Nostrification step by step

Nostrification is the recognition of a diploma obtained abroad as equivalent to a Polish diploma. It is carried out by a Polish university. The legal basis is Articles 326–327 of the Law on Higher Education and Science and the regulation on nostrification of 28 September 2018. In the medical professions, nostrification of a diploma from outside the European Union is usually the first step towards a licence to practise (PWZ) in Poland.

When you need nostrification

• You have a diploma from a country outside the European Union and want to practise a medical profession in Poland: as a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, veterinarian, pharmacist, physiotherapist, paramedic, laboratory diagnostician or in another medical profession.
• If Poland has concluded an international agreement on the recognition of diplomas with the country that issued your diploma, equivalence may follow from that agreement. If there is no such agreement, you need nostrification (Art. 327(1)). You can get free information about your diploma from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).
• A diploma from an EU, EFTA or OECD country confirms your level of education in Poland (Art. 326), but does not in itself give you the right to practise a regulated profession. In the medical professions, the laws on each profession decide.

Where to apply

Nostrification is carried out by a university that holds scientific category A+, A or B+ in the discipline related to the studies covered by the diploma (Art. 327(4)). For a doctor’s diploma this is usually medical sciences, for a pharmacist’s diploma pharmaceutical sciences, for a nurse’s or midwife’s diploma health sciences, and for a veterinarian’s diploma veterinary science.

• A university without such a category refuses to conduct the procedure and does not charge a fee. You can file a complaint (zażalenie) against this ruling (Art. 327(7)).
• The evaluation of research quality for 2022–2025 ended in 2026. On 22 July 2026 the ministry published the planned categories, and some universities applied for reconsideration. A final category of B or C means that the university loses the right to nostrify diplomas in that discipline.
• Many universities accept applications only at set times, for example twice a year. We have collected the dates, fees and contact details in the university catalogue.

Documents

The regulation on nostrification (§ 2) requires you to attach the following to your application:

1. the diploma,
2. documents that make it possible to assess the course of your studies, the learning outcomes and the length of your studies, for example the diploma supplement or a list of subjects with the number of hours,
3. the certificate, diploma or other document on the basis of which you were admitted to your studies,
4. a statement of your place and date of birth.

The university can certify copies of the documents on the basis of the originals. If something is missing, the university asks you to supply it within a period of at least 14 days (§ 3).

• Translations. The university may require a translation into Polish and, in particularly justified cases, a sworn translation or a translation certified by a Polish consul (§ 4). In practice, many universities require sworn translations.
• Apostille or legalisation. The regulation does not require it, but some universities do, including the Medical University of Warsaw, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, the Medical University of Bialystok and Wroclaw Medical University.
• NAWA information on the diploma. Some universities, for example Wroclaw Medical University, the Medical University of Bialystok and the Faculty of Health Sciences of Jagiellonian University Medical College (UJ CM), require written information from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange. NAWA issues it free of charge. You apply for it in the SYRENA system.

Fee

The nostrification fee may not exceed 50% of the minimum basic salary of a professor at a public university (Art. 327(6)). Since 1 January 2026 this salary has been PLN 9,650, so the fee can be no more than PLN 4,825. Some universities still state the amount of PLN 4,685, calculated using the 2024 rate.

• The university itself decides when it waives the fee.
• You have at least 14 days to pay the fee (§ 7 of the regulation).
• The fee is sometimes non-refundable and due regardless of the outcome. This is the case, for example, at the Medical University of Gdańsk and Wroclaw Medical University.

How the university assesses the diploma

The university compares the study programme, the learning outcomes and the length of your studies with Polish studies. If it finds differences, it may require you to pass exams or complete practical training (§ 5). In medical degree programmes, this is usually a test in Polish, for example:

• Medical University of Lodz, medicine: a test of 150 questions from 7 subjects, pass mark 60%; dentistry: a computer-based test of 140 questions, pass mark 60%; nursing and midwifery: a test of 120 questions, pass mark 70%.
• Medical University of Warsaw, dentistry: a test of 70 questions in Polish, pass mark 60% and a pass in every part.
• Medical University of Bialystok: first an exam comparing learning outcomes, then the nostrification exam.

Some universities allow only one attempt at the exam in a single procedure, for example Jagiellonian University Medical College and the Medical University of Silesia. The exams can be difficult. The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) found that in 2017–2019 all 15 completed procedures at the Medical University of Silesia ended in a refusal. It is worth preparing for the tests in advance, for example on the MedMigrant.com platform.

How long it takes

The university decides the case within 90 days of the submission of an application that meets the formal requirements. This period does not include the time needed for translations, exams and practical training (§ 6 of the regulation).

Outcome

Under Art. 327(5), when the university recognises the diploma, it issues a certificate of nostrification (zaświadczenie o nostryfikacji). You use it to apply for the licence to practise. A refusal to recognise the diploma is an administrative decision. The instructions in the decision tell you how and within what time limit you can challenge it.

After nostrification: the licence to practise

• Doctor and dentist: a postgraduate internship or its recognition by the Minister of Health, the LEK or LDEK final exam, the Polish language exam held by the Supreme Medical Council (NRL), and then an application to the regional medical council.
• Nurse and midwife: an application to the regional council of nurses and midwives and a document confirming knowledge of Polish.
• Veterinarian: the Polish language exam held by the National Veterinary Council and an application to the regional veterinary council.
• Pharmacist: at least 6 months of practical training in a pharmacy and an application to the Supreme Pharmaceutical Council, which also checks knowledge of Polish.
• Physiotherapist, paramedic, laboratory diagnostician: confirmation of knowledge of Polish, for example through an exam held by the national council of your professional body, and an application for the licence to practise.

We describe the details for each profession on the Medical professions page.

Simplified procedures

Doctors and dentists who have worked as specialists for at least 3 years, and nurses and midwives with at least 3 years of work in the profession, can obtain the consent of the Minister of Health to work without nostrification. In both cases, this work must have been within the last 5 years. Among other things, you need a certificate from a healthcare provider stating that it intends to employ you. Such a licence to practise is limited to a specific scope and place of work and is issued for no more than 5 years, with no extension. After that, you have to follow the usual route: nostrification, or for doctors and dentists, LEW or LDEW instead. The special rules for citizens of Ukraine have expired. An act of 23 January 2026 repealed them with effect from 5 March 2026.

Sources

• Law on Higher Education and Science, Articles 326–327, consolidated text Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1571: eli.gov.pl
• Regulation on the nostrification of diplomas of studies completed abroad, Dz.U. 2018 poz. 1881: sejm.gov.pl
• Regulation on the amount of the minimum salary of a professor, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 525: sejm.gov.pl
• NAWA, information on a foreign diploma: nawa.gov.pl
• Announcement of the Minister of Science on the end of a stage of the 2022–2025 evaluation: gov.pl
• NIK, post-audit statement to the Medical University of Silesia (2020): nik.gov.pl
• Act phasing out the arrangements of the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203: eli.gov.pl

Information as of 18 October 2026. Confirm the rules of the specific university before you apply.