If you have qualifications from another country

Last updated: 12/5-2023

Read here about what you can do if you have an education from another country. You can have your foreign education certificates translated or have an evaluation of them made.

A man seated in front of a computer.

Photo: Misak Nalbandian

Translation of foreign education certificates

If you have an education from another country you need to have the certificates from it translated, unless they are in English, French, Spanish, German or one of the Nordic languages.

The translation must be carried out by an authorised translator into Swedish or one of the languages listed above.

Arbetsförmedlingen can help you have the documents translated into Swedish. This is a free service if you are a jobseeker and you have registered with Arbetsförmedlingen.

Assessment of foreign qualifications

If you have completed an education in another country and you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or have applied for a residence permit in Sweden, you can apply for an evaluation of your education. This means that the Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR) will issue an evaluation of what your education corresponds to in the Swedish education system.

UHR have made a video about how they assess foreign education qualifications. This video is only available in Swedish, with Swedish subtitles.

If you have completed upper secondary school or have a post-secondary vocational or academic qualification, you can have it evaluated by UHR, the Swedish Council for Higher Education.

UHR provides a qualification assessment tool with which you can find out what the equivalent of your qualification is in Sweden. You can also apply for a statement in which UHR makes an evaluation of your qualification documents. This evaluation is free of charge.

Apply as soon as possible

It is important that you make your application to have your qualifications evaluated by UHR as soon as possible.

It is also important that you include all the required documents when you submit your application. If you are entitled to work in Sweden, you can also have an assessment made of any education or training programme you completed in another country. This means that if you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or have a residence permit, work permit or a valid LMA (asylum seeker) card, you can apply for an assessment.

Are you missing some of the documentation to prove your education qualifications?

If you completed your post-secondary education and received a diploma or qualification but you are missing some or all of the documentation to prove it, UHR will in some cases make an assessment of your education anyway. But for UHR to be able to make an assessment, you must have completed the education programme. You also have to explain why you are unable to produce documentation of your qualification. This might be because you are a refugee, or because you completed your education in a country that was at war. The assessment from UHR is something you can use as supporting documentation when you apply for work, further education or when your qualifications are going to be validated.

Recognition statement

Following the evaluation of your qualifications, you will receive a recognition statement showing what your foreign qualifications are equivalent to in the Swedish education system.

A recognition statement is not a Swedish qualification. The recognition statement is a supplement to your foreign qualification, not a replacement for it. The recognition statement is intended to help you when you apply for work in Sweden. By reading your recognition statement, prospective employers can understand what qualifications you have.

The recognition statement can also be helpful if you plan to continue studying in Sweden. However, it is not a requirement for applying to a higher education programme that you have a recognition statement from UHR. You can also have your qualifications evaluated by the university or university college you are applying to, in connection with your application.