Anerkennen ausländischer Schulabschlüsse

If you would like to have a certificate stating which Lower Saxony school-leaving certificate your degree or diploma obtained abroad is. If your certificate obtained abroad is the same, you can apply for this under certain conditions.

You can apply for the equivalence of your school-leaving certificate/certificate obtained abroad if you ...

• live in Lower Saxony or

• live abroad and have an apprenticeship or job offer in Lower Saxony.

As a rule, the following documents are required:

1. Completed application form
    
2. A description of your school career with the following information:

When, where and how many years did you go to school? If you have already studied, please indicate where and how many semesters you studied.
 

1. Official or notarized copies of your school reports. Proof of studies with an overview of subjects and grades must be submitted in the original language and as a German translation.

Please do not send originals.

Certifications are issued by cities, municipalities, municipalities and districts (e.g. in the town hall) or by a notary.

If you still live abroad, you can contact the German embassy.

The translation must be carried out by a sworn translator in Germany. An overview of the translators authorised in Germany can be found online at justiz-dolmetscher.de.

No translation is required for certificates in English, French or Spanish.
 

1. Copy of proof of identity (e.g. identity card, passport or residence permit).

1. A registration certificate of residence in Lower Saxony. If you live abroad, proof of an apprenticeship or job offer in Lower Saxony.

As a rule, the following documents are required:

1. Completed application form
    
2. A description of your school career with the following information:

When, where and how many years did you go to school? If you have already studied, please indicate where and how many semesters you studied.
 

1. Official or notarized copies of your school reports. Proof of studies with an overview of subjects and grades must be submitted in the original language and as a German translation.

Please do not send originals.

Certifications are issued by cities, municipalities, municipalities and districts (e.g. in the town hall) or by a notary.

If you still live abroad, you can contact the German embassy.

The translation must be carried out by a sworn translator in Germany. An overview of the translators authorised in Germany can be found online at justiz-dolmetscher.de.

No translation is required for certificates in English, French or Spanish.
 

1. Copy of proof of identity (e.g. identity card, passport or residence permit).

1. A registration certificate of residence in Lower Saxony. If you live abroad, proof of an apprenticeship or job offer in Lower Saxony.

1. In the event of a name change that is not evident from your identity card, for example, a marriage certificate or an excerpt from the family book must be submitted in the original language and as a German translation.

The application form and the officially certified certificates must be submitted by post. The other documents can be submitted by e-mail.

For recognition, the Regional State Office for School and Education Lüneburg checks on the basis of your certificates whether your foreign school-leaving certificate/certificate corresponds to a Lower Saxony school-leaving certificate.

None

Administrative recourse has been initiated.

The notice of recognition is accompanied by a specific information on legal remedies, from which the deadline for filing a complaint and the competent administrative court can be seen.

Recognition of the school-leaving certificate can be applied for by anyone who

• lives in Lower Saxony or

• lives abroad and has an apprenticeship or job offer in Lower Saxony.

We are not responsible if someone ...

Regional State Office for Schools and Education Lüneburg

Central Tasks Division

Department of Recognition Procedures for Foreign Educational Qualifications

Auf der Hude 2

21339 Lüneburg

E-mail address: zeugnisanerkennung@rlsb-lg.niedersachsen.de

Telephone availability: 04131 15 2626

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Friday: 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.

Visits by appointment only.

Forms available: Yes

Written form required: Yes

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance required: No