Recognition of diplomas and evidenceof education abroad

An apostille confirms the authenticity of the document for use abroad and says nothing about the content of the education. Recognition is the assessment of the qualification itself by the competent authority of the country of destination. An apostille is often needed before recognition but does not replace it.

The recognition of a professional qualification for the right to work in a regulated profession. Besides the diploma it may cover experience, the content of the training and language, and it may require registration with a professional body or a licence.

We start with restoration: we request a duplicate, the transcript, an archive certificate or confirmation of the fact of study. If the university has been reorganised, we look for the successor or the state archive.

In most education systems a duplicate is issued by the university that issued the document and, where it has closed, by the successor or the state archive. Whether it is possible and how long it takes depend on the country and on whether the records have survived.

We check the successor, the educational archive, the ministry, the accreditation records and other official sources. Restoration cannot be guaranteed in that situation — first we establish whether the records have survived.

Often yes: the supplement shows the subjects, the hours and the marks, and it is on those that the authority compares foreign education with its own system. Without the supplement the procedure often stops.

It is required in the procedures where the authority analyses the content and volume of the study. We check that before filing, so as not to receive a request midway.

It depends on the country of destination and on whether both countries are parties to the Hague Convention. If an apostille does not apply, the document goes through consular legalisation.

Different countries accept different formats: a certified, a sworn or a notarised translation. The format is settled by the requirements of the receiving authority, not by what suits the provider.

Some procedures allow filing online or by post, others require attendance in person or a representative under a power of attorney. That is checked before the work starts.

The time is set by the competent authority and differs greatly between countries and procedures. We give a guide for your case after the requirements are checked.

The cost is made up of the state fee, the costs of the documents, the apostille and the translation, and the work of BRIDGES. We give the quote once the applicable procedure has been settled.

We go through the ground of the refusal and check whether the set can be supplemented, whether another procedure applies and whether a review of the decision is provided for. We do not promise in advance that a refusal will be overturned.

Medical qualifications almost always follow a separate, longer procedure: besides the diploma the clinical training, the language and the medical regulator’s requirements are checked, and the result is a licence or registration.