Recognition of Foreign Diplomas and Degrees
In case you graduated outside the Czech Republic, you will need to go through a procedure to get your previous education recognized. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the rules of recognition and schedule the steps you need to complete in order to facilitate the process.
You can choose either nostrification or recognition by the Faculty.
Nostrification certificate has lifelong validity whereas recognition by the Faculty is valid only for one admission procedure (admissions procedures at the Faculty). Please note that nostrification requests are processed by Prague City Hall or other relevant Regional Authorities (secondary education) and the Rectorate of Charles University (higher education). For further information visit the website below.
When should I start the recognition process?
We recommend you start the recognition process after admissions results are published. Don't worry, you will be invited to proceed to this part of admissions via e-mail. In the case of the Master's programs, you can start the recognition after you receive feedback on your application from the department.
Should I translate my documets?
All submitted documents must be translated to Czech or English. Documents in other languages will not be accepted. Please, note that a certified translation is not enough - the translation must be overseen by a notary. If your documents were issued in English or have already been translated into English, you do not need to get a notarized translation.
Which documents do I need?
If you applied for our Bachelor's program, prepare documents confirming your secondary (high school) education - diploma and transcript of records.
If you applied for one of our Master's programs, prepare documents confirming your higher (university) education - Bachelor's/Master's diploma and diploma supplement.
And what about certifications?
All submitted documents must be certified by a notary; a copy without official certification will not be accepted. Please, note that additional verification (apostille or super-legalization) may be required. Refer to the list of states and respective verification methods below to find out whether further verification is needed in your case.
How do I file a recognition request?
Once all documents are prepared, you need to file a recognition request and pay the recognition fee. In the section "Proof of education" of your online application, you will find an option “I am submitting the following in support of my application”. Please choose “a foreign document concerning foreign education – it will be assessed”.
Where do I send my documents?
We accept both hard and electronic copies of the above-mentioned documents. You may either send them via post to the Faculty's headquarters (Pátkova 2137/5, Prague 8, 182 00) or submit PDF attachments to your online application in the section "Proof of education".
How do I pay the fee?
After your request is filed, the recognition fee of 880 Czech crowns will be automatically generated to be paid by card. If you have any troubles with your payment, please, let us know at study@fhs.cuni.cz
When will I receive the decision?
The recognition process usually takes up to 30 days. In some cases, we may contact you and ask you to send additional documents but don't worry - the deadline for fulfilling this part of the admission process is September 30. You will have enough time to go through the procedure - however, we still recommend that you start the process as soon as you are invited to do so.
Once your previous education is assessed and recognized, it means you have met the second admission requirement and are therefore officially accepted to your chosen study program. An acceptance letter will be issued and sent to you via post.
Below, you can read illustrative cases of Lily and Lucas which may help you better understand the process:
Lily is an undergraduate applicant. She finished her secondary education in Russia last year and now wants to apply for the Liberal Arts and Humanities program at Charles University.
Lily filed her online application and paid the application fee in January. She had been preparing for the entrance exam for a few months and successfully passed it in May.
Right after the exam results were published, Lily received an e-mail with detailed information on how to file a request for recognition at the Faculty and pay the recognition fee. She followed the instructions in the e-mail and made the request.
She took the documents concerning her secondary education - her high school diploma and transcript of records - to a notary office in Russia to get them translated from Russian to Czech. According to the lists of states and required verification methods, she learned that documents from Russia do not need to be verified through apostille or super-legalization. Therefore, it is sufficient for her to send the Faculty either the original documents or hard copies certified by a notary. Lily made notarized copies so she could keep the originals. Once the documents were prepared, Lily sent them to the Faculty’s headquarters in Prague via the post.
A month later, she checked her online application and learned that her previous education had been recognized and, therefore, she had been officially accepted to the program. Lily started the recognition process in mid-June received a decision on acceptance by the end of July.
Still have questions? Feel free to contact us at study@fhs.cuni.cz
Lucas is a student of a Bachelor’s program at a university in the USA. After graduation, he wants to continue his academic path at the Faculty of Humanities and apply for the Master’s program in Historical Sociology at Charles University.
Lucas sent his online application along with all of the required documents in December and received conditional acceptance from the department in mid-January. Lucas was still a student at that time so he had to postpone the recognition process until he officially graduated and received his diploma in July.
However, he filed the request for recognition at the Faculty and paid the recognition fee right after receiving the feedback. From the list of states and required verification methods, Lucas learned that since he completed higher education in the US he had two options – he could either a) verify his documents via apostille or b) send notarized copies and ask his university in the US to e-mail documents confirming his graduate status directly to the Faculty of Humanities.
He decided to go with the second option and started by taking the documents concerning his Bachelor’s degree - Bachelor’s diploma and diploma supplement - to a notary in the US. Since his documents were issued in English, he did not need to get them translated. Lucas only needed to get notarized copies which he then sent to the Faculty’s headquarters in Prague via the post.
After sending the documents, Lucas contacted the Student Affairs Office at his university and asked them to prepare and send the required confirmation. The confirmation, which the Student Affairs Office e-mailed to the Faculty of Humanities, consisted of Lucas’ personal information, information about the program he completed, and the date of his graduation.
Three weeks later, Lucas checked his online application and learned that his degree had been recognized and he is officially accepted to the Master’s program. He started the recognition process in July and received a decision on acceptance by the end of August.