Foreign Transcripts

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1. Basic information

1.A APPLICANT FOR STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OSTRAVA

As part of the admissions procedure, the University of Ostrava assesses whether applicants meet the requirements set forth in the Section 48 of the Higher Education Act:

  • completion of secondary education with a school-leaving examination (maturita) by applicants who obtained their secondary education abroad by completing a secondary education programme at a foreign secondary school, an international secondary school, a European School operating under the Convention Defining the Statute of the European Schools, or another school authorized by the competent ministry of the respective country to provide compulsory education in accordance with that country's education legislation;
  • for applicants to follow-up Master's degree programmes, successful completion of a Bachelor's degree programme in accordance with the admission requirements of the relevant Faculty of the University of Ostrava;
  • for applicants to doctoral degree programmes, successful completion of a Master's degree programme;
  • applicants for Bachelor's degree programmes in the fine arts offered by the University of Ostrava may take the talent entrance examination even if they have not yet completed their secondary education with a school-leaving examination at the time when the talent entrance examination is held. This option is based on Section 48(2) of Act No. 111/1998 Sb., on Higher Education. Information on the deadline and conditions for the subsequent submission of the school-leaving certificate is published on the website of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

After registering the application for admission, an applicant whose previous education was completed abroad is required to submit the Application for the Recognition of Foreign Education HERE to the University of Ostrava together with all documents proving the foreign education attained. The application is processed within 5 to 14 days. After payment of the relevant fee via the University of Ostrava payment gateway maintained with the Czech National Bank by clicking the link provided in the electronic application, the applicant will receive a Statement on the Recognition or Non-recognition of Foreign Education. This Statement will subsequently be delivered to the applicant's electronic application in the "Documents" section.

The Statement on the Recognition of Foreign Education is issued exclusively for the purposes of a specific admission procedure to the relevant degree programme offered by a Faculty of the University of Ostrava and is valid only for the respective academic year.

In accordance with the instructions provided by the Office for Studies applicants shall upload to the electronic application an authorized conversion of the basic document proving the foreign education attained (e.g. a diploma or school-leaving certificate) demonstrating that the applicant has obtained education corresponding to a Czech secondary school-leaving certificate (maturitní vysvědčení) or a Czech university diploma. Due to the attachment size limit in the electronic application (5–10 MB), the authorized conversion is required only for this basic document and does not include the certified translation or any additional enclosures. Uploading the authorized conversion is a prerequisite for enabling enrolment registration if the applicant is recommended for admission.

Completed foreign secondary education may be demonstrated by one of the following documents:

  1. a certified copy of a document recognizing foreign secondary education (a Certificate of Recognition of the Equivalence of a Foreign School-Leaving Certificate or a Decision on the Recognition of the Validity of a Foreign School-Leaving Certificate – nostrification) issued by the competent Regional Authority. Further information on the Regional Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region is available HERE.

  2. A European Baccalaureate certificate or an International Baccalaureate diploma issued by the authorized institution.

    More detailed information on the European Baccalaureate and the European Schools     system, including the list of Type I European Schools and Accredited European     Schools, is available on the following websites:

    Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic
    Office of the General-Secretary of the European Schools
    EURSC Portal

  3.   A foreign certificate of secondary education completed with a school-leaving examination, provided that it is automatically recognized as equivalent in the Czech Republic under the Czech Republic's international obligations without any further administrative procedure. Further information is available HERE.

  4.   the original or a certified copy of a foreign school-leaving certificate or another equivalent document proving completion of secondary education obtained by successfully completing a secondary education programme at a foreign secondary school operating under the legal regulations of a foreign country. An overview of the required documents is available HERE .

1.B APPLICANT FOR THE RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC (NOSTRIFICATION)

Recognition of foreign higher education and qualifications (nostrification) is an administrative procedure conducted pursuant to Sections 89 and 90 of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions, based on an application submitted by a graduate of a foreign higher education institution.

The subject of the procedure is the assessment of foreign higher education documented by a diploma or another document certifying its completion. Recognition applies to the education and qualification obtained, not to professional eligibility to practice a particular profession. Further information can be found HERE.

Nostrification does not serve to recognize professional qualifications for practicing regulated professions (e.g. teacher, doctor, lawyer, or architect) and, by itself, does not grant the right to practice these professions. Recognition of professional qualifications is governed by separate legislation and falls within the competence of the relevant recognition authorities. Further information can be found HERE.

Nostrification is intended for graduates of foreign higher education institutions who need to have their foreign higher education recognized for purposes other than further study at the University of Ostrava (e.g. for studying at another higher education institution in the Czech Republic, employment in the Czech Republic, or fulfilling visa requirements). General nostrification can also be used for the purposes of the admission procedure at the University of Ostrava.

