Foreign Qualifications

Presently, there are three types of recognition in Portugal

Automatic Recognition

The foreign higher education degree or diploma is generally recognised when its level, goals and nature are identical to the Portuguese degrees of licenciado (graduate), mestre (master) and doutor (doctorate) or the short cycle professional higher technical diplomas. Eligible degrees are listed in the degrees and diplomas determined by the commission for the recognition of foreign higher education degrees and diplomas and must have been awarded by an institution recognised or accredited by its own country’s competent authorities. You can check at DGES’ webpage if your diploma may be subject of automatic recognition.

Level Recognition

It allows the recognition by comparison, on a case by case basis, of a foreign higher education degree or diploma as having a level corresponding to a Portuguese higher education degree or diploma.

The level recognition is submitted to an institution that awards a degree or diploma in the same field. You can check, at ULisboa’s webpage, our training fields.

The level recognition can also be established by precedence, in the cases that the degrees recognised share the same elements simultaneously:

1. Awarded by the same institution;
2. Have the same course designation;
3. Have the same degree;
4. Have the same duration or number or credits.

Specific Recognition

It allows the recognition by comparison, on a case by case basis, of a foreign higher education degree or diploma as having a level corresponding to a Portuguese higher education degree or diploma in a certain training field, branch of knowledge or specialty.

The specific recognition is submitted to an institution that awards the same degree or diploma in the same training area. You can check, at ULisboa’s webpage, our training fields.

This recognition can be conditional upon approval in knowledge assessment procedures.

As part of the specific recognition, degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions following a training with 300 to 360 credits and a course curriculum between 10 and 12 curricular semesters, which correspond in Portugal:

1. In duration and syllabus content, to an integrated study cycle conducting to a degree of Master, can be recognised to the degree of Mestre (Master);
2. In syllabus content, to a degree of Licenciado (Graduate), are recognised to the degree of Mestre (Master), insofar the holder of that academic degree has successfully obtained approval in an original scientific dissertation or project work specifically carried out for this purpose, or a professional internship subject to a final report, with a duration equivalent to 30 curricular units.

For the automatic recognition or for the level recognition by precedence:

1. One of the following documents:

a) A copy of the diploma or document issued by the foreign higher education institution attesting that the degree or diploma for which the recognition is requested has already been awarded, certified by the competent authorities for that purpose;
b) A copy of the document issued by the foreign higher education institution which has an identifying number, in case the foreign higher education institution has a centralised registry that can be publicly accessed through a unique identifier;
c) The diploma or certificate issued by a foreign higher education institution, in its original version, attesting that the degree or diploma for which the recognition is requested has already been awarded;

All the documents issued by a foreign higher education institution can be presented in digital support, as long as their authenticity is unambiguous and the format is non-editable and with qualified electronic signature affixed by the competent authorities of that institution.

2. A statement from the applicant indicating the CNAEF and FOS classifications of the training field. The tables for the CNAEF and FOS training fields can be checked on this page, in the menubar to the right (‘Documents’).

3. The processing of the application is subject to the presentation of your ID. Alternatively, you can submit a statement allowing the submission of the copy of the ID document for issuing the certificate of recognition registration, together with the copy of the document.

If you want to request the conversion of the final classification independently of recognition or registration already carried out:

1. Document (s) issued by the foreign higher education institution with an indication of the final classification attributed to the academic degree or diploma for which recognition is required and the foreign final classification scale, showing the minimum classification corresponding to approval and the maximum classification.

2. Copy of the certificate of prior recognition or diploma registration.

For the specific recognition or level recognition without precedence:

1. One of the following documents:

a) A copy of the diploma or document issued by the foreign higher education institution attesting that the degree or diploma for which the recognition is requested has already been awarded, certified by the competent authorities;
b) A copy of the document issued by the foreign higher education institution, with an identification number, in case the foreign higher education institution has a centralised registry that can be publicly accessed through an unique identifier;

c) A diploma or certificate issued by a foreign higher education institution, in its original version, attesting that the degree or diploma for which the recognition is requested has already been awarded;
All the documents issued by a foreign higher education institution can be presented in digital support, as long as its authenticity is unambiguous and this format is non-editable and with qualified electronic signature affixed by the competent authorities of that institution.

2. A statement from the applicant indicating the CNAEF and FOS classifications of the training field. The tables for the CNAEF and FOS training fields can be checked on this page, in the menubar to the right (‘Documents’).

3. A document issued by the foreign higher education institution, containing the curricular units in which the applicant was approved and which led to the degree or diploma for which recognition is sought, as well as the respective syllabus content, the duration of the studies leading to the degree and its final classification.

4. When it refers to a degree corresponding to the master level, a digital or scanned copy of the dissertation defended or the project work, or the internship report.

