To get the recognition of your certificates or the equivalence certificate of foreign school-leaving qualifications, you have to consult the School Information Centre (Schulinformationszentrum). The centre evaluates educational certificates acquired abroad - for the purpose of taking up employment or continuing education in Hamburg - in comparison with German school-leaving qualifications. A certificate is issued for this, which is attached to the foreign certificate and states which school leaving certificate corresponds to the previous education in Hamburg.
Applicants for higher education in Germany must submit their educational certificates directly to a higher education institution of their choice. The recognition of certificates and the determination of the average grade are part of the admission procedure there. Information can be found on the website of the university of your choice.
Required documents:
The following documents must be submitted to school information centre as officially certified copies for the certificate evaluation:
- Passport or identity card and registration confirmation from the Hamburg Residents' Office (in the case of residence outside Hamburg: written proof of a concrete training or work offer in Hamburg),
- if applicable, a late repatriate certificate,
- Name certificates or certificates of change of name,
- Certificates and diplomas for school and university education (with grades),
- if available, proof of a passed university entrance examination or a university admission for an academic course of study,
- Translations into German, of all documents, by a sworn translator (a translation of English documents is usually not required.)
Send the completed and signed application with your complete documents by post:
Schulinformationszentrum
- Zeugnisanerkennung -
Hamburger Straße 125 a
22083 Hamburg
Fees: No fee, but the cost of the necessary translations is to be borne by the applicants
Processing time: The processing time will depend on the number of applications received and may take several weeks or months. So you have to apply in good time.
