Education Document Translation for Poland

Nostryfikacja: a separate process run inside a university

Some foreign diplomas are recognised in Poland directly, by way of international agreements; for the rest a separate process called nostryfikacja is set in motion. It is conducted not at a central body but at a Polish university that teaches the field in question. The university compares the content of your programme with its own curriculum and may, where it sees the need, require bridging courses or an examination. NAWA, for its part, is the body approached on international cooperation in education and for information about recognition. In Poland, then, the answer to “will my diploma be recognised” can vary with the university you apply to.

That structure bears directly on the preparation of documents. Where nostryfikacja is required, the course contents are no mere supporting paper but the document at the centre of the process; the comparison is made on them. Where admission as a student is all that is sought, the process is far lighter.

What each document does

The diploma shows the degree; the academic transcript gives the breakdown of courses and credits. Because in a nostryfikacja the course contents determine how far your programme overlaps with its Polish equivalent, they must be detailed and approved by the university. Bachelor’s applications call for upper secondary documents and the entrance examination result. A language proficiency certificate is a separate threshold on programmes taught in Polish; on English-language programmes an English certificate is looked for.

Situation	The route followed	Where the weight of documents falls
Recognition under an agreement	Direct acceptance	Diploma and academic transcript
Nostryfikacja required	Comparison at the university	The course contents come to the fore
Admission as a student only	The institution’s own criteria	Academic transcript and language certificate

The problem met with most often

The commonest setback in Poland is course contents sent into the nostryfikacja incomplete or unapproved; with no comparison possible, the university asks for further documents and the process drags on. The second frequent problem is a translation made by a translator who is not on the Ministry of Justice list – registration on that list is compulsory in Poland. The third is that nobody asks at the outset whether nostryfikacja is required, and the process is noticed too late.

Where translation comes in

The order runs: find out whether nostryfikacja is required, settle the scope of the documents accordingly, gather the originals, complete the certification step, and translate last of all. Because course contents run to some volume, the plan for the translation has to be built around them. You can see the levels of approval document by document on our document page, and how the countries of Central Europe differ in our country guide.

Narrowing the scope of a nostryfikacja file

The most wearing part of a nostryfikacja is the sheer volume of the course contents. That volume, however, is not always unavoidable. The university conducting the process can usually say at the outset which courses will decide the comparison; the core courses bearing directly on the field come to the fore, while electives and general studies are often left out of scope. Asking the department which courses are needed, before having the contents translated wholesale, is therefore where the greatest saving lies.

The second point is which year the contents belong to. For anyone who graduated long ago the curriculum may since have changed; the contents have to be requested from the university for the year of graduation. A file submitted with the current curriculum creates an inconsistency in the comparison, and the university asks for a further explanation. The contents are also expected to carry an official seal and signature; texts taken from an institution’s web page do not count as official.

• Ask the department which courses’ contents are needed.
• Ask for the curriculum of your year of graduation.
• Make sure the contents are sealed and signed.
• Match the course names exactly with the academic transcript.

The quickest way to learn whether nostryfikacja applies in Poland is to ask the relevant department of the university you are aiming at. For some degrees international arrangements do away with the process altogether; for others it is compulsory. The answer settles the size of your file and its timetable from the start. Having course contents translated on a wrong assumption is the most expensive mistake, and the one made most often.

On programmes in the health field the process grows heavier still; practice hours, records of internships and information about clinical training may be called for. These documents should be gathered while you are still in Türkiye and obtained with official approval. Asking for the same papers years after graduation is usually possible, but it takes a long time and brings the process to a halt.

When a file comes back, the list of shortcomings the university notifies should be read as a route map; sending all the contents again starts the examination from the beginning.

Another practical matter in Poland is how long documents remain in use. Course contents prepared for a nostryfikacja may be asked for again later in an application for professional recognition, or in a procedure in another country. Keeping digital copies of the translation, and a record of the terminology settled on, therefore saves doing the same bulky job twice. Since the originals may be asked for at enrolment, it is also useful to have the documents to hand. Candidates close to graduating can open the application early with a provisional graduation letter; once the diploma is printed the file is completed and the enrolment timetable has been protected.

Translating the course contents can be the largest item in the file; settling the scope in advance settles the budget. Take a look at our pricing page, or upload your documents and request a quotation.

What is set out here rests on common practice; the legislation of the country and the practice of institutions can be updated. We recommend obtaining confirmation from an official source before you proceed.