We would like to inform that under the Act of 4 April 2025 (Ustawa o zmianie niektórych ustaw w celu wyeliminowania nieprawidłowości w systemie wizowym Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), from 1 July 2025 NAWA Director issues recognition statements on a secondary education certificate confirming the right to apply for admission to first-cycle studies or long-cycle studies.

To obtain a recognition statement on a foreign secondary school certificate:

• read the instructions given in the SYRENA - User Manual below, before submitting the application,

  *SYRENA - User Manual -Secondary school certificate

  *SYRENA - Instrukcja Użytkownika - Świadectwo szkoły średniej

• prepare scans of required documents - in PDF or JPG format, with maximum size of each file of 3 MB. Please pay attention to step 2 and step 3 described in the instructions to enter the document data correctly and attach properly:
  • secondary school certificate giving the access to higher education on which the recognition statement you wish to obtain
  • transcript of records / supplement / list of subjects and grades attached to the certificate (if applicable)
  • previous document of education - document which was the basis for the admission to secondary school
  • certified translations of all the abovementioned documents (unless they are issued in: English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian)
  • identity card (passport)
  • document stating the change of surname
  • declaration filled in and signed by a parent or a legal guardian authorizing to submit the application (in the case of a minor applicant)
    oświadczenie-PL      declaration-EN
  • in the case of refugees – a refugee status document
• fill in the application form and add scans of the required documents in the SYRENA System,
• to submit the application correctly click the individual activation link generated in the SYRENA System and sent to the e-mail address provided in the application form,
• check the status of your application in the SYRENA System at any time,
• download the individual recognition statement after receiving a notification sent via the SYRENA System.

In case of technical problems, please contact us via e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Go to the SYRENA System

The NAWA's Director individual recognition statement on a secondary education certificate confirms solely the right to continue studies in Poland.
In order to obtain information concerning recognition for a different purpose than an academic one, contact the Department for International Cooperation in the Ministry of National Education, 25 J.Ch. Szucha Street, 00-918 Warsaw, Phone.: +48 22 34 74 312 or +48 22 34 74 552, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

The NAWA's Director individual recognition statement is not required in the case of secondary school certificates issued in EU, OECD or EFTA member countries, those included in international agreements on recognition of education (e.g. agreements with China or Ukraine) as well as IB and EB certificates. Those documents are automatically recognised for the purpose of applying for admission to first-cycle studies or long-cycle studies (information on the right to continue studies can be found in the KWALIFIKATOR system).

SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATES RECOGNIZED AUTOMATICALLY - as of 24.06.2025

NOTE: The NAWA's Director individual recognition statement is not required in the case of secondary school certificates already recognised by the Regional Educational Authority (Kurator Oświaty).

The NAWA's Director individual recognition statement is required for all other certificates.

THIRD COUNTRY SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATES - as of 21.07.2025

We advise also to check the FAQ section– frequently asked questions https://nawa.gov.pl/en/recognition/recognition-for-academic-purposes/faq-frequently-asked-questions.