The rules of recognition of foreign certificates will be changed due to the amendment of the ordinance.
ORDINANCE OF THE MINISTER
OF NATIONAL EDUCATIONof October 15, 1997
on the rules and procedure of recognition of school certificates received abroad
Under the terms of art. 93, par. 3 of the act of September 1991 on the education system (Dziennik Ustaw, 1996, no. 67, item 329, and no. 106, item 496 and of 1997, no. 28, item 153) it is ruled as follows:
Art. 1.
1. The ordinance applies to the school completion certificates and the secondary school matriculation certificates received abroad not considered equivalent to the Polish certificates of completion of similar schools and the secondary school matriculation certificates according to rules regulated by international agreements.
2. Whenever a mention is made in the ordinance, without a further specification, of a certificate of school completion, it is to be understood as including a diploma or other document certifying completion of a school abroad.
Art. 2.
1. The confirmation of certificates is made by a school trustee acting on behalf of a voivode (province head), appropriate according to the place of residence of the person applying for confirmation, with the reservation of par. 2.
2. In the case of schools referred to in art. 25, 28 and in the regulations issued under the terms of art. 29 of the act of September 7, 1991 on the system of education (Dziennik Ustaw, 1996, no. 67, item 329, no. 106, item 496 and of 1997, no. 28, item 153), confirmation of certificates is made by an appropriate Minister.
Art. 3.
1. Certificates of completion of primary schools abroad are considered equivalent to the certificate of completion of a Polish primary school if the course in a primary school abroad lasts at least 8 years and candidates admitted into the first year of study are at least 5 years old, with the reservation of par. 2.
2. In the event that the foreign primary school course lasts less than 8 years, a certificate is considered equivalent to the certificate of a Polish primary school when it is received after completion of a total of 8 years in a primary and a post-primary school abroad.
Art. 4.
Certificates of completion of a secondary school abroad may be considered for nostrification if the duration of the study course required in order to get a certificate of completion of a secondary school in the country where the certificate is issued is at least 11 years.
Art. 5.
1. Secondary school matriculation certificates received abroad and secondary school completion certificates from abroad are considered equivalent to the matriculation certificates of public secondary schools and secondary vocational schools if:
1) they contain a clause confirming the right to apply for admission to higher education institutions in the country where the certificate is issued, or:
2) to the school certificate there is enclosed a letter from the school which issued the school completion certificate, or from an appropriate authority of the country of issue (Ministry of Education, local educational authority), or from a Polish foreign service representative office or a consular office, stating that the school completion certificate gives the right to apply for admission to a higher education institutions in the country where the certificate is issued.
2. International Baccalaureat diplomas issued by the International Baccalaureat Organization in Geneva are considered equivalent to the public secondary school matriculation certificates.
Art. 6.
The secondary school completion certificates received abroad which do not meet the conditions specified in art. 5, par.1 may be considered equivalent to the certificates of completion of appropriate public secondary schools or secondary vocational schools after confirmation that the curriculum of the foreign school corresponds to the curriculum of one of the school types in Poland in terms of the leading subjects.
Art. 7.
The secondary school completion certificates received abroad which do not meet the conditions specified in art. 5, par. 1 or art. 6 may be considered equivalent to the certificates of completion of appropriate public secondary schools or secondary vocational schools after completion of the examinations referred to in art. 8.
Art. 8.
1. In the case of secondary general education schools examinations to be taken include one subject to be selected from the following group of humanities subjects: Polish language, foreign modern language (English, Spanish, French, German, Russian), history, and a second subject to be selected from the following group of mathematics and natural sciences subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography.
2. In the case of secondary vocational schools, along with the examination referred to in par. 1, an additional exam is administered in a subject to be selected from a group of vocational subjects specified in the curriculum for given profession, with the reservation of par. 3.
3. In the case of secondary medical schools, in addition to the examination referred to in par. 1, an examination in professional training is administered.
Art. 9.
1. Certificates of completion abroad of schools of the following types: trade, industrial, commerce, cooperative, economics, or similar are considered equivalent to the certificates of completion of appropriate public vocational schools based on a comparison of the list of subjects and the curriculum in the foreign school with the list of subjects and the curriculum for a given vocation in a vocational school, with the exclusion of par. 2.
2. If there are no grounds to ascertain equivalency of certificates by means of the comparison referred to in par. 1, an examination is administered in one subject to be selected from among the following: Polish language, mathematics, history, physics; plus an examination in vocational training.
Art. 10.
1. Examinations referred to in art. 8 and 9 are administered by examination committees established by the body responsible for confirmation. Examinations are organized according to the rules specified in the regulations on external examinations.
2. The examination comission prepares a protocol from the examination and submits it to the body responsible for nostrification.
Art. 11.
1. A document submitted for nostrification may be the original certificate or its official copy certified by appropriate authorities in the country where the certificate was issued (Ministry of Education, local education authority) or by appropriate Polish foreign service representative office or consular office, along with a translation made by a Polish sworn translator, or by a Polish foreign service representative office or by consular office.
2. In the cases referred to in art. 6 and 9, par. 1, a list of completed subjects and obtained grades, issued by the foreign school, should be enclosed, along with a translation referred to in par. 1., unless the subjects and grades were listed on the certificate or its copy.
Art. 12.
1. Upon confirmation of the fulfillment of conditions referred to in art. 3, 4, 5, 6 or 9, par. 1, or completion of the examinations referred to in art. 8 and 9, par. 2, the body responsible for nostrification will issue a certificate according to the sample specified in the appendix to the ordinance.
2. The body conducting nostrification is obligated to keep a registry of the validated certificates. Appropriate records as well as copies of the issued certificates should be stored according to the rules specified by separate regulations.
3. A person whom it concerns is obligated to confirm with a signature in the records the receipt of a certificate.
Art. 13.
An application for nostrification of a given certificate may be made only once.
Art. 14.
The certificates indicating equivalency of secondary school matriculation certificates and school completion certificates received abroad to the Polish secondary school matriculation certificates and school completion certificates issued on the basis of previous regulations maintain their validity.
Art. 15.
The applications for certificate confirmation whose consideration was not completed by the day when this ordinance comes into effect are subject to the previous regulations.
Art. 16.
The ordinance of the Minister of National Education of October 12, 1993 (Monitor Polski, no. 64, item 572) on the rules and procedure of nostrification of certificates received abroad becomes null and void.
Art. 17.
The ordinance comes into effect after 14 days from the day of announcement.
Minister of National Education: J. Wiatr
Appendix to the ordinance of the Minister of National Education (Word document)