How to Get Your Degree Recognised in Europe Through ENIC-NARIC
By Muntasir • Published Jan 29, 2025 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe
ENIC-NARIC centres in 56 countries assess foreign qualifications and issue a statement of comparability for work or further study. Start by finding your destination country's national centre and gathering certified copies of your diploma and transcript.
📩 Apply through the national ENIC-NARIC centre in the country where you want recognition
🏠 The network covers 56 countries under the Lisbon Recognition Convention
Academic recognition (further study) and professional recognition (work) follow different rules
Typical documents: diploma, transcript, certified translations, proof of identity
Contact the specific national centre for exact fees and processing time
What ENIC-NARIC actually does
ENIC-NARIC is a network of national information centres, one per country, that assess foreign qualifications against the standards of the education system where you want to use them. The network runs across 56 countries under principles set out in the Lisbon Recognition Convention of 1997, drawn up by the Council of Europe and UNESCO to make recognition of qualifications across borders fairer and more consistent.
Each country's centre works independently, so the exact process, fee and required documents differ depending on which country you apply to. What stays consistent across the network is the underlying evaluation approach, using a shared grid of criteria to judge a foreign qualification against the local system.
Step 1: Work out which type of recognition you need
ENIC-NARIC separates academic recognition from professional recognition, and you need to know which one applies before you start. Academic recognition applies when you want to continue studying, applying to a master's or PhD program with a foreign bachelor's degree, for example. Professional recognition applies when you want to work in a regulated profession, like medicine, law or teaching, where the destination country requires a license tied to your qualification.
If your target profession is not regulated in the destination country, employers generally judge your qualification themselves without a formal government recognition step, though a comparability statement still helps.
| Academic recognition | Professional recognition | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Continue studying at a university | Practice a regulated profession |
| Who checks it | ENIC-NARIC centre or the receiving university directly | ENIC-NARIC centre plus the professional regulator for that profession |
| Typical extra step | None beyond document submission | Sometimes an aptitude test or adaptation period set by the regulator |
Step 2: Find the right national centre
Search the ENIC-NARIC network directory for the centre in the country where you plan to study or work, not the country that issued your qualification. Each national centre publishes its own application portal, required forms and fee schedule on its own website.
Step 3: Gather your documents
Centres generally ask for:
A certified copy of your diploma or degree certificate
Your full academic transcript listing courses and grades
A certified translation of both documents if they are not already in the destination country's language or English
Proof of identity, usually a passport copy
The Diploma Supplement, if your issuing university provided one, since it speeds up assessment
Contact your issuing university's registrar early if you need certified copies or a Diploma Supplement you do not already hold. This step often takes longer than the recognition process itself, especially if your university needs to post physical documents.
Step 4: Submit and pay any fee
Submit your application and documents through the national centre's own portal. Fees, where charged, vary by country and by whether you need academic or professional recognition. Check the specific centre's website for its current fee schedule before you apply, since this is set independently and changes by country.
Step 5: Receive your statement of comparability
Once assessed, the centre issues a statement of comparability, naming conventions vary by country, explaining how your qualification compares to the equivalent local one. Keep this document with your original diploma and transcript. Universities, employers and government bodies in the destination country accept it as the official reference point for your qualification's level and content.
Tools that speed up automatic recognition
If your qualification carries a Diploma Supplement and was awarded using ECTS credits, recognition tends to move faster, since these tools were designed specifically to make comparison between European education systems easier. Some qualifications, mostly professional ones covered under EU directives, or degrees connected to the Joint European Degree Label, come closer to automatic recognition across participating countries, skipping some of the manual comparison steps described above.
If your qualification only gets partial recognition
Centres sometimes recognize a qualification as equivalent to a lower level than you expected, or ask for extra coursework or a test before granting full recognition. This happens most often when your original qualification covers less study time or fewer credits than the local equivalent.
Ask the centre directly what closes the gap, whether that means extra exams, a bridging course, or additional documentation. Appeal processes exist in most countries if you disagree with the assessment, and the national centre's website explains how to start one.
Timing and costs to plan around
Processing time depends on the country, the complexity of your qualification, and the season, since national centres see application spikes ahead of university admission deadlines each year. Apply as early as possible, ideally months before you need the result, to leave room for any follow-up document requests.
Translation and certification costs vary depending on which sworn or certified translator your national centre accepts. Check the accepted translator list on the centre's website before you pay for a translation, since centres often reject translations from providers outside their approved list.