5. In the case of a doctoral degree, a digital or scanned copy of the defendant's thesis, except when it has been replaced by other research, artistic pieces or installations, in which case you must submit in digital format the appropriate elements that enable the jury to know the content of the research carried out, the process of conception and elaboration, research capacity, and its framing in the evolution of knowledge in the field in which it is inserted.

6. The application process is subject to the presentation of your ID. Alternatively, you can submit a declaration allowing the submission of the copy of the ID document for issuing the certificate of recognition registration, together with the copy of the document.

The documents referred to in No. 4 and 5 are not needed when their presentation was not necessary to obtain the academic degree  up for recognition. In this case, the applicant must prove this situation through a document issued by the foreign higher education institution, confirming that these elements were not necessary to obtain the degree.

1. The diplomas, certificates and documents concerning the curricular units, syllabus content, and duration of studies or final grade, which are issued in a foreign language (not Spanish, French or English) must be subject of certified translation into one of these languages by the competent authorities.

2. When turning in project work, internship reports, dissertations, theses and statements, written in any foreign language, the applicant can be asked to present the certified translation into one of these languages by the competent authorities.

3. The certification referred to in the previous numbers concerns the content of the translation and not the signatures of the parties involved in those acts.

The diplomas, certificates and academic transcripts issued by foreign higher education institutions outside the European Union must be legalised by a Portuguese consular agent or through the Hague Apostille. These legalisations are carried out in the country where the documents are issued.

The diplomas and certificates can be presented in form of a certified true copy done by Portuguese Notary Offices, Portuguese Consulates, Chambers of Commerce and Industry (recognised according the Decree-Law nr. 244/92, of October 29th), lawyers and solicitors, registry offices, parish councils, or CTT in Portugal.

Automatic recognition: 50.00€
Automatic recognition and conversion to the Portuguese grading system: 75.00€
Level recognition: 550.00€
Level recognition based on precedence: 50.00€
Level recognition based on precedence with conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading system: 75.00€
Specific recognition: 550.00€
Specific recognition of a degree which can be subject t0 automatic recognition: 275€
Conversion request of the final grade, presented separately from an automatic recognition or level recognition request: 50.00€
Issuance of a second certificate of recognition of foreign qualifications: 25.00€.

Calculating time limits:

• It starts after the request is complete, including the submission of all documents, as well as the documents that you must present, and after the payment of the respective fees;
• it is suspended when information, documents or assessment is requested/needed.

Automatic recognition: 30 working days after the full completion of all necessary steps for the application.
Level recognition: 90 working days after the full completion of all necessary steps for the application.
Level recognition based on precedence: 30 working days after the full completion of all necessary steps for the application.
Specific recognition: 90 working days after the full completion of all necessary steps for the application.

The request is submitted by completing the online form available at DGES’ webpage.

You should make sure all the entered data is complete (name, contacts, etc.). Each document must correspond to a PDF file and must contain the front, the back and any legalizations. The online form only supports the submission of files as big as 4 MB, so files that are bigger should be split into several others, identified with the same title, followed by “1”, “2”, “3”, etc. If you submit an automatic recognition, in the field “cycle of studies” you must choose “Bologna”, in case your degree has been concluded in a European university after the conclusion of that process, “Pre-Bolonha” in case it was before that process, and “Other” if your diploma was obtained in the USA, Canada or Brazil (countries included in the list approved by the commission for the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas). In the next field, you should select the degree that corresponds to the one you obtained at the foreign university.

The Universidade de Lisboa reserves the right to edit the data according to the documents submitted and presented by the applicant.

ULisboa - UFRJ (Medicine): these applicants should present a specific recognition request.

In order to complete the specific recognition or level recognition requests, you should contact the Faculty or Institute that you have selected in the form. Please check their contacts at “Additional Information, Specific Regulations and Recognition Juries”.

In order to complete the automatic recognition, level recognition based on precedence or conversion to the Portuguese grading system requests, you should contact the Academic Department of the Central Services.

You can send by post the certified copy of the diploma or certificate attesting the degree you wish to recognise to the following address:

Núcleo de Provas Académicas
Departamento Académico
Reitoria da Universidade de Lisboa
Alameda da Universidade
1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
Phone number: 210113400
E-mail: reche@reitoria.ulisboa.pt

Service hours.

You should consult the pages of each School, using the links below:

Faculty of Architecture
Faculty of Fine Arts
Faculty of Sciences
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Pharmacy
School of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Dental Medicine
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Faculty of Human Kinetics
Faculty of Psychology
Institute of Social Sciences
Institute of Education
Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning
School of Agriculture
Institute of Social and Political Sciences
ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics & Management
IST Técnico Lisboa