France: education documents — comparability and a sworn translation

What you need to do

Understand what is actually being asked of you. France has no general confirmation of a foreign degree; an authorised centre issues a statement of comparability — a document describing your level in comparison with the French system. Not everyone needs it: the requirement is set by the university or the employer, so start with the question of whether you need it at all.

Second: translation. Documents for French institutions are translated by a sworn translator, and such a translation is not replaced by an office one or by a notarised one. This is a common reason a folder comes back, and redoing it costs weeks.

Third: order. Confirmation in the issuing country, then the sworn translation, then uploading into the admission procedure's file. If your country goes through the official operator's procedure, the folder is assembled for it — and checked there too.

Where the official answers live

• The authorised centre for comparability of qualifications — who issues the statement, what it needs, how long it takes.
• Campus France — the official admissions operator: which documents go into the file and in what form.
• The network of recognition centres — a general directory of which authority is responsible in which country.

How to check that the requirement has not changed

Ask your programme directly whether a statement of comparability is needed. Half the time lost here goes on a document nobody asked for.

On sworn translation: the list of translators is published officially, and checking a translator before paying is worth it. A translation from someone not on the list will have to be done again.

Timings, fees and amounts for France are in the facts on the country page, each with a link to its primary source and the date it was checked.