Pupil and student mobility

Pupils participate in mobility mainly through the EU Erasmus+ Programme and, on a much smaller scale, in projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget. There are no mobility programmes or projects for pupils to complete a full cycle of education leading to a foreign qualification. 

For information about youth mobility programmes and projects (for example, youth exchanges), see Youthwiki, a digital encyclopaedia on youth policy in EU countries. 

Information about the recognition of periods of study, traineeships and qualifications is provided at the end of this section. 

EU Erasmus+ Programme

Mobility takes place in the Actions of Erasmus+ (2021-2027) for the school education and vocational education and training sectors. The Programme is administered in Poland by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. Mobility projects offer the following opportunities: 

• nursery schools, primary schools and general and vocational post-primary schools: short-term group exchanges (2-30 days), and individual short- and long-term mobility (10-29 and 30-365 days, respectively) for pupils to undertake a period of study or a traineeship abroad; 

• vocational schools: short-term group exchanges (2-30 days), and individual short- and long-term mobility (10-89 and 90-365 days, respectively) for pupils to undertake a period of study combined with a work-based component. 

Each project can combine a period of physical mobility, as indicated above, with virtual mobility. 

Programmes / projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget

European Funds for Social Development

The Foundation for the Development of the Education System administers two programmes “International learning mobility of school education pupils and staff” and “International mobility of vocational education pupils and staff” (2023-2027) (the websites available in Polish only), which are co-funded by the European Funds for Social Development (2021-2027) and the national budget. Projects are based on the rules of Erasmus+ (see above). Grants are awarded to Erasmus+ Mobility projects which received a positive assessment but were not funded due to the limited budget of the Action. 

Projects are aimed at developing key or vocational competences of pupils. They are targeted at pupils (and staff; see Teacher mobility below) who are disadvantaged due to, for example, a disability or health problems, learning difficulties, financial problems, cultural differences, social barriers related to discrimination or geographical barriers.  

Recognition of study or practical training periods and qualifications

Recognition of study and practical training periods

In accordance with the national legislation, foreign certificates of completion of a school year or an education stage, school-leaving certificates, or certificates of school attendance do not require recognition if incoming (Polish or non-Polish) pupils who have received education abroad intend to continue education in a public primary school or one of the following types of public post-primary schools: general secondary school, stage I sectoral vocational school or technical secondary school. The school head assigns the pupil to the appropriate school semester or grade, considering his/her age and the opinion of his/her parents or of the adult learner. Public stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools require a validated certificate confirming the completion of secondary vocational education, or secondary or secondary vocational education respectively (see the recognition of qualifications below). 

(Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 23 August 2017 on the education of non-Polish nationals and Polish nationals who have received education in schools operating within school education systems in other countries, as subsequently amended / rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 23 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie kształcenia osób niebędących obywatelami polskimi oraz osób będących obywatelami polskimi, które pobierały naukę w szkołach funkcjonujących w systemach oświaty innych państw, z późn.zm.)

Periods of study and traineeships completed in Erasmus+ projects and those co-financed by other EU funds and the national budget are recognised on the basis of a learning agreement for each pupil, signed by the schools or organisations sending and hosting the pupil within a mobility project. 

There is no credit system in place in vocational education and training. However, the National Team of Experts for Vocational Education and Training (EVET) provides advice and develops guidelines on, among other things, the use of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) in learning mobility projects. The guidelines are available in the following publications of the Foundation for the Development of the Education System:  ‘How to use the ECVET principles in learning mobility projects in the Erasmus+ vocational education and training sector’ („Wykorzystanie założeń systemu ECVET w projektach mobilności edukacyjnej w sektorze Kształcenie i szkolenia zawodowe programu Erasmus+”) and ‘Learning outcomes and their assessment in learning mobility projects. ECVET: A Catalogue of Examples’ („Efekty uczenia się i ich weryfikacja w projektach mobilności edukacyjnej: ECVET – Katalog przykładów”).

Mobility project participants can receive a Europass Mobility document from the sending and receiving schools/organisations, which describes knowledge and skills developed during a mobility period and facilitates recognition. It can include information about the role and responsibilities of the participant, their vocational qualifications, and foreign language, digital, organisational, management and communication skills. Such a document can be useful when young people apply for admission to a higher education programme or seek a job. 

