Poland

This is the editors' opinion, not an extract from a document. We keep it apart from verified figures on purpose — so that one cannot be mistaken for the other.

• Opinion

  In Poland, check the free recognition route first instead of going straight to nostrification

  There are several routes to recognising a school qualification there, and they cost very different amounts: a statement from the relevant agency is issued free of charge, while the price of nostrification is set by the university itself within a legal maximum. The difference is not measured in percentages. We advise starting with the free route and moving to the paid one only when the first genuinely does not fit — not because nobody mentioned it: paying for a procedure you could have skipped is a loss you do not get back.

  Rests on:Three recognition pathsNawa recognition freeNostryfikacja max fee

• Opinion

  For Poland, order the translation only from a sworn translator on the official list

  A sworn translation into Polish is accepted only from a translator entered on the ministry of justice list, and an apostille or legalisation is mandatory for any diploma obtained outside the country. A translation made by anyone else does not become a document — it is not rejected with a remark, it simply is not the thing required. We advise checking the translator's name against the list before paying rather than after: redoing a translation costs more than the translation and always lands at the most inconvenient moment.

  Rests on:Sworn translator ministry listApostille mandatory all diplomas

• Opinion

  In Poland, plan the residence card from day one: the visa cannot be extended

  Extending a student visa is not provided for there at all — staying on is possible only on a temporary residence permit, and the application must be filed before the visa expires, with a margin. A missed window means not a fine but leaving and applying again from home, that is, a missed semester. We advise putting the filing date in your calendar on arrival, counted backwards from the visa's end, rather than waiting until the deadline becomes a reason to worry.

  Rests on:Student visa not extendableApply permit before visa expiresKarta pobytu deadline

Some answers are not on this page and cannot be: recognition of your certificate and the apostille are done at home, while the visa code, processing deadlines and Erasmus+ are the same in all five countries.