Recognition of foreign higher education is decided by public higher education institutions that offer a content-wise comparable study programme. An overview of study programmes offered by Czech higher education institutions is available HERE. If you cannot find a study programme comparable to your previous field of study in the list, please contact the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MŠMT) directly at nostrifikace@msmt.cz.

The decision on recognition of foreign higher education is delivered into the applicant’s own hands, or to their authorized representative. Delivery takes place through a postal service provider. The decision may also be collected personally by the applicant or their authorized representative at the Rectorate’s Office for Studies and Lifelong Learning (Mlýnská 702/5, 4th floor, offices 406/407).

The applicant has the right to appeal against the decision within 15 days from the date of its delivery. The University of Ostrava will subsequently forward the appeal to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MŠMT). A sample appeal form can be found HERE.

Any further questions concerning the recognition of foreign education should be sent to:

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2. Documents required for the recognition of foreign education and mandatory attachments

The applicant shall submit the following documents:

  1. The Application of an applicant for study or the Application for nostrification shall be submitted in signed paper form or in the form of an authorized conversion of the document.
  2. A document proving completion of foreign secondary education or another equivalent document proving foreign secondary education obtained by completing a secondary education programme at a foreign secondary school; or foreign higher education obtained by completing studies at a foreign higher education institution operating under the legislation of a foreign country.
  3. A supplement to the diploma containing information on the content and scope of the completed education (so-called Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Academic Records, etc.).
  4. The original or a certified copy of a power of attorney, if the applicant is represented in the proceedings by an appointed authorized representative.
  5. A marriage certificate if the surname stated on the diploma does not correspond to the surname stated in the application or in the applicant’s identity document.
  6. A certified copy of a decision granting international protection, if the assessment is requested by a person referred to in Section 90(4) of the Higher Education Act and if that person wishes to use the possibility of replacing certain supporting documents with a statutory declaration.
  7. Additional information accompanying the application
    A confirmation issued by the relevant foreign secondary school or another competent foreign authority (e.g. the Ministry of Education) stating that a graduate of a secondary education programme at the respective foreign secondary school is, in the relevant foreign country, entitled to apply for admission to a Bachelor's degree programme or a Master's degree programme that does not follow on from a Bachelor's degree programme.

Forms

The Application for the Recognition of Foreign Education for the Purposes of the Admissions Procedure at the University of Ostrava  is available HERE.

The Application for the Recognition of Foreign Higher Education and Qualifications (Nostrification) in the Czech Republic – NOSTRIFICATION  is available HERE.

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3. Procedure for the recognition of foreign education

Supporting documents must be submitted in paper form as certified copies or in the form of a PDF document created through an authorized conversion. Documents submitted in any other form will not be accepted. Submitted documents become part of the applicant’s official administrative file and will not be returned.

3.1 METHODS OF SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

IN PERSON:

University of Ostrava
Rectorate – Office for Studies and Lifelong Learning
Mlýnská 702/5
702 00 Ostrava
4th floor, offices 406/407 (an appointment must be arranged in advance by telephone: +420 553 461 012)

BY POST:

University of Ostrava
Rectorate – Filing Office
Office for Studies and Lifelong Learning
Mlýnská 702/5
702 00 Ostrava
Czech Republic

ELECTRONICALLY:

Documents may be delivered electronically exclusively via the data box system:
Data box ID: 37gj9fm

All attachments must be submitted in the form of an authorized conversion of documents.

Authorized conversion is carried out by Czech POINT contact points.

Contact points in the Czech Republic are available HERE.

Contact points abroad are available HERE.

3.2 TIME LIMITS

The time limit for processing nostrification is set by law (the Administrative Procedure Code) at 30 days from the date of receipt of the application. In particularly complex cases, this time limit may be extended to up to 60 days.

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4. Conditions for the recognition of foreign education

The applicant is required to:

  • submit a duly completed and signed application;
  • submit certified copies of documents proving the foreign education attained, bearing the prescribed legalization valid for use in the Czech Republic (Apostille, Superlegalization);
  • submit documents proving the foreign education attained together with an official translation into the Czech language; the official translation must form an integral part of the educational documents and must be firmly attached to them;
  • pay the administrative fee.

The documents submitted for the recognition of foreign education are subject to assessment, in particular with regard to whether:

  • the submitted documents are official documents (ordinary copies are not accepted);
  • the documents have been duly legalized and the legalization is valid in the country of origin;
  • the institution which provided the education holds the relevant accreditation or authorization to provide the degree programme valid in the country of origin;
  • the graduate of the educational institution has acquired academic rights valid in the country of origin and applicable in the Czech Republic.

