Foreign diploma recognition is the procedure by which Ukraine confirms that an education document issued abroad is equivalent to a Ukrainian one, giving you the right to continue your studies or work in your profession. Since 2015 the official name has been “recognition of a foreign education document”, governed by MES order No. 504 of 05.05.2015 (as amended by order No. 784 of 05.09.2022). The decision is made by the MES (for work and enrolment anywhere) or by a specific higher-education institution (only for admission to it). The colloquial term for all of this is “nostrification”.
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Disclaimer. This material is informational and reflects practice as of Q2 2026. It does not replace an official consultation with the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) or with an education institution. Confirm the exact requirements, fees and timelines with the competent body before you apply.
What recognition (nostrification) is and when you need it
“Nostrification” is the everyday name for a process the state officially calls recognition of a foreign education document. Its purpose is to confirm that your diploma or school-leaving certificate earned abroad is equivalent to a Ukrainian one, so that you can enrol in further study or work in your profession in Ukraine. The legal basis is MES order No. 504 of 05.05.2015, in force in the wording of order No. 784 of 05.09.2022.
You need the procedure if you completed your education abroad and are returning to Ukraine to work in your field — especially in regulated professions such as medicine, law and teaching — to enrol in postgraduate study or the next level of education, or to take part in a public-service competition. If Ukraine and the country of study have a mutual-recognition agreement, a separate procedure may not be required, so it is worth checking this in advance and confirming it with the institution.
It is worth being precise about terminology, because it affects which document you ask for. The Soviet-era word “nostrification” is still what most people search for, but the current legal framework speaks of recognising a foreign education document and establishing its equivalence to a Ukrainian qualification. When you order a service or talk to an official, asking for “recognition of a foreign education document” will be understood immediately, whereas “nostrification” is informal. As of Q2 2026 the governing act remains MES order No. 504; if you read older guides that cite a different procedure number, treat them with caution and confirm against the official source.
Who decides: the MES or the university
Recognition is carried out by two competent bodies, and which one you approach depends on your goal:
- The MES of Ukraine — if the diploma is needed for employment in your profession or for enrolment anywhere in Ukraine. It issues a state-pattern certificate of recognition.
- A higher-education institution — if the document is only needed for admission to that particular university. The decision applies within that institution alone.
For working in a profession, aim for the MES decision: a single university's decision is usually not enough for employment purposes. If you are unsure which body applies to your situation, confirm it before you spend money on legalisation. A common scenario is a graduate who plans both to enrol at a particular Ukrainian university and to keep the option of working in the field later — in that case the broader MES recognition is the safer route, because the university-level decision does not travel beyond that one institution. The outcome of recognition can be full recognition, partial recognition or refusal, and the body that issued the decision is the one you would approach about an appeal or a repeat submission.
How recognition works: the stages
The procedure is built around the naric.in.ua portal, where registration and submission take place. In outline the path looks like this: prepare and legalise the diploma → translate it → submit online → expert review → decision and issue of the certificate. The detailed steps are listed further down the page. Each stage can run in parallel with preparation for the next — for example, you can book the translation while the apostille is still being processed.
Documents and legalisation
The key requirement that trips up many applicants: the foreign diploma must be legalised before you submit it. For Hague Convention countries this means an apostille; for the rest, consular legalisation. The apostille is affixed by the country that issued the document, not by Ukraine, so plan for that step in the country of study. After that, the diploma and the transcript (the appendix listing your grades) are translated into Ukrainian by a sworn translator or with a notarised certification. A self-made translation without certification will not be accepted.
The transcript matters as much as the diploma itself, because the expert review compares the subjects you studied and the volume of each against a Ukrainian programme. If the transcript is missing or incomplete, that is a frequent cause of a partial decision. Submission then runs through naric.in.ua: you create an account, upload clear scans of the legalised diploma, the transcript and the certified translation, and an identity document. As of Q2 2026 the same portal is the primary channel, but always confirm the current list of required files there, since the exact set can be adjusted.
Timeline and cost
The MES does not publish a separate fee for the recognition itself — the amount is clarified for each case. The real costs are formed by the related services: apostille or consular legalisation, a sworn or notarised translation, and optional intermediary support. The review period depends on the caseload and on how complete your package is; plan for several weeks and build in extra time for legalisation and translation up front. Always confirm the current charges and waiting times on naric.in.ua before you commit.
Mirror case: a Ukrainian diploma in Poland
If your task is the opposite — having a Ukrainian diploma recognised in Poland — then Poland runs its own procedure, called nostryfikacja. It is carried out by a Polish university holding an academic category of A+, A or B+ in the relevant field, within 90 days of a complete application (not counting time for translations and any exams). The maximum fee is capped at 50% of a professor's salary, which in practice is around 4,685 PLN at some universities. For diplomas covered by international agreements, a free recognition statement from NAWA is enough instead of full nostrification. This is useful to know for anyone planning to work or study in Poland; confirm the exact category and fee with the chosen university.
Common mistakes
The most frequent is trying to submit a diploma without an apostille or legalisation: the package is rejected. The second is translating “by yourself” without a sworn or notarised certification. The third is confusing a university's decision with the MES decision — for working in a profession you specifically need the state certificate. Preparing the legalisation and the translation early saves the most time and avoids a wasted submission.
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