Getting your foreign degree recognised in Poland: nostrification explained

Why the name alone confuses people

"Nostrification" isn't a word most newcomers have ever encountered before arriving in Poland — it simply means the formal process of having a foreign academic qualification officially compared to and recognised against the Polish equivalent. Whether you need to go through it at all depends heavily on where your degree came from.

If your degree is from the EU, EEA, or certain other agreement countries

A diploma issued by an authorised university operating in the higher-education system of an EU, OECD or EFTA/EEA member state (that includes the UK, the US, Japan, Korea, Türkiye, Israel and Mexico, among others) is recognised in Poland by law — you typically do not need to go through the formal nostrification comparison procedure. This is a meaningful, favourable difference that a lot of general guidance doesn't spell out clearly.

If your degree is from elsewhere

If your qualification isn't covered by an automatic-recognition agreement, you'll generally need to go through the formal nostrification procedure, which compares your qualification's content and level against the closest Polish equivalent. This is handled through Polish universities empowered to carry out nostrification, and the KWALIFIKATOR database (maintained by NAWA, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) is a useful starting point to check how your specific qualification and country are generally treated.

Why this matters even if you're not planning further study

Nostrification isn't just for continuing education — it's often relevant for regulated professions in Poland (medicine, law, engineering roles requiring specific licensing, teaching) where employers or licensing bodies require formal recognition of your original qualification before you can practise, not just a general sense that your degree is "equivalent."

Practical steps

1. Check whether your degree already qualifies for automatic recognition based on its country of origin, before assuming you need the full nostrification process.
2. If not, search the KWALIFIKATOR database for how qualifications from your country and field have generally been treated.
3. Contact a Polish university empowered to carry out nostrification in your specific field to start the formal comparison process if needed — it has to be a university holding research category A+, A or B+ in the discipline your qualification belongs to (art. 327(4) of the Act on Higher Education and Science). The procedure is paid: the fee is capped at 50% of a professor's salary, which currently works out at up to 4,825 zł, and each university sets its own rules on waiving it.

This is general information, not legal advice

Recognition agreements and nostrification requirements vary significantly by country of origin, field of study, and profession. If your career plans depend on formal recognition, confirm your specific situation with NAWA or the relevant licensing body before assuming either outcome.