Recognition of qualifications

The recognition of qualifications is facilitated by the 8-level Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF), which describes qualifications awarded in the country as referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). PQF qualifications are defined in terms of learning outcomes including knowledge, skills and social competences. Together with the Integrated Qualifications Register, the PQF is part of the Integrated Qualifications System, which was put in place in July 2016, in accordance with the Act of 22 December 2015 on the Integrated Qualifications System (ustawa o Zintegrowanym Systemie Kwalifikacji z dnia 22 grudnia 2015 r., z późn. zm.). Details about the Integrated Qualifications System, including the PQF. 

At the request of vocational diploma holders, the Regional Examination Boards, which conduct external exams below the higher education level, issue a Certificate Supplement based on the Europass template (Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 7 June 2023 on state certificates, diplomas and other document templates, as subsequently amended/rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 7 czerwca 2023 r. w sprawie świadectw, dyplomów państwowych i innych druków, z późn. zm.). The Supplement describes the level, content and status of the programme completed by the vocational diploma holder.

Recognition of qualifications for the purpose of further education

The recognition of qualifications confirming completion of school education at a given level (educational attainment) is regulated in accordance with EU legislation, and the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Convention), which was ratified in December 2003 and entered into force in Poland in 2004.

Certificates, diplomas and other documents confirming educational attainment at the school education level are recognised in accordance with:

• School Education Act of 7 September 1991, as subsequently amended (ustawa o systemie oświaty z dnia 7 września 1991 r., z późn. zm.);

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 25 March 2015 on the procedure for the recognition of certificates and other documents, and the validation of a qualification or entitlement to continue education, obtained in a foreign school education system, as subsequently amended (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z 25 marca 2015 r. w sprawie postępowania w celu uznania świadectwa lub innego dokumentu albo potwierdzenia wykształcenia lub uprawnień do kontynuacji nauki uzyskanych w zagranicznym systemie oświaty, z późn. zm.)).

The following documents confirming completion of secondary education are recognised automatically, by virtue of the law, without being validated by other institutions:

• certificates and other documents awarded in the member states of the EU and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and member states of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) – signatories of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement;

• International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;

• European Baccalaureate (EB) diplomas awarded by the European Schools in accordance with the Convention laying down the statutes of the European schools, adopted in Luxembourg in 1994;

• certificates and other documents issued abroad by schools or other educational institutions which are recognised by the state on the territory of which or within the education system of which they operate, and which are covered by international agreements signed by Poland (for agreements, see the website of the Ministry of National Education (information available in Polish only) and the Internet Treaty Database of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

In other cases, certificates and other documents confirming completion of secondary education are recognised through a recognition process (nostryfikacja) conducted by the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (kurator oświaty) in a given province. 

Details about the recognition of documents, including the procedure for the administrative recognition process, are available on the website of the Ministry of National Education. 

Pursuant to the Act of 20 July 2018, The Law on Higher Education and Science, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 20 lipca 2018 r. – Prawo o szkolnictwie wyższym i nauce, z późn. zm.), the afore-mentioned certificates and other documents that are automatically recognised as confirming completion of secondary education also entitle their holders to apply for admission to first- and long-cycle programmes in higher education institutions in Poland. In the case of certificates and other documents awarded in an EU, OECD or EFTA-EEA country, this applies to those which grant such an entitlement in the awarding country. 

If the afore-mentioned certificates or other documents awarded in EU, OECD or EFTA-EEA countries or recognised on the basis of an international agreement entitle their holders to apply for admission to a first- or long-cycle programme in a specific field of study in the awarding country, they confirm in Poland the right to apply for admission to this type of programme which is the same or similar in terms of its curriculum or can be recognised as confirming this entitlement.

For other certificates or documents, the amendments to the Law that came into force on 1 July 2025 require that the Director of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange issue a written statement confirming an entitlement to apply for admission to a first- or long-cycle programme (earlier, the Head of the Regional Education Authorities was authorised to do so as part of the administrative process for the recognition of a document confirming completion of secondary education). At the request of an applicant, the Director of the Agency issues such a statement if a given certificate or another document entitles its holder to apply for admission to such a degree programme in the country within the education system of which the awarding educational institution operates. 

Recognition of vocational qualifications for the purpose of employment

The arrangements for the recognition of vocational qualifications for the purpose of employment vary depending on whether a given profession (occupation) is regulated in Poland and in which country a qualification was awarded. 

For non-regulated professions, a decision to recognise a foreign qualification is taken by the employer. 

Vocational qualifications for regulated professions awarded in EU and EFTA-EEA countries and Switzerland are recognised in accordance with the Act of 22 December 2015 on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Acquired in the Member States of the European Union, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 22 grudnia 2015 r. o zasadach uznawania kwalifikacji zawodowych nabytych w państwach członkowskich Unii Europejskiej, z późn. zm.). The Act implements Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications, as subsequently amended. 

