Legalization & Recognition

To apply for study, foreign citizens from various countries are required to pass the procedure of LEGALIZATION and RECOGNITION of education received abroad.

Attention! Legalization of foreign documents and recognition of foreign education are different procedures.

Legalization of documents is performed for the legal use of a foreign document in another country.

Recognition of education is carried out for granting the rights to study (or) work.

LEGALIZATION

Legalization is the completion of a number of certain formal procedures for making the document legal in the territory of another state with the aim of being able to submit it to the official bodies of another state. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, documents issued in another state can be used (accepted by Russian authorities and organizations) only if they have legalization.

Do not confuse legalization with the established procedure for certification copies of documents! The established procedure for certification of copies and translations of documents in the Russian Federation in accordance with civil legislation is the certification of copies of documents by a notary. Notarized translations must always be accompanied by copies of documents translated (originals).

There are two types of legalization

1. Consular legalization

    It is carried out in 2 stages:

• Certification of the document (depending on the requirements of the legislation of the country of issue: as a rule, the original, in some countries - copies) by the competent foreign affairs authorities (MFA) of the country of issue of the document - stamps and seals indicating the position and the signature of the certifying person;

• certification by the consular services of the Russian Federation (consulate or representative office of the Russian Federation) in the country of issue of the document - stamps and seals indicating the position and the signature of the certifying person.

2. "Apostille" - simplified procedure for legalization.

  The stamp "Apostille" on official documents originating from institutions and organizations of the countries participating in the Hague Convention of 1961, abolishes the requirement of consular legalization of foreign official documents:

• the original copy of the document or a separate sheet that is attached to the document is attached and can be compiled in the official language of the issuing body;
• the stamp "Apostille" is made by the competent authorized bodies of the country of issue of the document (State Secretary, Education Department, Ministry of Education, educational institutions, etc.).

Go to the link to check if the legalization of documents is needed   http://nic.gov.ru/ru/proc/nic/online/doc#leg

RECOGNITION

The recognition of a foreign education and (or) foreign qualification in the Russian Federation means an official confirmation of the validity (level) of education and (or) qualifications received in a foreign state and the granting academic, professional and (or) other rights to the holder.

For recognition of the education received in a foreign country, it is necessary to apply to the GlavExpertcentre (main state center for education evaluation).

GlavExpertcentre – an organization that acts as a national information center for information support for the recognition of education and (or) qualifications, academic degrees and academic titles obtained in a foreign country in the Russian Federation, the federal state budgetary institution "The Main State Center for Education Evaluation."
The FSBI GlavExpertcentre provides the authority of the Federal Education and Science Supervision Service for the recognition of education and (or) qualification, academic degrees and academic titles obtained in a foreign country in the Russian Federation.

Website: http://nic.gov.ru/ru/proc/nic

Please note, that international treaties on mutual recognition work with certain countries. If your document is covered by international treaties or the university you graduated is included in the list of the Government of the Russian Federation, then you do not need a recognition procedure. You can find the list here: http://nic.gov.ru/ru/docs/russian/government/2777-р

You can check whether there is an agreement with the country issuing the document on education in the sections of the GlavExpertcentre website:

"Express-evaluation"   http://nic.gov.ru/ru/help/analyze

If your document is covered by an international treaty and you want to receive an official response, then you need to click on the link:  http://nic.gov.ru/ru/proc/nic/zakl