Administrative recognition and equivalence

Administrative recognition is the non-academic route for making a foreign qualification count, technically equivalence (equivalenza). It is needed where the qualification is required for a specific public purpose rather than to continue studies, from taking part in a public competition to the award of points, from career progression to the buy-back of pension contributions. Unlike academic equivalence (equipollenza), equivalence is valid only for the stated purpose.

What equivalence of a foreign qualification is

Equivalence is the recognition of a foreign qualification for a single administrative purpose. It is targeted recognition, because the same qualification may serve for a competition and require a separate procedure for pension purposes. Equivalence obtained for one purpose does not extend to the others, and for this reason identifying the purpose precisely before starting is the condition for not pursuing the wrong procedure.

Who grants equivalence: the role of the MUR and the Public Function Department

The governing provision is Article 5 of Law 148 of 2002, implemented by Presidential Decree 189 of 2009, which entrusts the administrative procedures to the authorities of the State. The Ministry of University and Research gives the assessment, by binding opinion. For public competitions the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, through the Public Function Department, concludes the procedure for the successful candidates. For the other purposes the application is submitted to the competent body, but the assessment remains anchored to the opinion of the MUR.

The purposes of equivalence

The administrative route comprises distinct procedures, each with its own rules and authority. The principal ones are as follows.

Public competitions

This is the most frequent case. With the reform of Article 38 of Legislative Decree 165 of 2001, in force since 2025, the candidate with a foreign qualification is admitted to the tests provisionally, by declaring the qualification, and submits the recognition application only in the event of success, within fifteen days of publication of the ranking. It is nonetheless advisable to prepare the documentation in advance and to check that the qualification matches the requirement of the notice.

Points in a ranking and a career in the public administration

Equivalence for assessment purposes allows the foreign qualification to count towards the points in a ranking or towards career progression. The application is submitted to the competent administration and requires the binding opinion of the MUR, under Article 3 of Presidential Decree 189 of 2009.

Pension purposes, employment centres, traineeship and scholarships

The foreign qualification may also obtain equivalence for the buy-back of pension contributions with INPS, for registration with the employment centres, for professional traineeship, for training programmes and for the award of scholarships. The MUR assesses and the competent body adopts the final decision.

The documents for equivalence

The file requires the foreign qualification legalised or bearing an Apostille, the sworn translation into Italian and proof of the value of the qualification in the country of origin, that is the Declaration of Value or the CIMEA comparability statement. The completeness and order of the file are decisive, in particular for competitions, where the successful candidate has tight deadlines.

Frequent mistakes to avoid

The most common mistakes are to apply for equivalence for the wrong purpose, which produces an unusable recognition, and to submit the application with a qualification not aligned with the requirement of the notice, such as a bachelor’s degree for a post requiring the master’s. Establishing from the outset the correct purpose and the competent authority protects the outcome.

Legal references: Article 38 of Legislative Decree 165 of 2001 as amended in 2025, Article 5 of Law 148 of 2002, Articles 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree 189 of 2009.