Recognition of foreign education (or part thereof) and qualifications as equivalent to education obtained in the Czech Republic
If an applicant applying for a bachelor's/master's/doctoral programme has received previous education abroad, he/she needs to submit a certificate of recognition of foreign education, called a nostrification in the case of higher education or a nostrification clause in the case of secondary education.
Assessment of previous education as part of the admission procedure for the academic year 2023/2024 is subject to a fee of CZK 883,-.
Information on the recognition of previous foreign education for UKRAINIAN CITIZENS can be found at this link:
https://www.amu.cz/en/study/recognition-of-foreign-education/assessment-foreign-education-amu-admissions-process/
The procedure is commenced further to the applicant’s written application for FAMU studies. Applicants are required to send the documents specified below in hard copy to: Akademie múzických umění v Praze, Studijní oddělení FAMU, Malostranské náměstí 259/12, 118 00 Praha 1.
1) Recognition of international education exclusively for the purposes of FAMU admission procedure
The applicants shall submit:
- A certified copy of an international certificate or similar document on international secondary education, obtained through graduating from a secondary school educational programme at an international secondary school operating under the legislation of a foreign country
- Proof of payment of the administrative fee, the amount of which is defined in the terms and conditions of the admission procedure for the specific academic year
If necessary, the Faculty will invite the applicant to also submit the following documents:
- Additional information on the content and scope of international secondary school studies;
- Additional information to the effect that the educational programme was provided by an institution authorised to provide education equal to secondary education under the Czech Education Act
- Certificate from the respective international high school or other relevant international authority (e.g., Ministry of Education) to the effect that the graduate from the secondary educational programme of the international high school has the right to apply, in a foreign country, for studies in bachelor’s programme or a master’s programme that is not a post-bachelor programme
Documents that were not issued originally in the Czech, English, or Slovak languages must be translated into the Czech or English language with certification (a list of court interpreters is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice here).
2) Recognition of international education with certificate (secondary education)
The admission to studies and obtaining an academic degree in a bachelor’s programme under Section 48 of Act No. 111/1998 on tertiary education is subject to achieving secondary education with a school-leaving exam; applicants with completed higher education in a conservatory can also be admitted.
Applicants shall demonstrate having satisfied the above requirement with a document of general recognition of equality or validity of an international proof of secondary education in the Czech Republic, obtained under Act No. 561/2004 on preschool, primary, secondary, higher technical and other education (the Education Act), as amended, or under previous legislation, as issued by the regional authorities, the Prague Municipal Authority (“MHMP”) and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (“MŠMT”)
More information is available here.
The procedure is commenced further to the applicant’s written application for FAMU studies. Applicants are required to send the documents specified below in hard copy to: Akademie múzických umění v Praze, Studijní oddělení FAMU, Malostranské náměstí 259/12, 118 00 Praha 1.
1) Recognition of university education only for the purposes of FAMU admission procedure (if the applicant has satisfied all requirements of the admission procedure, a letter of admission will be issued to them on the basis of such certificate)
The following has to be attached to the application:
- Certified copy of a diploma or a similar proof of completing the studies
- Certified copy of the Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Academic records, etc.
- Proof of payment of the administration fee defined in the terms and conditions of the admission procedure
Prior to sending your application, please send a scan of your diploma and supplement/transcript to eliska.picmanova@famu.cz. Your documents will first be compared with the programmes offered by FAMU. If FAMU does not offer a programme similar to one you have graduated from, we will send you information on how to proceed.
The procedure is opened on the basis of a written application from a graduate of an international university (applicant) filed with the Rectorate of AMU on the form Application for certificate of recognition of international university education and qualification in the Czech Republic. Applicants are required to send all documents in hard copy to Akademie múzických umění v Praze, Studijní oddělení FAMU, Malostranské náměstí 259/12, 118 00 Praha 1.
2) Recognition of university education with a certificate (if the application is honoured, the applicant will receive a Certificate of Recognition of International Education)
The following has to be attached to the application:
- Certified copy of a diploma or a similar proof of completing the studies
- Certified copy of the Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Academic records, etc.