Qualifications for most of the professions that are regulated in Poland are recognised under the so-called general recognition system in the EU. In the recognition process, the competent body verifies the level of education completed and the qualifications for practising a given profession in the country where they were awarded, and issues a recognition decision. If the material covered by the education or training programme completed or the exam passed by the applicant or the range of professional activities in the awarding country differ significantly, the competent body may require that the applicant undertake an adaptation placement of up to 3 years or take an aptitude test to have his/her qualifications recognised. For other regulated professions, the recognition of qualifications is governed by specific regulations. 

Vocational qualifications obtained in other countries are recognised in accordance with the legislation applicable to a given profession (occupation). 

Details about the professions that are regulated in Poland and the recognition of related qualifications are available on the Government’s Business in Poland website (Information-and-services website for entrepreneurs) and in the EU Regulated Professions database. 

Teacher mobility

Mobility of school education staff takes place primarily within the EU Erasmus+ Programme and, on a much smaller scale, in projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget (see below). There are no mobility programmes or projects funded only from national sources.

If a mobility period within the existing programmes or projects is a mission undertaken at the request of the school head and as part of professional duties, teachers receive their salary and have their social security contributions paid (Act of 26 June 1974, the Labour Code, as subsequently amended / ustawa Kodeks pracy z dnia 26 czerwca 1974 r., z późn. zm.).

In other cases, teachers can apply for: 

• paid leave of 1 month for research, artistic or education-related purposes, during which they develop educational resources or study teaching theory or practice or education topics and develop approaches that can contribute to the modernisation or improvement of the education process, if they do not receive any additional fee for such work; during such leave, teachers receive their salary and have their social contributions paid; 

• unpaid leave for a specific period, agreed with the head of a nursery school or school, for research, artistic or education-related purposes. 

(Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter, as subsequently amended / ustawa Karta Nauczyciela z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r., z późn. zm.; and Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 19 December 2000 on the detailed rules for granting to teachers leave for research, artistic and education-related purposes or other valid reasons and benefits and entitlements related to training, and the bodies authorised to grant such leave / rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 19 grudnia 2000 r. w sprawie szczegółowych zasad udzielania nauczycielom urlopów dla dalszego kształcenia się, dla celów naukowych, artystycznych, oświatowych i z innych ważnych przyczyn oraz ulg i świadczeń związanych z tym kształceniem, a także organów uprawnionych do ich udzielania)

There are no specific arrangements in Erasmus+ mobility projects or the projects co-financed by other EU funds for the recognition of outcomes of, or performance of teachers during a mobility period by their home institutions. Project participants can, however, obtain from the sending and receiving institutions a Europass Mobility document, which describes the knowledge and skills acquired during a mobility period. 

Recognition of mobility outcomes is not regulated by national legislation or recommendations either. However, teacher performance appraisal takes into consideration a training period undertaken abroad insofar as appraisal covers, among other things, professional development activities (Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 25 August 2022 on the teacher performance appraisal / Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 25 sierpnia 2022 r. w sprawie oceny pracy nauczycieli). See Approaches and methods of quality assurance – Internal quality assurance – Teacher performance appraisal in Chapter 10.1 ‘Quality assurance in early childhood and school education’. 

EU Erasmus+ Programme

Erasmus+ (2021-2027) is administered in Poland by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. Teachers, school heads and other staff from all types of schools and other school education institutions (for example, school inspectors, counsellors) participate in Mobility projects which offer three types of mobility opportunities: job shadowing (2-60 days), teaching or training assignments (2-265 days) and training courses (2-10 days) at institutions abroad. Each project can combine such a period of physical mobility with virtual mobility. A project grant contributes towards travel and subsistence costs, and covers a course fee where applicable. 

Projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget

European Funds for Social Development

The Foundation for the Development of the Education System administers two programmes “International learning mobility of school education pupils and staff” and “International mobility of vocational education pupils and staff” (2023-2027) (the websites available in Polish only), which are co-funded by the European Funds for Social Development (2021-2027) and the national budget. The projects are based on the Erasmus+ rules. Grants are awarded to Erasmus+ Mobility projects (see above) which received a positive assessment but were not funded due to the limited budget of the Action. Projects are aimed at developing key or professional competences of staff. They are targeted at staff (and pupils; see Pupil mobility above) who are disadvantaged due to, for example, a disability or health problems, learning difficulties, financial problems, cultural differences, social or geographical barriers.