RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN HIGHER QUALIFICATIONS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Recognition is a formal confirmation of the value of a foreign higher education qualification aimed at employment and/or access to education, issued by a competent authority.
Professional recognition of a foreign higher education qualification is a formal confirmation of the value of a qualification aimed at access to an unregulated labor market, issued by a competent authority.
Academic recognition is the formal confirmation of the level of qualification acquired or the period of study acquired abroad for the purpose of continuing studies.
Competent bodies for the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Like education in general, the recognition process, in accordance with constitutional provisions, is under the jurisdiction of the Republika Srpska entity, ten cantons in the Federation of BiH and the Brčko District of BiH. Recognition procedures are regulated differently and are prescribed by laws on recognition, laws on nostrification and equivalence, laws on higher education, bylaws and statutes of higher education institutions (an overview of legislation is shown in the following table).
The area of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in the Republic of Srpska for the purpose of employment, that is access to the labor market, is performed by the Centre for Information and Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education which is an organizational unit of the Agency for Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska.
Academic recognition (recognition for the purpose of continuing education) in the Republika Srpska is performed by higher education institutions, which is determined by internal regulations and other bylaws.
In the Una-Sana Canton, the professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications is performed by a higher education institution.
Academic recognition is carried out by a higher education institution where one wishes to continue education.
In Posavina Canton, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports performs the procedure of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications for the purpose of employment and further education.
In the Tuzla Canton, the Ministry of Education and Science performs the procedure of recognizing foreign higher education qualifications for the purpose of employment.
Academic recognition in the Tuzla Canton is performed by higher education institutions.
In the Zenica-Doboj Canton, the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications for the purpose of employment is performed by higher education institutions in the area of the Zenica-Doboj Canton.
Academic recognition is performed by higher education institutions, that is, the organizational unit where the applicant wishes to continue his/her education.
In the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton of Goražde, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Science, Culture and Sports of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton of Goražde performs the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications for employment purposes.
Academic recognition is performed by higher education institutions, that is, the organizational unit where the applicant wishes to continue his/her education.
In the Canton of Central Bosnia, the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications for employment purposes.and further education, is performed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth, Culture and Sports.
In the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, the recognition procedure is performed by higher education institutions for the purpose of employment, and by organizational units for the purpose of continuing education. Each higher education institution in the Canton, within its general acts, regulates the procedure and manner of performing the recognition procedure.
In the West Herzegovina Canton, the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications is performed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
In the Sarajevo Canton, the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications is carried out by higher education institutions for the purpose of employment, while academic recognition is carried out by the organizational unit where the applicant wishes to continue his/her studies.
In Hercegbosna Canton, professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications is performed by the Ministry of Science, Education, Culture and Sports.
At the level of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, professional recognition is performed by the Commission for Recognition of Documents in the Field of Higher Education. Academic recognition is performed by licensed higher education institutions based in the Brčko District of BiH.
