland-wide deadline.
Education and qualifications — where to start
Identify your goal and document without guessing the legal procedure.
EU/EEA/Swiss qualification
Automatic recognition, the general system and temporary services are different routes.
Foreign diploma — what do I need?
Separate academic, professional and employer needs.
Healthcare profession
Identify the professional body and formal authorisation; this is not medical advice.
Is my profession regulated?
A profession title may be ambiguous — use the official lookup.
Language for a profession
A formal requirement is separate from an employer's practical expectation.
Missing education documents
A missing diploma or transcript requires checking alternatives with the competent body.
Nostrification
Do not confuse nostrification with every kind of academic or professional recognition.
Professional qualification recognition
For a regulated profession, use the competent authority rather than a generic diploma route.
Refusal or review
Use the deadline and path stated in the particular decision.
Retraining
Choose a target, check regulation and separately confirm PUP funding.
Teacher qualification
Check qualification, authority and language requirement in the competent route.
The Polish education system
Basic navigation between school, vocational and higher education.
Translation, apostille and legalisation
Requirements depend on the procedure and issuing country — there is no universal rule.
Vocational education
Vocational school, adult courses and qualification evidence.