- Certified translation of documents into the Czech or English languages if the documents were issued in any language other than Czech, Slovak or English. The translation has to be made by a court interpreter (a list of court interpreters is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice at Justice – experts and interpreters) or by the Czech Republic’s embassy/consulate in the country. If the certified translation is made by a translator other than a court interpreter, the translation sheets have to be attached to certified copies of the documents they pertain to in a manner that prevents a later replacement or exchange of sheets containing the translation. Translations attached to simple copies of documents will not be accepted.
- Power of attorney in hard copy if the applicant is represented by an attorney
- Proof of payment of the administrative fee, which is defined by Act No. 137/2016, amending Act No. 111/1998 on tertiary educational institutions.
An applicant who has submitted an application/is studying at another university and applying for the recognition of international education by the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, whose certificate does not fall within the scope of the above exceptions, may contact the Rectorate of AMU directly to obtain a certificate of recognition of international education.
The information regarding the required documents and procedures is available on the AMU website. Send your documents in hard copy to:
Rektorát Akademie múzických umění v Praze
Malostranské náměstí 259/12
118 00 Praha 1
Applicants for bachelor’s programmes:
1) Do I have to submit a recognition certificate (nostrification) with an application for a bachelor’s programme?
No, you don’t; you need to submit a certified copy of your school-leaving certificate along with your application. If the original document is in a language other than Czech, English or Slovak, a certified translation has to be obtained.
If you are in the last year of your studies when submitting the application and are only preparing to take your final (school-leaving) exam, you need the date of the final exam confirmed in the FAMU application by a representative of your school. You can find the information on the certification of documents by country of issue below in the “Certification of education documents” section.
2) May I submit the recognition of a school-leaving certificate during my studies?
If you satisfy the other requirements of the admission procedure, you may submit a certificate of the recognition of your secondary education during your studies.
3) May I start studying without having completed my secondary education?
Yes, one may start bachelor’s studies even without having completed secondary education, provided that the Dean admits an exception under Act No. 111/1998 on tertiary education, Section 48(2): “Applicants who have not completed secondary education with school-leaving examination or higher education in a conservatory may be admitted to art studies on an exceptional basis.”
An applicant admitted to studies on an exceptional basis shall submit their school-leaving certificate with the recognition clause or apply for recognition at AMU during the studies. If a proof of having completed secondary education is not submitted, the student will not be allowed to take a state final exam completing the bachelor’s programmes. We recommend obtaining the recognition during the first year of study.
4) May I have my school-leaving certificate recognised even when I am not applying for a bachelor’s programme at FAMU?
Unfortunately, FAMU does not provide this option. We recommend approaching a regional authority in charge of recognising secondary education, e.g., Prague Municipal Authority (MHMP).
Applicants for master’s programmes:
1) Can I be admitted for studies without submitting a recognition certificate?
No, you cannot – without providing a certificate of recognition of international education, it is not possible to issue a letter of admission to a master’s programme.
If an applicant succeeds in all admission rounds and satisfies all the requirements of the admission procedure, they are issued with a “Certificate of Successful Completion of Talent and Theory Admission Tests”, which contains the date by which the applicant may provide a certificate of recognition of international education or documents for recognition of international education at AMU.
If the documents are not provided, the applicant is issued with a letter about non-admission to studies after the expiry of the above date/period.
2) Is it necessary to provide a certificate of recognition regarding a bachelor’s diploma along with an application for a master’s programme?
It is not; the certificates or documents for the recognition of international education at AMU may be submitted during the admission procedure; the applicant may provide the documents by the date defined by the Faculty (refer to the previous reply to question 1).
3) May I commence studies without having completed bachelor’s education?
This option is not available to applicants for master’s programmes; the successful completion of a bachelor’s programme is a prerequisite for admission to a master’s programme. Applicants shall provide a certified bachelor’s diploma as specified in the previous paragraphs.
Following statement regarding a certificate which is automatically equivalent without further administrative procedure and a foreign certificate of completion of higher education which is equivalent in the Czech Republic without further administrative procedure under its international obligations.
The applicants shall send certified copies or originals of the documents in printed form by post (it is not possible to send by e-mail) to the address of the faculty to which they are applying.
