Study in Slovakia

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Recognition of Previous Education

Recognition of Primary and Secondary Education
Academic Recognition of Diplomas

The Slovak Republic is bound by the Directive 2005/36/EC on recognition of professional qualifications. The Directive divides the recognition of documents on previous education according to the purpose of recognition into:

  • recognition of previous education for academic purposes (i.e. recognition of previous education in order to continue in education in the Slovak Republic) or for pursuing a non-regulated profession;
  • recognition of previous education for pursuing a regulated profession in the Slovak Republic (e.g. dentist, doctor, primary school teacher, psychologist, auditor, lawyer, carpenter, etc.).

The Centre for Recognition of Diplomas (CRD), operating under the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, acts as an assistance centre for the recognition of professional qualifications according to the EU Directive.  The Centre is a part of the ENIC-NARIC (European Network of Information Centres, National Academic Recognition Information Centre) Networks. In case of foreign documents attesting completed education, the CRD deals with:

  • recognition of professional qualifications for regulated professions in Slovakia
  • academic recognition for further studies in Slovakia (recognition of the level of attained higher education)
  • assessment of equivalence of ongoing studies abroad for authorities in Slovakia
  • validation of Slovak public documents issued in education fiels for the purposes of foreign authorities (apostille, legalization)

Contact:

Applications for CRD services are accepted by post to the mail address below or electronically via the Central Public Administration Portal, or in the registry room of the Ministry. Email application submission is not available (only email consultations are offered).

Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
Centre for Recognition of Diplomas
Černyševského 50
851 01  Bratislava

Head of Centre: Mgr. Bc. Alena Krajčíková
E-mail: sudv@minedu.sk
Tel: 00421 2 593 74 923, 00421 2 59 374 111 (for deliveries by courier)
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 11:30 and 12:30 to 14:00 (CET)

More information is available at the website of the Centre for Recognition of Diplomas – www.minedu.sk.

Recognition of Primary and Secondary Education

Recognition of leaving certificates and diplomas issued by a primary or secondary school in another state is performed at the Regional Office of School Administration (Regionálny úrad školskej správy) in the region of the permanent residence of the applicant or the region of the university location. Please direct your application to one of the regional offices below, not the CRD/Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic:

PLEASE NOTE: The application is submitted to the respective Regional Office, not the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. By sending your application to the address of the ministry, you will cause a delay in the handling of your application. The application form can be found on the websites above, the address of the Regional Office is on the application form or in the Contacts section.

The application is submitted on the application form or by own signed letter that includes the first name and surname of the applicant, permanent address or address of similar stay of the applicant, full name and address of the issuing primary or secondary school, year of completion of the education, the type of Slovak document it should be compared with, and applicant’s signature. If the applicant is underage, the application is filed by his/her legal guardian.

Application forms in both English and Slovak can be found on the respective website of the Regional Offices above. The application is sent to the address of the Regional Office.

The application includes the following documents:
a. for documents which are subject to a bilateral mutual recognition agreements signed with Slovak Republic

  • copy of identification document,
  • certified copy of the leaving certificate or diploma,
  • proof of payment of the administrative fee.
b. for all other documents
  • copy of identification document,
  • certified copy of the leaving certificate or diploma,
  • transcript of completed courses and completed exams,
  • in case of vocational secondary education, a confirmation issued by the secondary school about the scope of practical education,
  • proof of payment of the administrative fee
The application fee for the recognition
  • 5 EUR (7 EUR from 01. 04. 2024 onwards) if the qualification is covered by a bilateral agreement signed between the Slovak Republic and the country of origin (code in the web and mobile application eKolok: 7262)
  • 30 EUR (40 EUR from 01. 04. 2024 onwards) if the qualification is not covered by any of the bilateral agreements (code in the web and mobile application eKolok: 7263)

The applicant is also obligated to present certified translation of the educational documents into the official language.

Regional office considers the application within 30 days after its receipt. If the application doesn’t include all the required documentation, the district authority interrupts the process and prompts the applicant to submit the missing documents or to correct any found deficiencies.
 
After the receipt of the complete application, the district office in the county decides within two months with the following possible results:
  1. recognition of the educational document,
  2. refusal of recognition of the educational document,
  3. prescription of a differential exam.
In case of a document, which is subject to one of the bilateral mutual recognition agreements signed with Slovak Republic, the regional office considers the application within 30 days after its receipt. If the application doesn’t include all the required documentation, the district authority interrupts the process and prompts the applicant to submit the missing documents or to correct any found deficiencies. After the receipt of the complete application, the district office in the county decides within one month. The decision will contain the name of the equal qualification in the Slovak Republic.

Academic recognition of diplomas

Academic recognition or recognition for the continuation of studies means the recognition of previously attained education for the purpose of further studies, or any other purpose with the exception of the practice of regulated professions. The process of recognition for the continuation of studies differs by the level of education and the country of origin. For the countries countries with an international bilateral or multilateral agreement, the process is governed by this agreement.

The competences in the area of academic recognition are as follows (as of 1 June 2022):
  • recognition of the study periods at primary and secondary schools is the competence of the school director
  • recognition of completed studies of primary and secondary school is the competence of the Regional Office of School Administration (former District Office, Dept. of Education)
  • recognition of higher education study periods (subjects, credits) is the competence of the higher education institution (university) in Slovakia
  • level of attained higher education (without study field comparison) is recognized by
    • Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
  • higher education diploma is recognized by
    • higher education institution (university) offering study programmes the same or similar study field in Slovakia
    • Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic for foreign military higher education
    • Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic for foreign police force higher education

If you need to get to grips with the issues surrounding the recognition and validation of education documents, please check the Navigator – it will help you find answers to your questions: https://uznavanie.minedu.sk/en/navigator/