Legalising Ukrainian education documents

Legalising Ukrainian education documents in Italy is not a simple process, but it is a compulsory step for anyone who plans to continue their studies here or find a good job.

Where to start?
First of all, you need to have your Ukrainian school leaving certificate and university diploma apostilled at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Then have them translated and apply for a declaration of value (Dichiarazione di valore) in Ukraine, at the Embassy of Italy. After that, once in Italy, you choose the next step. Let us look at the declaration of value in more detail.

Before applying for a Dichiarazione di valore (DV), you need to answer one question: “What do I need it for?”
To study? To work in the public sector? In the private sector? To have your qualification recognised and start your own business? Or to continue your studies at university and obtain a higher degree?
The DV is, in effect, a statement of the value of your diploma. It is an informative document that confirms your qualification: it states where you studied, for how many years, in which field and what qualification you obtained. To get it, you must translate and apostille all your education documents and submit the application to the Embassy of Italy in Ukraine. The dichiarazione di valore is then needed:
To legalise your diploma in Italy for work purposes through the relevant ministry, when you apply for so-called “professional recognition”.

The CIMEA website has a list of the professions that require recognition through the relevant ministries. The DV is always among the required documents.

To apply to a university – so-called academic recognition. Once enrolled, you prepare the documents in parallel for a so-called “shortened course” (abbreviazione di carriera); the DV is on that list too. There is a chance that some modules will be credited to you and your course shortened.
A list of all universities by region.

To register as a jobseeker at the Centro per l’impiego (public job centre). Attaching the DV to your CV considerably increases your chances of finding a job in your profession.

What documents should you prepare to obtain a DV? Where to start?
First, have all the documents apostilled, then have an accredited translator translate into Italian your school leaving certificate with its supplement and your junior specialist, bachelor’s or master’s diplomas with their supplements.
An apostille certifies that a foreign document is authentic and legally valid: it is a stamp affixed by the relevant Ministry of Ukraine or an accredited representative. Italy and Ukraine have not yet signed an agreement on a simplified procedure for recognising education documents, which is why they have to be apostilled. As mentioned above, education documents are apostilled at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

If you changed your surname on marriage, add to the list your marriage or divorce certificate or the court decision, likewise translated and apostilled.
Recognition of education documents is certainly not a simple procedure. All diplomas obtained outside Italy need to be legalised (as in any other country in the world). But once done, it opens up new opportunities for life in your new country.
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