Bosnia and Herzegovina

Recognition procedures for education

The higher education institutions are in charge of the process of academic recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina except the Central Bosnia Canton where the competent ministry is in charge (taking into account only CEAs which have higher education institutions within their administrative boundaries. The following authorities are in charge of recognition/nostrification/equivalence:

Brčko District: HEIs with a mandatory CIP opinion

Republika Srpska: HEIs

Posavina: Ministry based on a mandatory CIP and a HEI opinion (there are no HEIs in the Canton)

Una Sana: HEI in the Canton or University of Bihac

Herzegovina – Neretva: Equivalence done by the HEIs in the Canton

Canton 10 / Herzeg-Bosnia: University Equivalence done by the Ministry based on the opinion of the University of Mostar

Zenica-Doboj: Equivalence done by the HEIs in the Canton

Bosnia-Podrinje: Equivalence done by the HEIs in the Canton

Tuzla: HEIs based on a mandatory CIP opinion

West Herzegovina: There are no HEIs in the Canton

Sarajevo: HEIs based on CIP opinion

Central Bosnia: Nostrification done by the Ministry based on a HEI opinion

(Source: Report on the assessment and recommendations for implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention).

Within the Erasmus+ Capacity building in Higher Education project, Strengthening of Internationalisation in BIH Higher Education (STINT) the Model of Academic Recognition was developed which was the basis for rulebooks on academic recognition adopted by all public higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, within the ongoing Twinning Project Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Recognition of Qualifications in BiH between BiH and Croatia, France and Latvia the Road Map will be developed and used for harmonization of legislation with provisions of the LRC. The general conclusion is that recognition procedures are changing especially with support of EU finansing different projects in this area.

(Revised by CIP, May, 2019)