Applicants applying to Bachelor's study programme:
- a European Baccalaureate
Applies to the European Baccalaureate only. Does not apply to the International Baccalaureate, which is considered to be a document pursuant to Sections 48(4d) of the Higher Education Act and for which the procedure is per point D. If an International Baccalaureate is an integral part of a matura examination certificate for students who successfully completed a matura examination in Czech Language and Literature in the common part of the matura examination, such applicants shall submit a certified copy of the matura examination certificate within the scope of the admissions process1.
1A matura examination certificate issued by schools to which the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has granted consent to a different method of completing education with a matura examination in the area of education 79-41-K/610 Gymnázium – selected subjects in a foreign language (Section 81(9) of the Education Act for the period from 1 September 2014 through 31 August 2020). The IB Diploma is an integral part of the matura examination certificate for students who successfully completed a matura examination in Czech Language and Literature in the common part of the matura examination. These schools are the following: The English College in Prague, Anglické gymnázium, o.p.s., PORG - gymnázium a základní škola, o.p.s., OPEN GATE - gymnázium a ZŠ, s.r.o., and 1st International School of Ostrava - mezinárodní gymnázium, s.r.o. Within the scope of the admissions proceeding, graduates of these secondary schools shall submit a certified copy of the examination certificate.
- A foreign certificate of completion of a secondary education which is equivalent without further administrative procedure in the Czech Republic under its international obligations – such documents demonstrate that the applicant has earned the equivalent of a Czech matura examination in Slovakia, Poland (swiadectwo dojrzalosci), Hungary (érettségi bizonyítvány) or Slovenia. In the case of documents demonstrating equivalence with a Czech matura examination in Germany (Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife), fulfilment of the requirement for completion of a secondary education with a matura examination shall be satisfied per Section 48(4d) of the Higher Education Act. The international agreement with Germany stipulates, however, that the result of such an assessment will always be positive but that it is necessary to proceed formally per point A or D.
Applicants applying to Master's study programme:
A requirement for admission and for earning an academic degree in a Master’s programme which follows on from a Bachelor’s programme pursuant to the provisions of Section 48(5) of the Higher Education Act is due completion of either type of programme. A requirement for admission to a doctoral programme is due completion of a Master’s programme and the conferral an academic degree.
Such documents certify completion of a programme of study in Slovakia (diplomas issued by foreign branches of Slovak higher education institutions after 28 March 2015 constitute an exception; the procedure for these cases is per point C), Poland or Hungary. The agreement stipulates that the Czech Republic, as well as the Republic of Slovakia, recognise diplomas conferred upon completion of a Master’s programme. Automatic equivalence does not apply to diplomas conferred upon completion of Bachelor’s programmes, which are assessed per point C.
German university degrees (diplomas) certifying completion of higher education presented for purposes of further studies, as well as relevant programme components and individual examinations, are not automatically equivalent without further administrative procedure. These are subject to the procedure per point C, although the result of the assessment will always be positive as stipulated by the international agreement.
Translations
Applicants must submit the originals or certified copies of all documents, and all documents must be duly verified in accordance with the relevant international agreements; see Verification of documents demonstrating education. Official recognition of foreign higher education obtained in countries which have concluded a bilateral equivalence agreement with the Czech Republic (Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Germany, Hungary) is subject to special rules. More information.
For documents not issued in Czech, English or Slovak, a certified Czech or English translation must be provided. The translation must be prepared by a court interpreter certified in the Czech Republic (a list of certified court interpreters is available on the Ministry of Justice website in www.justice.cz, under “experts and interpreters” (“znalci a tlumočníci”)), or at the Czech embassy or consulate in the given country. If the certified translation is prepared by a translator who is not a court interpreter certified in the Czech Republic, the pages of the translation must be bound to the certified copies of the documents to which they correspond, so that the pages containing the translation cannot be subsequently exchanged. Translations bound to simple copies of documents will not be accepted. If the documents are issued in bilingual form and one of the languages is English, then it is not necessary to translate them.
Fees
A) The fee for Assessment of Foreign Secondary and Higher Education in the AMU Admissions process will be stated in the conditions of each study programme. You can find more information in the following links:
B) The fee for acts connected with a proceeding on a request for official recognition of foreign higher education and qualifications (so-called nostrifikace) is CZK 3,000 in accordance with the provisions of Section 90a of the Higher Education Act.
The fee is due when the request is received. AMU bank account information is provided below.
