\n \nWhen the new Act on the Recognition and Assessment of Foreign Educational Qualifications (OG, no. 69\/2022<\/a>) came into force on the 25th<\/sup> June 2022, it signaled a halt of the previous administrative procedure of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications, and the introduction of the procedure of assessment<\/em><\/strong> of higher education qualifications after which the Agency for Science and Higher Education issues an informational document \u2013 opinion <\/em><\/strong>on a foreign higher education qualification.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAssessment <\/em><\/strong>of a foreign educational qualification refers to the process of determining the level, volume, profile and quality of the qualification, as well as all the rights conferred by that qualification in its country of origin.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nOpinion<\/em><\/strong> on a foreign higher education qualification is a document that contains information on the status of the higher education institution and the study programme, the level, volume, profile and quality of the qualification, as well as the comparison with the level of education in the Republic of Croatia (if possible).\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nGuidelines for starting the procedure for assessment of foreign higher education qualification<\/a>\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe decision to employ a candidate for a particular job depends on the employer, or rather on the previously defined employment requirements and employer can ask for Agency’s opinion with relevant information on foreign higher education qualification.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nIf you want to work in a regulated profession in Croatia, you should contact the competent authority for a particular regulated profession \u2013 Database of Regulated Professions in Croatia<\/a>.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAs of the 1st<\/sup> July 2013, the recognition of foreign professional qualifications was prescribed by the Act on Regulated Professions and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications<\/a> (OG, no. 124\/2009, 45\/2011, 82\/2015, 70\/2019 and 47\/2020). This Act stipulates that all those who want to provide services within a regulated profession in the Republic of Croatia (List of regulated professions in the Republic of Croatia<\/a> \u2013 in Croatian), and have acquired their professional qualification abroad, have to contact the competent authority (professional associations (chambers) or competent ministries) that grants access to that regulated profession in Croatia, and apply for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAccording to the current regulations, it is not possible to obtain a Croatian professional or academic title through the process of assessment. Holders of foreign educational qualifications use their acquired titles in their original form.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nYes, they are exempt from paying fees for the processes of assessment and recognition of foreign higher education\u00a0qualifications\u00a0and periods of study based on the Ordinance on the Evaluation of Foreign Higher Education Qualifications (OG, no.\u00a060\/2005<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a010\/2008<\/a>).\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nFurthermore, they can apply to have the cost of translating documents necessary for the assessment of foreign higher education qualifications covered by the Directorate for Support and Improvement of the Education System, the Ministry of Science and Education. Contact: <\/a>Marijana.Gojceta@mzo.hr<\/a> and <\/a>Momir.Karin@mzo.hr<\/a>.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAsylees, aliens under subsidiary protection and aliens under temporary protection as well as their family members who are staying legally in Croatia, and who have justified reasons for not being able to submit documentation for their foreign higher education qualification, can request an informational document on a foreign higher education qualification for asylees, aliens under subsidiary protection and aliens under temporary protection without documentation.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nInformational document<\/em><\/strong> contains information on the higher education institution that issued the qualification as well as the profile, level and the assessed volume of the qualification.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nGuidelines for issuing the informational document on the higher education qualification for asylees, aliens under subsidiary protection and aliens under temporary protection without documentation<\/a>\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe optimal duration of the process of assessment is up to 45 days, starting from the date of receipt of the complete documentation.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAfter receiving an Application form for the assessment of higher education qualification and upon your written request, the Croatian ENIC\/NARIC office can issue a formal confirmation that the process of assessment of foreign higher education qualification is in progress.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nYes. The only important thing is that all the required data for payment is visible (the name of the applicant, the name of the payer (if different than the applicant), and purpose of payment). You can submit the payment printout as proof.