Foreign School Certificates in Croatia: AZVO Recognition and Documents
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
In Croatia the recognition of a foreign school certificate is part of the application, not a separate service. For bachelor's and integrated programmes it is carried out by the Central Applications Office of the Agency for Science and Higher Education (AZVO), under the Act on the Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications (Official Gazette 69/2022). This guide explains who has to apply, what you send and where the process ends.
Recognition only through Postani student
AZVO states that recognition of a foreign secondary qualification can be carried out only as part of the central admissions system. You cannot ask for it on its own: you must be registered on postani-student.hr as an applicant who finished school abroad.
Who must apply depends on where you studied:
- If you finished secondary school outside the EU, you must complete the recognition request. The calls of the University of Rijeka and the University of Split School of Medicine say so.
- The University of Zagreb's call for 2026/27 asks applicants who studied abroad for the recognition decision, except where recognition is automatic. If you finished school in an EU country, ask the Central Applications Office whether your case is automatic.
The procedure
- Register on Postani student. The request form appears in your personal profile.
- Send all application documents by post to the Central Applications Office (Ravnice 48, Zagreb). AZVO warns not to fill in and send the request before sending the documents, because the procedure does not start for applicants whose documents are incomplete.
- Submit the request in your profile.
- AZVO sends the decision directly to the institutions you applied to. You are responsible for checking each institution's deadline for the decision and the form it must take.
In 2026 the last day to send the request was 1 July for the summer round and 4 September for the autumn round. See how to get into a university in Croatia.
Documents to send
- a certified copy of your passport, if you have no Croatian personal identification number (OIB)
- your report cards for the last four school years, or the last three if secondary school in your country lasts three years
- the final school certificate
- the result of the final externally assessed exam, if you took one
- proof of a change of surname, if your name differs from the one on your certificates
Documents issued in another language must come with a translation by a court interpreter, into Croatian or English. Documents from EU countries are not translated but need a notarised copy. Photocopies without official certification are treated as incomplete. See sworn translation of documents.
Which qualifications count
AZVO publishes a table of foreign qualifications that are sufficient for applying, with the grades you must send and the final exam whose results can earn ranking points in place of the Croatian state matura. A few examples:
| Country or qualification | Grades to send | Qualification | Exam counted instead of the matura |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB | 9th to 12th grade | IB matura | IB matura |
| Germany | 9th to 12th grade | Abitur | Abitur |
| France | 1st to 3rd grade of secondary school | Baccalauréat général or technologique | Baccalauréat général, transcript |
| United Kingdom | GCSE and A level | A level | A level |
| United States | 9th to 12th grade | High school diploma | ACT and SAT |
| Spain | 9th to 12th grade | Título de Bachillerato | Título de Bachillerato |
For Canada and a few other countries, AZVO tells applicants to write to applications@azvo.hr for the exam entry. If your country is not on the table, contact the same address before you send anything.
Master's degrees
Recognition of a foreign bachelor's degree for entry to a master's programme works differently. The Central Applications Office handles it only for seven institutions, among them the Polytechnic of Rijeka, the Istrian University of Applied Sciences and Karlovac University of Applied Sciences. Other institutions recognise degrees themselves, and you send the request to the institution you apply to, not to AZVO. AZVO publishes a list of the universities' offices for academic recognition.
Do I need an apostille?
The AZVO page and the university calls ask for certified copies and translations by a court interpreter. None of them mentions an apostille for school certificates. The requirement may differ for the residence permit, where a criminal record certificate is requested; see the student visa for Croatia. For the general rules on legalisation, see apostille and legalisation of documents.
Where to look next
- How to get into a university in Croatia
- IB Diploma: university admission in Croatia
- Bachelor's degrees in English in Croatia
- All 648 programmes in Croatia
Official sources
- Studij.hr: recognition of foreign high school qualifications
- Study in Croatia: recognition of previous education
- AZVO: offices for academic recognition of foreign higher qualifications
- Act on the Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.