Getting Arabic diplomas recognised in Austria: Nostrifikation step by step

Nostrifikation is the formal equivalence of a foreign qualification with a specific Austrian one. It ends with an official decision that entitles you to use the Austrian title and exercise the rights attached to it. Because the procedure is demanding and often requires supplementary examinations, it is usually only necessary when a profession legally requires a specific degree or an authority explicitly asks for Nostrifikation.

The assessment, called Bewertung in German, is the quicker and less formal route. ENIC NARIC Austria, the recognition office within the responsible federal ministry, examines your qualification and issues a written statement of the Austrian level it corresponds to. This assessment is neither an equivalence nor an official decision, but it helps employers, the public employment service AMS and HR departments to place your qualification. For most non regulated professions, for example in retail, IT or marketing, it is sufficient in practice.

Professional recognition, finally, concerns regulated professions, that is, professions you may only practise with a specific qualification: doctors, nurses, teachers, chartered engineers, many health and trade professions. Here the decision is made not by a university but by the authority or chamber responsible for the profession. Orientation is provided by the Anlaufstellen für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen, known as AST, contact points that advise free of charge on which procedure makes sense in your case. A conversation there often saves months.

Responsibility depends on the type of qualification and on the purpose. The following overview describes usual practice, the binding information always comes from the office concerned.

All procedures require translations into German, as a rule certified translations. Certified translations are produced by generally sworn and court certified translators and are recognised by Austrian authorities, universities and courts. Some institutions accept English language originals for an initial review, but the actual submission almost always needs German.

With certificates, completeness is what counts most. The entire document is translated: front and back, all stamps and signatures, registration numbers, legalisation endorsements and the footnotes that on Arabic certificates often explain the grading scale. A translation that only reproduces subjects and grades is frequently sent back. You will usually need the following documents translated:

The procedure is similar in all cases: you file an application, present originals or certified copies together with translations, the office examines the documents and requests further material if needed. In Nostrifikation the institution compares your studies with the Austrian curriculum. If essential content is missing, it prescribes supplementary examinations that you must pass before the decision is issued.

Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Certificates from these countries therefore usually require legalisation: authentication by the education or higher education ministry and the foreign ministry of the country of origin, followed by the Austrian diplomatic mission. Among the Gulf states, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have ratified the convention in recent years, so an apostille is sufficient there. For the Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar legalisation still applies. Check the current status, because the list of contracting states changes, and ask the recognition office whether it actually requires authentication in your case. Not every institution insists on it.

Many people from Syria and Iraq only hold their certificates as copies or photos, because the original was left behind or the issuing university can no longer be reached. For recognised refugees and persons with subsidiary protection there are usually procedures that take missing evidence into account, for instance through plausibility checks or expert interviews. Raise this openly with the AST contact point. Scan what you have in the best possible quality. Certified translations can also be made from copies, the translation then notes that a copy was presented.

On Arabic certificates the name usually appears only in Arabic, often with the father's and grandfather's names, occasionally in the university's own English transliteration. The recognition office compares the name with your passport or residence card. So give the translator the Latin spelling from your passport, so that the translation does not write Mohamed where the passport says Muhammad. If the spelling on the certificate still differs, a brief translator's note helps, and in individual cases the office asks for a declaration that it is the same person.

From practical experience with certificates from the region, a few pointers have proved useful: