General Documentation Requirements
Qualifications assessed by our office
Our office is responsible for recognition of foreign vocational and technical qualifications, foreign general education qualifications and higher education qualifications for the purposes of further study and/or employment in Lithuania.
Our office does not assess:
- PhD degrees
- partially completed qualifications
For more information on the competent bodies for other levels of education please refer to Recognition in Lithuania.
The following qualifications are recognised automatically without any additional procedures:
- the European Baccalaureate Diploma
- Estonian and Latvian qualifications concerning higher education awarded from 2019
higher education qualifications of Belgium, Estonia, Netherlands, Latvia and Luxembourg, specified in Annex 1 of the Treaty on the automatic recognition of higher education qualifications and which meet the conditions set out in Article 4 of the Treaty.
Additional information on automatic recognition
As of 2 May 2018 statements of recongition are only issued as electronic documents containing an e-signature. No paper documents are issued.
List of required documents
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
1. Application form
| Applications are sbutmitted through the Centre's application portal Electronic Recognition Area (EPE), accessible at: https://epe.skvc.lt/en. |
2. Diploma | The diploma or degree certificate has to be final and in the original language. If the final diploma is yet to be issued, please include a provisional certification, which confirms the fact of your graduation and provides the title of your qualification in the original language. |
3. Academic transcript | The academic transcript, records of grades, or a similar document has to be in the original language. It should list all the subjects, grades, and credits and/or hours. For some countries, it is required for the academic transcript to be sent directly to our office from the educational institution. |
4. Form of identification | A valid form of identification is a passport, a national identity card issued by an EEA or EFTA country, or a Lithuanian residence permit.
If your name in the credential differs from the name in your passport, a valid proof of name change has to be submitted. A valid proof of name change is considered to be marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or another form of proof issued by a competent official body. |
5. Valid proof of name change | If your name in the credential differs from the name in your passport, a valid proof of name change has to be submitted. A valid proof of name change is considered to be marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or another form of proof issued by a competent official body. |
6. Documents for your prior education | If you are applying for recognition of a second-cycle higher education qualification, such as a Master degree or similar, your Bachelor diploma and academic transcript have to be submitted. |
7. Justification of the right to receive the service | Academic recognition is carried out by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education if:
In all other cases, you need to apply directly to the chosen institution: a school (if you want to learn or study), or an employer (if you want to work), or an institution performing the recognition of a regulated profession (if you want to engage in a regulated professional activity). |
8. Any additional documents | Our office welcomes the submission of any documents and/or information related to your studies that you may find to be relevant. Please note that the Centre reserves the right to ask for additional documents and/or information. |
Please note! Requirements for submission of documents may vary by country. For more information, please see Country Specific Requirements. Country specific requirements are also provided while filling out your application in the EPE.
Requirements for documents
- All scans must be made from original documents (i.e. NOT copies), be in full colour and also be clear and legible. Any scans that do not meet such requirements will be disregarded.
- We reserve the right to request for the originals of your credentials for verification purposes at any time during the processing of your application. The submitted originals can be picked up in our office, returned in a registered letter or you may arrange for a courier service pick up at your own expense.
- All documents issued in languages other than English, Belorusian, Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian should be supplemented with an official translation into Lithuanian or English. A translation is considered to be official when it is bound to a certified true copy of the document in the original language and is attested by the translator’s signature.
The submitted credentials may be subject to verification, which requires a direct confirmation of the award of the qualification from the issuing institution.
Information for undocumented refugees
If you do not have a full documentation package, please carry out the following steps:
- apply through the Electronic Recognition Area (EPE), accessible at https://epe.skvc.lt.
- provide any indirect documentation if it is available, such as information on professional licensing, any documents issued by the school, etc.
- provide an explanation as to why the documents cannot be provided.
- submit a European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (if available).
Our office can offer a special procedure for undocumented applicants, which cannot provide documentation for objective reasons and are currently residing in Lithuania. The procedure encompasses development of a background education report and/or an interview. After the procedure an official The procedure usually takes about 3 months. In order to determine your eligibility for the procedure, please apply with our office by following the steps described above. The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees is not an obligatory document, but will substantially shorten the processing of your application and eliminate some steps in the process.
Documents can be submitted
Application for recognition are submitted digitally through the Electronic Recognition Area (EPE), accessible at https://epe.skvc.lt.
After registering an account at EPE you will be able to submit applications, see the status of submitted applications as well as received decisions for recognition.
Processing time
Applications are reviewed within 20 working days. If all of the required documents have been submitted and our office has sufficient information, our decision is also issued within 20 working days. If the provided information is insufficient, you will be notified about this through EPE and the processing of your application will be suspended until the required documents are received. If the requested documents are not received within 3 months, the processing of the application will be terminated.
The obligation to submit all of the documents necessary for recognition rests with the applicant.
Your application will also not be processed if:
- we do not receive any additional documents we have requested after reviewing your application for 3 (three) months;
- in cases that original documents must be submitted they are not received within 3 (three) months;
- the submitted documents are suspected to be fraudulent. In all of such cases the documents are forwarded to the relevant authorities (the police) for investigation;
- in other cases as covered under relevant legislation (e.g. if SKVC is not authorized to perform recognition of such qualifications).
For more information, please refer to Criteria and Procedure.
Fees
The procedure is free of charge. The Centre will not cover any costs related to the submission of the required documentation. The Centre is not responsible for any loss or damage of documentation during shipping.
If you have additional questions, please contact us at +370 5 210 4772 or [email protected]. EPE related question can be answered at +370 5 210 4772 or [email protected].
Last updated: 11-02-2025