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5. Administrative fee

5.A APPLICANT FOR STUDY

For procedures related to the assessment of foreign secondary or higher education, the applicant is required to pay a fee of CZK 800 (Rector’s Order No. 92/2020 – Fee for procedures related to the assessment of compliance with the conditions for admission to study).

The fee can be paid exclusively through the electronic application on the applicant’s personal page, under the “INFO AND PAYMENT” tab. After the Application for Recognition of Foreign Education has been received, the payment instructions for this fee will be made available to the applicant in the electronic application. At the same time, instructions for making the payment will be sent to the applicant’s private email address. The assessment of the foreign education will only begin after the prescribed fee has been credited to the account of the University of Ostrava.

5.B APPLICANT FOR NOSTRIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 90a(2) of Act No. 111/1998 Sb., on Higher Education, as subsequently amended, the University of Ostrava requires payment of a fee associated with the procedure for the Recognition of Foreign Higher Education and Qualifications, amounting to CZK 3,000. The fee may be paid exclusively via the University of Ostrava payment gateway maintained with the Czech National Bank, using the electronic payment form (https://portal.osu.cz/wps/portal/objednavkyAkci?id=891).

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6. Legalization of documents for use in the czech republic

All supporting documents submitted by the applicant to the Faculty must be duly authenticated in accordance with the relevant international treaties.

6.1 Countries that have concluded a treaty on legal assistance with the Czech Republic

Original documents are valid in the territories of the contracting countries without any further authentication. Copies of such documents must be officially certified by a Czech or foreign notary, through the Czech POINT service, or at a Czech Embassy/Consulate abroad. A list of the relevant countries is available HERE.

6.2 Countires that are signatories to the Hague Convention

Countires that are signatories to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Such countries use the so-called apostille to authenticate documents. An apostille is issued by the competent authority of the country in which the diploma was issued (the so-called apostille authority). A list of apostille authorities is available HERE.

In exceptional cases, superlegalization may be replaced by submission of an officially certified copy of the documents if at least one of the following conditions is also met:

  • the foreign secondary school or higher education institution confirms via electronic message that the applicant is its graduate, directly to the UO contact person; or
  • the foreign higher education institution sends the applicant’s Faculty a transcript or Diploma Supplement in the form of an authorized conversion carried out by Czech POINT, or the applicant submits these documents in a sealed envelope; or
  • the official website of the foreign education institution (or its verification system) makes it possible to verify that the applicant has successfully completed their studies (e.g. by allowing the applicant’s transcript to be downloaded from the foreign higher education institution’s website after entering a password).

6.3 Other countries

Documents certifying completion of studies must be superlegalized. This means that the authenticity of the signatures and stamps on the original documents is authenticated by the ministry of foreign affairs of the in which the diploma was issued and subsequently by a Czech Embassy/Consulate, unless an international treaty states otherwise. Further information is available HERE.

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7. Certified translations of documents

“A certified translation is not required if the documents have been issued in bilingual form in the official language of the country in which they were issued and simultaneously in English.”

Supporting documents that have not been originally issued in Czech, English or Slovak must be officially translated into Czech or English by a certified translator (Czech or foreign). A list of certified translators is available HERE[30] .

The pages containing the translations must be attached to the certified copies of the documents to which they relate in such a way as to prevent the subsequent replacement or substitution of the pages containing the translation. Translations attached to ordinary copies of documents will not be accepted.

Additional supporting documents

Where required by the applicant’s circumstances, the applicant shall also submit the following supporting documents:

  1. a power of attorney, if the applicant is represented by an authorized representative for the purpose of proving fulfilment of the admission requirement under Section 48(4) and (5) of the Higher Education Act;
  2. in the event of a change of the applicant’s name, an officially certified copy of a document proving the change (e.g. a marriage certificate);
  3. a certified copy of a decision granting international protection, if the assessment is requested by a person referred to in Section 90(4) of the Higher Education Act and that person wishes to use the possibility of replacing one of the supporting documents with a statutory declaration.

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8. Other important information

8.1 EQUIVALENCE OF EDUCATION

Bilateral and other agreements of the Czech Republic, Lisbon Recognition Convention

Recognition (nostrification) of foreign higher education obtained in countries that have concluded a bilateral equivalence agreement with the Czech Republic (Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary) is subject to special rules. The relevant agreements are also of a recommendatory nature in relation to China, France and Austria.

More information can be found HERE.

Protocol on the Equivalence of Documents – Russian Federation/Soviet Union

Foreign higher education diplomas issued by one of the countries of the former Soviet Union between 6 June 1972 and 27 February 2000 are automatically equivalent to Czech diplomas. Holders of such diplomas may therefore use them in the Czech Republic without applying for general recognition of the foreign higher education obtained during this period. Holders of these diplomas only need to provide an officially certified copy of the document together with an official translation into Czech and make reference to the “Protocol on the Equivalence of Documents on Education, Academic Degrees and Titles Issued or Awarded in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, signed in Prague on 6 June 1972 and published in Czech under No. 123/1973 Sb.

