Validation of international school certificates
Certificates confirming school attendance abroad or examinations taken outside Austria can be recognised as equivalent (validated) if validation is required in order for you to gain a particular eligibility or entitlement (e.g. employment in a profession that is regulated by law in Austria).
You can only apply to have a certificate validated if it was issued by a school abroad whose status corresponds to that of an Austrian public school or private school with public status.
Validation is based on a detailed comparison of the examinations taken and classes attended with a corresponding Austrian certificate.
If you cannot provide sufficient proof of individual subjects, appropriate additional examinations must be prescribed. The additional examinations are taken in the form of ‘Externistenprüfungen’ (examinations for external candidates).
In addition, it may also be necessary for you to attend classes or take final examinations.
Please note that validation is not required for the following purposes:
If you hold a certificate from an EU/EEA country, a procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications is required if you wish to practise a legally regulated profession.
If you wish to enter employment or work in an unregulated trade, assessment is usually sufficient.
Due to various legal regulations, no assessment or validation is required for most higher or further education courses (universities, universities of applied sciences, university colleges of teacher education, post-secondary vocational education and training (VET) colleges and adult education courses).
The education institution in question is entitled to make its own admission decisions.
Please contact the admissions office at the relevant education institution directly.
- Universities
- Private universities (accredited)
- Universities of applied sciences
- University colleges of teacher education
- Post-secondary VET colleges
Submitting your application
Your application must be accompanied by the original documents (for more information, see the relevant fact sheet).
Please send your application only after consultation (by phone or email) with the competent official. You can then submit your application in person or by post (registered mail).
Please note that face-to-face meetings are, without exception, only by appointment with the relevant official. Appointments can be arranged by phone or email and are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
Areas of responsibility – contact details
General compulsory schools
first consultancy: Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m to 12 a.m.
T +43 1 53120-4317
[email protected]
Sonja Aichhorn
Department I/2, room 125
Freyung 1
1010 Vienna
Academic secondary schools
first consultancy: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
T +43 1 53120- 4474
[email protected]
Ankica Nikolic
Department I/3, room 303
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120-4484
Part-time vocational schools
Karin Schreiber
Department I/7, room 350
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 4489
[email protected]
Please note that the BMBWF only validates school qualifications (part-time vocational school certificates); applications for accreditation of international apprenticeships that grant the right to practise a profession should be sent to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy: anerkennung‑[email protected].
Technical, engineering, and arts and crafts schools, colleges of agriculture and forestry
Sabine Niemeyer
Department I/8a, room 410
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 4415
[email protected]
Yasmin Catal
Department I/8a, room 406
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 4408
[email protected]
Business administration schools (colleges and schools of business administration)
Norbert Hanauer
Department I/9a, room 438a
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 4427
[email protected]
Schools of tourism, fashion, and art and design; schools for economic and social professions
Melanie Bilek
Department I/9b, room 419
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 4496
[email protected]
Early childhood education and social pedagogy
Harald Ottmann
Department II/9, room 349
Minoritenplatz 5
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 2835; F +43 1 53120 812835
[email protected]
Please note that in Austria, the professions of kindergarten teacher and social pedagogue are regulated professions.
The following legal regulation therefore applies:
Certificates from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland require a procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications pursuant to EU Directive 2005/36/EC; the application must be submitted to the relevant office of the state government.
Certificates from third countries (all other countries) must be validated. Please contact the competent official, Harald Ottmann, on +43 1 53120 2835 or at [email protected].
An assessment is possible in principle, but it does not enable you to take up employment in Austria.
Education and training in the field of sports teaching and physical education and for instructors and coaches
Günther Apflauer
Department I/5, room 416
Freyung 1
1010 Vienna
T +43 1 53120 2574
[email protected]
Documents required
For details of the documents required, please see the fact sheet for the school sector in question.
Please note the applicable certification rules for your original certificates.
Costs
Fees:
- Application (€14.30)
- School-leaving certificate (€14.30)
- Other certificates (€14.30 per certificate)
- Supporting documents (e.g. registration of residence, birth certificate, proof of citizenship, marriage certificate) (€3.90 per document)
- Certification (€14.30)
Administrative charges:
- Official notification (€6.50)
- Certification (€2.10)
The applicant must pay the costs of any translations of the required documents, certification fees, examination fees and teaching materials.
FAQs
The duration of the validation procedure depends on individual circumstances. After reviewing your documents, the competent official will be able to provide you with an estimate of how long the process will take.
Please do not send any documents by post without prior consultation (by phone or email) with the competent official.
Validation is only considered to be completed when you have passed all supplementary examinations and the certificate (school-leaving certificate) has been certified.
Under Article 75 of the School Education Act, validated certificates grant the holder the same rights as the certificates to which they are deemed equivalent.
No; applications are processed in the order in which they are received.
Please note that all the required documents must be enclosed with your application. If you are requested to submit missing documents, this will delay the process.
Unfortunately, this is not possible. For legal reasons, you must enclose the original documents with your application. Please do not send any documents by post without prior consultation (by phone or email) with the competent official.
No. Certificates in a language other than German must be translated by a sworn translator who is officially registered in Austria. The translation must be officially and firmly attached to the original document or to a certified copy.
You can find a list of all sworn court-certified interpreters and translators on the Austrian Association of Sworn and Court Certified Interpreters – ÖVGD website.
If your diploma or school-leaving certificate was issued in an EU Member State, a translation provided by an officially registered (legally certified) translation agency in the country of issue will be accepted.
If your diploma or school-leaving certificate was issued in a third country (non-EU Member State), you must provide either a translation of the diploma/school-leaving certificate by a translation agency officially registered (legally certified) in Austria OR confirmation of the accuracy of the existing translation from a translation agency (legally certified) in Austria.
You can find a list of all sworn court-certified interpreters and translators on the Austrian Association of Sworn and Court Certified Interpreters – ÖVGD website.
Please enclose proof of your residence status (e.g. a copy of your refugee travel document) with your application.
The BMBWF is entitled to have the authenticity of the documents checked by other institutions.
In most cases, you should be able to obtain a duplicate from the school that issued the original certificate.
If you cannot obtain a duplicate for any reason, a replacement certificate may be issued subject to certain conditions.
Subject to certain conditions, you can apply to the Austrian Integration Fund for a refund of the costs incurred in connection with the procedure: Austrian Integration Fund website.
You can also find more information about the financial support available at: berufsanerkennung.at/en/ > Professional recognition > Financial support
Please contact the official responsible for the school sector in question.
You can also contact staff at the AST contact points for initial advice and support with your application.