Recognition of foreign qualifications: the Lisbon and Global Conventions, ENICs and national rules

Recognition is not verification

A recognition body compares a qualification with the home system. UK ENIC says its Statement of Comparability shows how international qualifications compare to the UK education systems, and that the qualification must be officially recognised in the country where it was studied ³. The Statement does not comment on grades, subjects or English proficiency ³. Checking that a degree is genuine is a separate step with the awarding institution.

The Lisbon Recognition Convention

The Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region is European Treaty Series No. 165 ¹. It sets out several rules ¹.

• Article VI.1: each party recognises higher education qualifications conferred in another party, except where a substantial difference can be shown ¹.
• Article IV.1: the same test applies to school qualifications that give access to higher education ¹.
• Article III.3: the responsibility to show that an application does not meet the requirements lies with the body undertaking the assessment ¹.
• Article III.5: decisions are made within a reasonable time limit set beforehand, and the applicant may appeal a refusal or a missing decision ¹.
• Article IX.2: each party runs a national information centre that gives advice on recognition ¹.

The UNESCO Global Convention

UNESCO's General Conference adopted the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education at its 40th session in November 2019, the first UN treaty on higher education with a global scope ². It received its 20th ratification on 5 December 2022 and entered into force on 5 March 2023 ². As of July 2026, 42 States had ratified it ².

UNESCO says the convention covers fair, transparent and non-discriminatory recognition, qualifications earned remotely, and refugees' qualifications even where documents are missing ². It complements UNESCO's five regional conventions ². UNESCO reported ratifications by Ireland on 24 August 2026 and Lesotho on 29 October 2026 ².

National approaches compared

United States

The US Department of Education says it does not evaluate foreign qualifications or degrees ⁵. For study, the competent authority is the school where the person wants to enrol, and for work it is the employer ⁵. For a regulated profession, the authoritative source is the state licensing board in the jurisdiction where the person intends to work ⁵. Evaluations are carried out by private, non-governmental entities for a fee, and the Department does not endorse or recommend any evaluation service ⁵.

The ENIC-NARIC site warns that some third parties falsely present themselves as ENIC or NARIC centres, and advises checking against the official list of designated national information centres ⁶.

Canada's CICIC publishes a step-by-step guide for assessors that includes confirming the status of the institution and its programmes before comparing the credential with Canadian ones ⁴.