8.2 ACADEMIC TITLE OF A HIGHER EDUCATION GRADUATE

Recognition of foreign higher education serves exclusively to assess the level of education attained and does not establish any entitlement to the award or use of an academic title conferred by higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. A holder of a foreign higher education diploma is entitled to use only the academic title conferred by the foreign higher education institution, in the form and language of the country in which the education was obtained.

8.3 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, YOUTH AND SPORTS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Further detailed information on the recognition of foreign education in the Czech Republic is available HERE.

8.4 RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

The procedure for the recognition of foreign higher education and qualifications does not constitute professional recognition, i.e. it does not constitute recognition of education for the purpose of practicing so-called regulated professions, such as teaching, medicine, law, architecture, etc. Further information is available HERE.

Nostrification itself does not confer authorization to practice a regulated profession. Recognition of professional qualifications for the purpose of practicing regulated professions is governed by specific legislation. For detailed information on the recognition of professional qualifications, applicants should contact the relevant competent authority. A list of competent authorities responsible for the recognition of professional qualifications for the purpose of practicing regulated professions is available HERE.

8.5 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS GRANTED TEMPORARY PROTECTION

The following information applies to applicants who provide a document confirming that they have been granted temporary protection:

  • Applicants submitting applications after 1 September 2024 are exempt from the fee for procedures associated with the recognition of foreign higher education only if they have held temporary protection for less than 12 months, calculated as of the date on which the application is submitted. Further information is available HERE.

Method of providing proof:

1. The applicant shall present the special visa in their passport / document confirming temporary protection at the Nostrification Department of the Rectorate of University of Ostrava during office hours.

2. The applicant shall make a plain copy of the document confirming temporary protection / a plain copy of the visa in their passport. If the passport contains only a “tolerated stay” stamp instead of a visa sticker, and the applicant’s name is not shown on the stamp, it is necessary to copy not only the page containing the tolerance visa stamp but also the first passport page showing the applicant’s name. On the plain copy, the applicant shall write: “The copy corresponds to the original.” The statement must be accompanied by the date and the applicant’s handwritten signature. The copy must then be submitted together with the other required documents, either by post or in person, to the Rectorate of University of Ostrava.

Option to replace missing documents or verify their authenticity by means of a statutory declaration. Information on the requirements for the statutory declaration can be found on the website of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

8.6 INFORMATION ON THE PROCESSING AND PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA (GDPR)

In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation, hereinafter also referred to as the “GDPR”), the University of Ostrava provides the following information on the processing and protection of personal data HERE.

8.7 WITHDRAWAL OF AN APPLICATION

The form for the withdrawal of an application for the Recognition of Foreign Higher Education and Qualifications in the Czech Republic – NOSTRIFICATION is available for download HERE.

8.8 APPEAL

An appeal against the “Decision on the Recognition of Foreign Higher Education and Qualifications in the Czech Republic” may be lodged, in accordance with Section 81 of Act No. 500/2004 Sb., the Rules of Administrative Procedure, as subsequently amended, within 15 days of the date of delivery. The appeal shall be lodged with the authority that issued the decision. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports decides on the appeal. The appeal form is available HERE.

8.9 LEGISLATION

The recognition of education and qualifications obtained through studies at foreign higher education institutions is governed by the following legal regulations:

  • Act No. 561/2004 Sb., on pre-school, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (the Education Act), as subsequently amended;
  • Decree No. 12/2005 Sb., on the conditions for recognition of the equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools, as subsequently amended;
  • Government Regulation No. 211/2010 Sb., on the system of fields of education in primary, secondary and higher vocational education, as subsequently amended;
  • Act No. 500/2004 Sb., the Rules of Administrative Procedure, as subsequently amended;
  • Act No. 634/2004 Sb., on Administrative Fees, as subsequently amended;
  • Act No. 21/2006 Sb., on the authentication of copies and transcripts of documents and the authentication of signatures and on amendments to certain acts (the Authentication Act), as subsequently amended;
  • Act No. 354/2019 Sb., on court interpreters and court translators, as subsequently amended;
  • Act No. 111/1998 Sb., on Higher Education and on amendments and additions to other acts (the Higher Education Act), as subsequently amended;
  • international treaties on the recognition of the equivalence of documents proving education attained and on legal assistance to which the Czech Republic is a party.

For questions concerning the recognition of foreign education, please contact recognition@helpdesk.osu.cz   


Updated: 23. 09. 2026