Information for payments made in the Czech Republic or from countries outside the EU:
Information for payments from EU countries:
Applicants must submit the originals or certified copies of all documents, and all documents must be duly verified in accordance with the relevant international agreements.
A) States which have concluded an agreement on legal assistance with the Czech Republic
List of states which have concluded an agreement on legal assistance with the Czech Republic, and thus require only an original or certified copy:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, France, Georgia, Yemen, Croatia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Cuba, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, North Macedonia / FYROM, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Austria, Romania, Russian Federation, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Syria, Spain, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
B) States which are signatories to the multilateral convention on the simplification of legalisation of foreign public documents,
i.e. the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (The Hague, 5 October 1961, published under No. 45/1999 Coll. international agreement), hereinafter the “Hague Convention”.
Documents from the following states must be legalised by means of an Apostille:
Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burundi, Cook Islands, People's Republic of China including Hong Kong and Macao (from 7 November 2023), Chile, Denmark, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (from 15 July 2008), Dominica, Dominican Republic (legalisation by apostille clause from 30 August 2009), Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, territories belonging to France (i.e. French Polynesia, French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, Guadalupe, Guyana, Comoro Islands, Martinique, New Caledonia, Réunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna), Grenada (from 7 April 2002 – prior to this date listed under Great Britain), Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Republic of South Africa, Kazakhstan, Colombia (an electronically issued Apostille is accepted), Republic of Korea (South Korea), Kosovo, Costa Rica, Lesotho, Liberia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Morocco, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Germany, Niue, The Netherlands and their territories (i.e. Netherlands Antilles, Aruba), Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, El Salvador, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Surinam, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay, the USA and its territories (i.e. American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands), Great Britain and its territories (i.e. Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Isle of Man, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, British Solomon Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands), Vanuatu and Venezuela.
C) Other states – documents demonstrating completion of studies must be superlegalised.
Super-legalisation involves verification of the authenticity of the signature and the stamp on the original documents:
! Requirements to submit duly certified documents will be fulfilled even if the applicant submits certified copies of documents which have been certified in the manner prescribed above for the relevant type of document submitted (e.g. in the case of a diploma from China, the applicant shall submit certified copies of super-legalised documents).
In the proceeding on official recognition of foreign education, AMU will compare the contents and extent of the foreign programme with the contents of an analogous (i.e. comparable) academic programme administered by AMU. At the end of the proceeding, AMU, in the event of a positive decision, will issue a certification of official recognition of the foreign higher education and degree with unlimited temporal validity for the territory of the Czech Republic. With official recognition of higher education, the academic title conferred upon the graduate by the foreign university shall be officially recognised as well. The holder of the foreign diploma shall thus have the right to use only the academic title conferred upon him or her by the foreign university.
The decision shall be issued within a basic period of 30 days from receipt of the application without defects. This period can be extended in complicated cases, e.g. by another 30 days.
In the event that AMU issues a negative decision, the AMU Rectorate shall be required by law to call upon the applicant to express his or her opinion on the source documents used for issuing the decision. The applicant (or his or her agent authorised by a power-of-attorney) may visit the AMU Rectorate in person to view his or her file, or may waive this option (e.g. if the applicant does not wish to submit any additional documents and wants to accelerate the proceeding) Here
This document must be sent by post to the AMU Rectorate; we will not accept the document if sent via e-mail. Subsequently, the request will either be assessed again or a negative decision shall be issued.
The applicant shall have the right to file an appeal within 15 days from the delivery date of the negative decision. Appeals should be submitted to the authority which issued the negative decision, i.e. to AMU. Appeals shall be decided by the Rector of AMU if they are granted, or they shall be forwarded to the Ministry of Education as the appellate body. The decision on the appeal shall be final.
If AMU is not materially competent to assess the foreign education in question, then the request and fee shall be forwarded to a public university which has the relevant accredited programme of study or an analogous programme of study.
The decision and the certificate shall be sent by registered post with personal delivery to the applicant, or to the applicant's agent, as the case may be; they can also be handed over in person to the applicant / the applicant’s agent at the AMU Rectorate by prior arrangement.
Eliška Pičmanová, Head of Registrar's Office
Phone: +420 234 244 310
E-mail: eliska.picmanova@famu.cz