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAssessment of lower level higher education qualifications acquired abroad is not a requirement for the assessment of a higher level qualification. For example, it is not necessary to have a Master\u2019s degree assessed in the Republic of Croatia in order to get the assessment of a PhD degree.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nNo. Each foreign higher education qualification is assessed individually, meaning that a separate application – including the application form and the administrative fee – should be submitted for each qualification.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nAccreditation\u00a0is a result of a review\/evaluation of an education program or institution, which monitors the achievement of previously determined standards. It can be defined as the recognition of a program or institution that meets the previously determined standards. Most countries have established a system of formal evaluation of their higher education institutions, or rather of issuing licenses for individual study programs. Considering the expanding range of higher education institutions, the establishment of numerous private higher education institutions in many countries and significant differences in laws and practice for the\u00a0evaluation\u00a0and recognition of higher education institutions, qualifications cannot be suitably assessed without considering the institution that issued them and whether that institution is recognized as part of the national higher education system.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nIn the Republic of Croatia, accreditation of a higher education institution implies that the institution is registered as a higher education institution and listed in the Register of Higher Education Institutions. A study program is considered to be accredited if the institution which delivers it has a license for delivering the study program that was issued by the competent accrediting authority. A license is a document confirming that a public scientific institute or a higher education institution meets the standards and requirements for performing certain activities or delivering a particular study program.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe Republic of Croatia maintains a Directory of Study Programmes<\/a>, which includes all higher education institutions in Croatia that have accreditation, or rather a license issued by the Ministry of Science and Education.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nOther countries have similar lists of higher education institutions, some of which are available online. More information about a particular country can be found on the website of the ENIC\/NARIC Network<\/a>.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nOne of the main\u00a0criteria\u00a0for the assessment of a foreign higher education qualification in Croatia is that it was obtained upon the completion of an accredited study programme at an accredited foreign higher education institution.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nIt is thus only possible to assess those higher education qualifications that are issued by a higher education institution accredited by a competent accrediting authority of that country.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe competent accrediting authority, which is in charge of accreditation for the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Agencija za razvoj visokog obrazovanja i osiguranje kvaliteta<\/em>, HEA).\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nConsequently, the Agency for Science and Higher Education can assess those Bosnian higher education qualifications that have been issued by higher education institutions which passed the accreditation procedure in Bosnia and Herzegovina and are listed in the National Register of Higher Education Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, maintained by HEA.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe HEA webpage states:\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n\u201cAccording to the Framework Law on Higher Education, an accredited higher education institution issues academic degrees and diplomas. The competent authorities and other bodies and organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall recognize only those academic degrees and diplomas awarded by accredited higher education institutions for the purpose of employment and performing a public function.\u201d (<\/a>http:\/\/hea.gov.ba\/FAQ\/Default.aspx?id=6178<\/a>)\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe information on higher education institutions listed in the National Register of Higher Education Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina is available on HEA\u2019s website, under the List of accredited Higher Education Institutions (<\/a>http:\/\/hea.gov.ba\/akreditacija_vsu\/Default.aspx<\/a>).\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nNo, the accreditation of a higher education institution and study programme is only one of the assessed elements.