Secondary education and the right to apply for admission to studies are confirmed in the Republic of Poland by:

a) Certificates and other documents issued by a school or an educational institution operating in the education system of a Member State of the European Union, a member state of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a member state of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) - parties to the agreement on the European Economic Area, entitling to apply for admission to higher education in these countries,

This applies to secondary school-leaving certificates obtained in the following countries*:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia , Malta, Mexico, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, the USA, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy.

b) IB diplomas (International Baccalaureate) issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva,

c) EB diplomas (European Baccalaureate) issued by the European Schools in accordance with the Convention on the Statute of the European Schools, drawn up in Luxembourg on June 21, 1994 (Journal of Laws of 2005 No. 3, item 10),

d) certificates covered by international agreements (list of agreements).

NOTE! You should check whether the document on the basis of which you apply for admission states that you are entitled to continue your educations in higher education in the country where you were issued. If the certificates (other documents) does not provide such information, you should obtain an additional document confirming that your certificates entitles you to continue education in the country of origin. Depending on the country, such confirmation may be obtained, for example, from:

• the school or educational institution that issued the document,
• educational authorities of the country in whose education system the document was issued,
• Consul of the Republic of Poland in office in the country in whose education system the document was issued,
• a diplomatic mission or consular post of the country in whose education system the document was issued, accredited on the territory of the Republic of Poland,

Decision of the school superintendent

Where the certificate does not fall into any of the categories (a) to (d) above, it must be regarded by an administrative decision of the school superintendent as an entitlement to study. 

The application shall be submitted to the voivodship school superintendent offices competent for the place of residence of the applicant for the recognition of the document, or if it doesn’t exist, competent for the place of establishment of the institution in which the applicant intends to submit the certificate. 

Educational superintendents’ addresses can be found here

Information from the Krakow education superintendent office:

Recognition or nostrification of a certificate issued abroad

Confirmation of education or entitlement to continue education obtained abroad