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ENIC-NARIC: the official answer to "what is my degree worth here?"

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

ENIC-NARIC is the pair of official networks behind academic recognition in Europe. NARIC centres were created in 1984 on the European Commission's initiative for EU/EEA countries; the ENIC network was created by the Council of Europe and UNESCO in 1994. Together they span 56 countries, exist to apply the 1997 Lisbon Recognition Convention, and every member country runs a national centre — the official first stop before paying any private credential evaluator.

Two networks, one job

Spain's ministry — itself a network member — describes the setup plainly: the NARIC network (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) was created in 1984 at the European Commission's initiative and is formed by national centres of the EU, EEA and associated countries; the ENIC network (European Network of Information Centres) was created by the Council of Europe and UNESCO in 1994. Today 56 countries belong, and the networks' principal objective is facilitating the application of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region — the Lisbon Convention of 1997.

Source: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades — Red ENIC-NARIC, read 8 September 2026.

How a mover actually uses it

The network's site keeps a country page per member, each naming the national centre with real contacts. Two examples from the pages themselves: NARIC España is the Subdirección General de Títulos y Ordenación Universitaria at the science ministry in Madrid (naric@ciencia.gob.es); NARIC Portugal sits inside the higher-education institute in Lisbon (info.naric@dges.gov.pt). The pattern repeats across all 56: find the destination country's page, and you have the official body that answers "what is this degree worth here, and which procedure do I file".

That's why the network is the right first stop: the information is authoritative and the centres point you to the official procedure — before any private evaluation service charges you for an opinion no ministry is bound by.

Source: ENIC-NARIC networks — country pages (Spain, Portugal), read 8 September 2026.

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Academic recognition vs practising a profession

Keep the two tracks apart:

  • Academic recognition — what your degree is worth as a qualification (level, continuation of studies). This is the ENIC-NARIC / Lisbon Convention world, run nationally (Spain's RD 889/2022 procedures, Portugal's DL 66/2018 regime).
  • Professional recognition — permission to practise a regulated profession, under EU Directive 2005/36, with its automatic list and compensation measures.

Plenty of movers need neither: if your profession isn't regulated and no employer asks, no procedure stands between your degree and a job offer.

Source: Your Europe — Recognition of professional qualifications (European Commission), read 8 September 2026.

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Common questions

Is an ENIC-NARIC evaluation mandatory to work in Europe?

No. It's mandatory only where a formal procedure demands it — regulated professions, some public-sector hiring, university admission. For everything else the centres are an information service, not a gate.

What does credential evaluation cost in Europe?

Each national centre and procedure sets its own fees, published on the respective official pages. We don't quote figures we haven't verified — check the destination country's centre via its enic-naric.net country page.

I have a US degree — does ENIC-NARIC apply to me?

Yes, in the sense that the destination country's centre is still the body that tells you what your US degree is worth there and which procedure applies. The USA also appears among the network's listed country pages.

How is this different from private credential evaluators?

Private services sell an opinion; the national centres are the official information points tied to the Lisbon Convention, and the procedures they point to are the ones ministries actually recognise. Start official, pay private only if something specific requires it.

Keep reading

EU professional-qualification recognitionDegree recognition in SpainDiploma recognition in Portugal