Authentication (Apostille or Legalization) and Recognition statement

Authentication (legalization or apostille) of documents means the affirmation of their authenticity, which gives the legal force outside the borders of the country of issue. The method of legalization depends on the country of origin of your high school diploma.

You should remember that authentication and recognition statements are two different procedures.

Apostille/Legalization must be done in your country (in the country of issue of the diploma) even before enrolling in the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies.

From 1st July 2025 NAWA Director will issue recognition statements for secondary education certificates confirming eligibility to apply for admission to first-cycle (Bachelor’s) studies, and first-cycle (Bachelor’s) diplomas, confirming eligibility to pursue second-cycle (Master’s) studies.

Secondary School Certificate Recognition

Required documents:

• Secondary school certificate granting the right to continue education, for which the confirmation is requested,
• Transcript / supplement / annex to the above-mentioned certificate – if issued,
• Previous document – an earlier certificate of school completion,
• Sworn translations of all the above documents (not required for documents issued in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, or Belarusian),
• Identity document (passport),
• Document confirming a change of surname (if applicable),
• Declaration of parents/legal guardians (for underage applicants) (Declaration-EN),
• For refugees – a document confirming refugee status.

Bachelor’s / Master’s Diploma Recognition

Required documents:

• Diploma for which the confirmation is requested,
• Transcript / supplement / annex to the above-mentioned diploma,
• Previous document – the one that served as the basis for admission to studies,
• Transcript / supplement / annex to the previous document (if applicable),
• Sworn translations of all the above documents (not required for documents issued in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, or Belarusian),
• Identity document (passport),
• Document confirming a change of surname (if applicable),
• For refugees – a document confirming refugee status.

The Apostille is a special sign on the official documents issued by the institutions and organizations of the countries-members of “The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents”. It specifies that the document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for legal purposes in all the other signatory states. Depending on the country, the apostille can be done in a High Court, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc.

The seal «Apostille» is placed only on the original documents of the state sample.

Apostille is required for the documents issued in: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong), Colombia, Georgia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Mexico, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, etc.

The complete list of the countries-members of The Hague Convention can be found at the official website.

Poland has signed an agreement abolishing or simplifying the document legalization procedure, you do not need apostilization for the documents from the following countries:

• EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Italy);
• EEA countries (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland);
• other countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, the United States).

Legalization means the authenticity of signatures on the documents and seals of competent state authorities in case you want to submit and give the legal force to your documents in a foreign country. It is similar to Apostille. But it is used for the affirmation of documents issued in the countries-no-members of the Hague Convention (Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Cameroon, Vietnam, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, etc).

This method of legalization is valid for all countries that are not listed in the link.

The legalization can be done by:

• Polish consul in the country where the certificate was issued or in the country in which educational system a school operates;
• educational authorities in the country where a certificate was issued or in the country in which educational system a school operates;
• an embassy or consulate of the country where a certificate was issued or in the country in which educational system a school operates located in Poland or in other EU, EFTA or OECD country;