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe Act on the Recognition and Assessment of Foreign Educational Qualifications (OG, no. 69\/2022), Article 8, states that the procedure of assessing foreign higher education qualifications includes the assessment of the original academic title of a foreign educational qualification; the level of a foreign educational qualification and its level in the national qualifications framework, as well as its referencing to the European Qualifications Framework and the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area (if they are referenced) and, consequentially, with the qualification level in the Croatian Qualifications Framework; educational profile, specialisation or other relevant information; the name of the higher education institution (HEI) that issued the foreign educational qualification; information on the rights that the qualification holder has in the country of origin; information on whether the qualification was awarded through the assessment of non-formal and informal learning or after the completion of adult education, and whether the study programme was delivered partly or fully through distance learning; the quality of the study programme and the HEI, including information on the accreditation of the HEI and other information on quality assurance of the country that issued the foreign educational qualification as well as whether that HEI is recognized as part of the national higher education system; the name and the volume (duration) of the study programme in question, the year of enrolment and the year when the qualification was awarded.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nNo. Since the 1st<\/sup> July 2004, the Republic of Croatia was conducting the procedure of the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in accordance with the Act on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Qualifications (OG, no. 158\/2003, 198\/2003, 138\/2006 and 45\/2011), and since the 25th<\/sup> June 2022 it will continue to conduct it in accordance with the Act on the Recognition and Assessment of Foreign Educational Qualifications (OG, no. 69\/2022<\/a>), which is based on the principles of the Lisbon Convention on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in Europe from the 11th<\/sup> April 1997, and the Act on Ascertaining the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (OG \u2013 International Treaties, no. 9\/02 and 15\/02).<\/a> With the adoption of the 2004 Recognition Act, the previous Act on the Recognition of Foreign School Certificates and University Diplomas (OG, no. 57\/96 and 21\/00), on the basis of which the so-called nostrification<\/em> process had been carried out, had ceased to be valid.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nThe assessment of higher education qualifications from former Yugoslavia depends on the date when the qualification was issued. According to the relevant legislation, all foreign higher education qualifications that were issued before the 8th<\/sup> October 1991 in educational systems of former Yugoslavian states are legally equal to higher education qualifications of educational institutions of the Republic of Croatia, and are therefore not subject to the procedures of recognition or assessment.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nIn accordance with Article 14 of the Act on Academic and Professional Titles and Academic Degree (OG, no. 107\/2007<\/a>) and Article 120 of the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education<\/a> (OG, no. 123\/03, 198\/03, 105\/04 and 174\/04), the institution that awarded your qualification should issue a certificate with the new title that you are entitled to use.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n \n \nFor information on the recognition of Croatian qualifications abroad, we suggest that you contact the ENIC\/NARIC office in the country in which you wish to have your qualification recognized, or the embassy of that country in Croatia, should one exist. Further information on the recognition of foreign qualifications in a particular country can be found on the website of the ENIC\/NARIC Network<\/a>.\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2.\u00a0Is Agency\u2019s opinion formal prerequisite for employment in the Republic of Croatia?<\/h2>\n\n\n
3. Is it possible to obtain a Croatian academic title through the process of assessment?<\/h2>\n\n\n
4. Are asylees, aliens under subsidiary protection and aliens under temporary protection exempt from paying fees for the assessment of foreign higher education qualifications?<\/h2>\n\n\n
5. Can people who, for justified reasons lack documentation for a part or all of their higher education, get an opinion on their foreign higher education qualification?<\/h2>\n\n\n
6. What is the duration of the procedure of assessment of foreign higher education qualifications?<\/h2>\n\n\n
7. Can I get a formal confirmation that the process of assessment is in progress?<\/h2>\n\n\n
8. May I pay the administrative fee for assessment online?<\/h2>\n\n\n
9. Do I have to assess a lower level higher education qualification in order to obtain the assessment of a higher level qualification?<\/h2>\n\n\n
10. I wish to obtain an assessment of my Master\u2019s and PhD degrees issued by a foreign institution. Can I submit one application for the assessment of both qualifications?<\/h2>\n\n\n
11. What is the accreditation of higher education institutions and study programs?<\/h2>\n\n\n
12. How can I find out if a higher education institution is accredited?<\/h2>\n\n\n
13. How can I find out which higher education institutions and study programs are accredited in Bosnia and Herzegovina?<\/h2>\n\n\n
14. Is the accreditation of a higher education institution and study programme the only element that is assessed?<\/h2>\n\n\n
15. Is it possible to make an equivalence of a foreign qualification to a Croatian one?<\/h2>\n\n\n
16. Is it necessary to assess qualifications acquired in the area of former Yugoslavia?<\/h2>\n\n\n
17. I finished my study in Croatia according to the \u2018old program\u2019 and acquired the title \u201cdiplomirani…\u201d. How can I get a new title in accordance with the\u00a0Bologna system of higher education?<\/h2>\n\n\n
18. I want to recognize my qualification obtained in the Republic of Croatia in a foreign country. Whom should I contact?<\/h2>\n\n\n