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Recognition of Foreign Degrees and Diplomas

On this webpage, you find information about the recognition of higher education degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign institutions, as provided for in Decree-Law no. 66/2018 of 16th  August, in force from 1st January 2019 onwards, and procedural handling regulated by Ordinance no. 33/2019 of 25th January »»

List of Juries concerning the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas

1. How to submit a request?

  1. The request for recognition is submitted by means of the national platform RecON, made available by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) for this purpose, and the electronic version of the required documents must be attached.
  2. If you choose the recognition to be carried out at the University of Coimbra, you will receive an e-mail sent to the e-mail address you have provided on the platform RecON, so that you can pay the fee.
  3. After this payment, the request will be analysed and subject to procedural handling at the UC until the decision that is communicated to the requester.

For further information, please check the webpage provided by DGES »

2. How to deliver the documents and in which format?

The required documents for each type of request may be provided in one of three formats:

  1. Original document or
  2. Copy of the original document authenticated by Competent Authorities or
  3. Another document that allows for the verification of the degree and other necessary information, unequivocally.

Taking into account that the documents are submitted electronically, they can only be considered valid if:  

 » their authenticity is unequivocal, and
 » they are presented in a non-editable format, and 
 » they present a qualified electronic signature, added by the competent authorities of the institution that issued them. 

If the submitted documents do not comply with these conditions, the UC will have to request:

 » that copies of these documents, duly authenticated, are sent by regular mail, or  
 » the presentation in person, of the original document, at the Academic Centre of Polo 1.

The address to send the required documents by regular mail is the following:

  • Universidade de Coimbra - Administração 
    Serviço de Gestão Académica  
    Rua Larga, Edifício da Faculdade de Medicina, R/C dto.
    3004-504, Coimbra - Portugal

3. How to authenticate the documents?

The paper documents have to be original or authenticated. In Portugal, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 28/2000, of 13th March, the entities below are able to certify that photocopies are in compliance with the original documents presented to them for that purpose:

Parish Councils, Portugal (Juntas de Freguesia, );
Post Offices, POrtugal (CTT – Correios de Portugal, S.A. - Sociedade Aberta);
Chambers of Commerce and Industry, International;
Lawyers and Solicitors, International.

In the case of documents issued in non-EU countries, whether the delivery is done in person or by regular mail, the documents must be validated by:

» the Portuguese Embassy or Consulate in the country of origin of the document, or 
» Hague Convention Apostille.

Please note:

  • Given the importance of the documents in question and the risks inherent in loss or damage, please do not send original documents, particularly diplomas. The UC cannot be held responsible for these documents.
  • The paper documents delivered will be returned at the end of the procedure, along with the recognition certificate, if the recognition is granted.

4. Is a translation necessary?

For all of the documents written in a language other than Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English, it is mandatory to present a translation to Portuguese undertaken by a translator recognised by the Portuguese diplomatic representation.

  • The delivery of diplomas, certificates and documents concerning curricular units, syllabi, duration of studies or final grade written in a foreign language other than Spanish, French, or English must be accompanied by a translation to Portuguese duly certified by the competent authorities for this purpose.
  • This certification concerns the content of the translation and signatures of the intervening parties in the acts in question.

The following table shows, concisely, the information concerning the documents necessary in a recognition request. 

tabela reconhecimento EN

*It is waived regarding the situations in which no Thesis/Dissertation was written, thus being verified by means of a document issued by the foreign higher education institution which confirms that the presentation of these elements was not necessary for the awarding of the degree. 

Concerning a PhD degree, when the thesis was substituted by other research works, works, or artistic productions, the requester has to deliver, in an electronic or digitised format, the necessary elements to show the nature of the research undertaken and the substantiations that explain the process of design and preparation, the research capacity, and its framework in the evolution of knowledge within the area to which it belongs. 

Click HERE to access the form Im0194 – Terms of access to the Repository ‘Estudo Geral, in the case of a Master's degree or PhD Degree.

5. What is the amount of the analysis fee?

The University of Coimbra established an amount for each type of recognition, according to what is in the Table of Fees and Other Charges:

Notes: 

  • The amount charged for  the request for conversion of the final grade obtained when this is submitted separately, is the same as the one charged for the type of recognition.

  • All the requests for automatic or level recognition made at the UC are exempt from the payment of fees if the requesters are applicants to calls (in the UC) opened for recruitment of researchers, as well as for the award of Research Scholarships, who are selected and hired and need to obtain recognition of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of 16th August, as a requirement for their hiring.

  • The Research Scholarship Holders who may be selected within the scope of the procedures promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I. P. (FCT), who have obtained the (automatic or level) recognition at the UC for application purposes, and whenever the UC is chosen as the host institutionare entitled to the reimbursement of the fees they have paid, by means of the submission of a request along with a supporting document of the scholarship contract they have signed.

  • If the requester is a national of a European Union country, the amount charged is half the value established for the Level or Specific Recognition of PhD.

6. What are the types of Recognition?

You can obtain further information about the type of Recognition more suitable to your situation, by means of the simulator made available by DGES »

6.1 Automatic Recognition



The procedure that allows for the generic recognition of a foreign higher education degree or diploma, whose level, objectives and nature are similar to the Portuguese degrees of Bachelor (licenciado), Master (mestre), and PhD (doutor), or to a professional higher technician diploma, that are included in the list of degrees and diplomas approved by the Commission for the Recognition of Foreign Degrees and Diplomas.
  1. Check the list of degrees issued by the Commission for the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas »
  2. If the Country and Degree of your Diploma are included in this list, you can submit a request for Automatic Recognition, which will be analysed in detail, in accordance with the resolution of the Commission.
  3. If you cannot submit a request for Automatic Recognition, you will have to submit a request for Level or Specific Recognition.
  4. The Automatic Recognition can be undertaken by a Portuguese Higher Education Institution or by the DGES.
Clique para mais informação...Important !

- You can request this type of recognition, WITH or WITHOUT the conversion of the final grade obtained.
- If you request the conversion of the final grade after having obtained the recognition of the degree in a previous request, you will be subject to the payment of the fee for a new request.
- This type of request is the fastest one regarding its treatment, due to its simplified procedures.
- If the request is granted, the degree of Bachelor (Licenciado), Master (Mestre), or PhD (Doutor) will be recognised.

6.2 Level Recognition

The procedure that allows for the recognition, by comparability in an individualised way, of a foreign higher education degree or diploma as possessing a level corresponding to a Portuguese higher education academic degree or diploma.
  1. If the Degree and/or Country of your Diploma is/are not included in the list mentioned above, you will have to select this type of recognition request (or specific recognition). In this request more elements are analysed and therefore more documents are needed (for example, about the structure, the workings of the course, syllabi and workload hours
  2. The promptness of the process will depend on the existence, or not, of a precedent in the Institution, that is, the UC had already granted a request of level recognition, concerning a degree or diploma exactly identical to the request in question. 
Level Recognition_EN
Clique para mais informação...Important !

- You can request this type of recognition, WITH or WITHOUT conversion of the final grade obtained.  
- If you request this conversion after submitting an initial request, you will need to pay the fee due for a new request. 
- If the request is granted, the degree of Bachelor (Licenciado), Master (Mestre), or PhD (Doutor) will be recognised.

  • The Level mentioned here is described in the National Qualifications Framework and is connected with the European Qualifications Framework. These Levels are indicated in the following table (information retrieved from the official DGES website, on 19-12-2018):
NQF LevelQualificationEQF LevelKnowledge
6Bachelor (Licenciatura)6In-depth knowledge concerning a specific area of studies or work, which implies a critical understanding of theories and principles.
7Master (Mestrado)7Highly specialised knowledge, some of which at the forefront of knowledge in a specific area of studies or work, that supports the capabilities of original reflection and/or research. Critical awareness of issues concerning knowledge in an area and in the interconnections between several areas.
8PhD (Doutoramento)8State-of-the-art knowledge at the forefront of an area of studies or work and in the interconnection between areas.

Caption:

» NQF Level = Level in the National Qualifications Framework  
» EQF Level = Level in the European Qualifications Framework

6.3 Specific Recognition

The procedure that allows for the recognition of a foreign higher education degree or diploma identical to a Portuguese higher education academic degree or diploma, by means of a casuistic analysis of the level, duration and syllabus, in a specific area of training, branch of knowledge or speciality.
  1. If the Degree and/or Country of your Diploma is/are not included in the list mentioned above, you will have to select this type of recognition request or a level recognition.
  2. This type of request, always requires the appointment of a jury and it includes more elements to be analysed (namely, the academic pathway of the requester). Therefore more documents are needed (for example, about the structure, the workings of the course, syllabi and course workload hours).
Clique para mais informação...Important  !

      - This type of request, implies a recognition INCLUDING a FINAL GRADE.
      - The treatment of this type of request tends to take longer than any other, since it always requires the appointment of a jury and includes more elements to be analysed.
      - If the request is granted, the degree of Bachelor (Licenciado), Master (Mestre) or PhD (Doutor) will be recognised, in a specific area of knowledge, including a final grade.

      7. Can I withdraw the request for recognition?

      Yes. That withdrawal does not prejudice the submission of a new request to the same institution or another institution (Article 10). However, it does not entitle you to the reimbursement of the analysis' fee already paid (no. 4, Article 11).

      8. Concerning the recognition for access to public support to research, how does it work?

      In the situations in which the recognition (degree or diploma) is an eligibility condition in order to access to public support in science, technology and innovation (Article 25), the verification of the recognition:

      » Is no longer undertaken during the application stage.

      » Will be undertaken during the support contract phase, if the support is granted.

      9. What happens to the requests in progress according to the previous legislation?

      Concerning the requests still under analysis, DGES (Directorate-General for Higher Education - Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior) clarified that the new Decree-Law is applicable to all the requests submitted from 1st January 2019 onwards. Therefore, all the recognition requests submitted until 31st December 2018 are analysed taking into account the regulations in force on the date of the initial request.