Recognition of a foreign educational document is a procedure by which a qualification acquired abroad is equated with an appropriate, valid public document of the Republic of Serbia, thereby granting you the right to continue your education and/or employment. The procedure for recognizing professional qualifications is carried out by the ENIC/NARIC Center as an organizational unit of the Qualifications Agency. The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia is responsible for the registration of foreign institutions.

You have the right to have your foreign school certificate recognized if you are:

• citizen of the Republic of Serbia,
• a foreign citizen and a stateless person, if there is a legal interest in doing so.

The following are subject to the recognition procedure:

• school certificates obtained abroad,
• school certificates obtained in foreign institutions in the Republic of Serbia that have approval to operate by the ministry responsible for education.

Recognition of primary school diploma and enrollment in the first grade of secondary school

A student who completed primary education or one of the last two grades of primary education abroad or who completed a foreign primary school or one of its last two grades in the Republic of Serbia, after the recognition of the foreign school certificate, is enrolled in the first grade of secondary school beyond the number determined for student enrollment. Recognition of a foreign school certificate is carried out by the Qualifications Agency.

As a parent or legal guardian of a student, you submit a written request to the District Commission for Enrollment of Students in Secondary School of the school administration in whose territory the secondary school is located. The address list of all school administrations can be found here .

Submit the request to the competent school administration by filling out the form. The request must state at least five statements (school and educational profile/high school major). A photocopy of the decision on the recognized foreign school certificate must be attached to the request. If the procedure for recognizing the foreign school certificate has not been completed, it is necessary to submit a confirmation of the submitted documentation for the recognition of the foreign school certificate, and later supplement the documentation with the decision.

The District Commission for Enrollment of Students in Secondary School carries out an even distribution of candidates among schools. For enrollment in certain educational profiles, it is necessary to meet certain health conditions, which is why when enrolling in school, it is necessary to submit an appropriate certificate from the relevant health institution. A student who has submitted a request for recognition of a foreign primary education certificate may be conditionally enrolled in the next grade, if the procedure is not completed by the beginning of the school year.

To enroll in certain schools, a student must pass an entrance exam. Entrance exams are taken for music, ballet, and art education profiles, or for enrollment in classes for students with exceptional abilities, as well as in schools where part of the teaching is conducted in a foreign language.

Exceptionally, a student who completed the last two grades of primary education abroad or in a foreign school in the Republic of Serbia, after recognition of the foreign school certificate, may, without taking an entrance exam, enroll in a school where part of the teaching is carried out in the language in which he completed the last two grades of primary education, if the number of students in the class after placement is less than 30.

You can find the dates for applying and taking entrance exams in the Calendar of Activities of the Ministry of Education .

The Ministry of Education announces the Competition for the enrollment of students in the first grade of secondary school for the following school year no later than the beginning of May.

Enrollment in the second, third or fourth grade of secondary school

If a student completed the previous grade of secondary education abroad or at a foreign school in the Republic of Serbia, he/she is enrolled in the next grade of secondary school after the recognition of the foreign school certificate. Recognition of the appropriate grade of educational profile or high school major based on a foreign school certificate is carried out by the Qualifications Agency.

The decision may also contain a list of exams from previous grades that the student must pass in order to enroll in the next grade.

As a parent or legal guardian of a student, you must submit a written request for enrollment to the principal of the school the student is enrolling in before the start of the school year. A photocopy of the decision on a recognized foreign school certificate must be attached to the request. If all classes in that grade of the educational profile/gymnasium major are full, the principal may reject the request for enrollment. In that case, you must submit a written request to the principal of another school.

Recognition of secondary school diploma

If you need recognition of your secondary education diploma, you need to contact the Qualifications Agency . You can find all the information on their website, and you can submit your request to the Agency in person, by mail or online.

Required documentation for recognition of foreign high school diplomas

Along with the completed application, which you can find here , you must also submit the following documents:

1.

Original certificate (or certified copy) of the last completed grade of secondary school, or certificate/diploma of secondary school completion (or certified copy), which must be stamped by the competent authority in the country where the document was issued.

2.

Translation of the certificate of the last completed grade by an authorized court interpreter in the Republic of Serbia for:

• high school of a specific major – certificate of the last completed grade or final grade and graduation diploma;
• secondary vocational schools of three and four years duration of a specific educational profile. For the purpose of employment, the certificate for each grade is translated individually, as well as the certificate of passing the matriculation or final exam at the end of the cycle of a specific level of education. In the case of seeking recognition for the purpose of continuing education at a higher education institution, only the certificate of the last completed grade and the certificate/diploma of passing the matriculation or final exam are translated.

3.

Evidence of all previously completed classes in the Republic of Serbia or abroad (scanned transcripts of all previously completed classes or one photocopy, if the request is not submitted via an electronic form ).

4.

Proof of payment of the fee for the procedure for the recognition of a foreign secondary education certificate in favor of the Qualifications Agency. An example of a completed payment slip can be found here .

Instructions for initiating the process of recognizing foreign secondary school certificates can be found here .

Recognition of a higher education institution diploma

Types of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications:

• Academic recognition means recognition for the purpose of continuing education.
• Professional recognition implies recognition for employment purposes.

If you have completed your higher education abroad and wish to continue your education in the Republic of Serbia, you need to contact the university and faculty you wish to enroll in to obtain information regarding the recognition of your diploma. We recommend that you contact the relevant secretariat or postgraduate studies office of the specific higher education institution you wish to enroll in.

Instructions for initiating the procedure for the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications can be found here . These instructions refer to the procedure for the professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications. Professional recognition is carried out following a previously completed evaluation of a foreign study program, in accordance with the Law on the National Qualifications Framework of the Republic of Serbia and the law governing higher education. The interested party submits a request for professional recognition to the Agency, exclusively electronically, on the Agency’s portal .

The procedure for professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications consists of three steps:

• Filling out an electronic request;
• Submitting the necessary documentation along with a completed electronic request;
• Personal delivery of documents when collecting the recognition decision.

Recognition of professional qualifications

If you need recognition of your professional qualifications for employment in the Republic of Serbia, you also need to contact the Qualifications Agency. You submit your request electronically, through their platform, and the process takes an average of 8 days for most universities worldwide. Other information about the procedure, required documentation and fees can be found on the Agency’s website .