Recognition of foreign documents

Procedure for recognition of foreign educational documents (formerly called “nostrification”) is aimed to ensure the rights of citizens, who received education in other states, for continuing education and / or professional activity in Ukraine. Such the procedure та is carried out on an individual basis.

Recognition of foreign education documents in Ukraine is carried out in full accordance with Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, ratified by the corresponding Law of Ukraine of December 03, 1999 № 1273-XIV, as well as with the recommendations of this Convention.

After the recognition procedure, the holder of foreign educational documents receives a certificate confirming the right of the holder of documents, issued by the educational institution of another state, to continue education or job in a higher educational institution of Ukraine or in enterprises throughout all Ukraine. The issuance of such certificate is carried out on the basis of a decision of the competent authority - a higher educational institution or the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The procedure for recognizing foreign educational documents includes: authentication of documents, confirmation of the status of an educational institution and / or educational program, appraisal of qualifications or period of study, and the establishment of equivalence to educational or educational professional level in Ukraine, academic and / or professional rights.

The procedure for recognition of foreign documents on education has been substantially reformed in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education". There is a normative act that regulates the procedure of recognition in Ukraine by all competent authorities –  Order  of MES dated May 5, 2015 № 504, registered at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine of  May 27, 2015  № 614/27059. On this day there was introduced the procedure for recognizing the degrees of higher education obtained in foreign higher educational institutions and documents on secondary, secondary vocational and vocational education.

MAIN developments IN THE RECOGNITION PROCEDURE

• investing with authority to the procedure of recognition to higher educational institutions of Ukraine;
• application of the simplified recognition procedure for several categories of foreign educational documents;
• a method of assessment qualifications and also establishing equivalence by comparing international and national qualifications framework;
• higher education institute itself forms permissible amount of differences in academic programs established by comparative analysis of the content of curricula;
• the competent authority decision of appeal procedure is set;
• the procedure of recognition of foreign educational documents for persons with refugee status, as well as  those equated with them, is set;
• the National Information Center of Academic Mobility – ENIC Ukraine - is authorized to provide  the functions of informational and consulting support;
• the accounting procedure for decisions made by all competent authorities and monitoring their compliance with the norms of international and national regulatory acts is set.

PROCEDURE FOR RECOGNITION IN MES

The "Information-Image Center" state enterprise of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, which acts as the National Information Center for Academic Mobility ENIC Ukraine in accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated August 31, 2011 No. 924, is responsible for preparing documents destined for MES to reach a decision concerning recognition of foreign documents on education.

The address for personal submission of educational documents for the recognition procedure: Kyiv, 25, Vyacheslav Chornovil st., the "Information-Image Center" state enterprise, according to the schedule.

The site for remote  submission of documents http://www.naric.in.ua/en/

Information  by phone:  +380 (44) 486-20-43, +380 (44) 486-25-43

COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND domain of THEIR DECISIONS ABOUT RECOGNITION

1. Higher education establishments – for the purpose of enrollment of the holder of a foreign educational document (hereinafter referred to as the Document) for education and / or for the position of a scientific or scientific-pedagogical worker to this higher educational institution;
2. The right of the holder of the Document to continue studying or employment in this higher educational institution is confirmed by the decision of the higher educational institution on recognition by obtaining a certificate of recognition of a foreign document on education (hereinafter referred to as the Certificate);
3. MES - for the purpose of employment and / or continuing education of the holder of the Document on the territory of Ukraine. The decision of the Ministry of Education and Science confirms the right of the holder of the Document to continue education and / or employment in Ukraine, through issuance of Certificate.

In order to carry out the recognition procedure, a higher education institution establishes a recognition committee (hereinafter – IHE Committee), acting on the basis of the special provision.

The point to be emphasized is that with the granting of the authority of higher educational institutions for the above mentioned procedure, they are responsible for the decisions and their compliance with the norms of international and national legal acts. With the granting of the authority of IHE for the above mentioned procedure, they are responsible for the decisions and their compliance with the norms of international and national. Ukrainian diplomas, issued on the basis of foreign documents on prior education that did not provide their corresponding academic rights, shall not be recognized by other countries. This can lead to negative consequences both for the university itself and for the image of the entire educational system of Ukraine. In particular, in some countries such documents are withdrawn from their owner, and the university that issued them may be included in the "black lists" that is « diplomas cranking out » – institutions, issuing higher education diplomas, without requiring appropriate educational achievements.

IHE of Ukraine shall take note of following: the new recognition scheme does not oblige them to carry out the recognition procedure. For educational institutions that do not have the organizational and technical capacity to carry out the recognition process, there are two alternatives:

• to submit foreign documents of their students or research and educational personnel for the procedure of recognition to  the Ministry (its decision is valid for all of universities and other institutions in the territory of Ukraine) without exception;
• get a conclusion on the recognition of the National Information Center for Academic Mobility – ENIC Ukraine, on the basis of which the final decision on recognition shall be taken. The Center may also provide an opinion or certificate concerning one of the stages of the recognition process: to verify the authenticity of the educational document and the status of a foreign educational institution; to evaluate qualifications as well as establish academic and professional rights in correspondence with a foreign educational document.

 MES provide with more information on the recognition procedure.