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Get Foreign Qualifications Recognised in the UK: Step-by-Step

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, getting them recognised is an important step for employment, professional registration, and some visa applications. This guide explains the UK ENIC process and professional body requirements.

Checked 9 June 202610 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Practical Life in the UK
Reading time
10 min
Last checked
9 June 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • UK ENIC issues Statements of Comparability showing how an overseas qualification compares to the UK framework.
  • The Immigration Rules require Ecctis confirmation for a PhD-based Skilled Worker points option where the doctorate is from overseas.
  • Regulated professions need separate registration with the relevant professional body.
  • UK ENIC is not a government service. Its fees and turnaround times are on its own website.

UK ENIC issues Statements of Comparability showing how an overseas qualification compares to the UK framework. The Immigration Rules require Ecctis confirmation in one specific place: the Skilled Worker points options based on holding a PhD, where the doctorate is from overseas. For regulated professions, registration with the relevant professional body is a separate step with its own published process.

What Is UK ENIC?

UK ENIC is the UK's national agency for the recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills. It was formerly known as UK NARIC, and it is run by an organisation called Ecctis, which is the name the Immigration Rules use. It compares overseas qualifications to the UK's Regulated Qualifications Framework.

A UK ENIC Statement of Comparability tells employers, universities, and professional bodies how your qualification sits within the UK framework. For example, it might confirm that your bachelor's degree from a foreign university is comparable to a UK bachelor's (honours) degree at RQF Level 6.

When You Need Qualification Recognition

Recognition of your qualifications may be needed for:

  • Visa applications: the Skilled Worker points options based on holding a PhD require either a UK doctoral qualification or an overseas academic qualification which Ecctis confirms meets the recognised standard of a UK PhD. The sponsor must also give a credible explanation of how the qualification is relevant to the job. Those options are 90% of the going rate with a salary of at least £37,500 for a PhD relevant to the job, or 80% of the going rate with a salary of at least £33,400 for a PhD in a STEM subject, and the occupation code must be listed as eligible for PhD points in Appendix Skilled Occupations.
  • Employment: UK employers may ask for proof that your qualifications are equivalent to UK standards.
  • Professional registration: Professional bodies may require a comparability statement as part of their registration process.
  • Further study: UK universities may require proof of your previous qualifications when you apply for postgraduate study.

How to Apply for a UK ENIC Statement

  1. Visit the UK ENIC website and create an account.
  2. Select the Statement of Comparability service.
  3. Upload copies of your qualification certificate and transcript.
  4. Pay the fee (varies by service level).
  5. Receive your statement, typically within a few weeks for standard service or faster for express.

UK ENIC publishes its own document, translation and evidence requirements. Read those before you upload, because they are the ones the application is assessed against.

Professional Body Registration

For regulated professions, a UK ENIC statement is often just the first step. You also need to register with the relevant professional body. Each body has its own assessment process:

What Employers Look For

UK employers vary in their approach to overseas qualifications. Large multinational companies often have experience assessing international credentials, while smaller employers may be less familiar. A UK ENIC statement provides a clear, official comparison that any employer can understand.

When applying for jobs, consider:

  • Including your UK ENIC statement with your CV
  • Briefly explaining your qualification in UK-equivalent terms in your cover letter
  • Highlighting any international accreditation your institution holds
  • Providing references from previous employers or academics who can speak to your competence

When a Statement Is Not Required

There is no general legal requirement to hold a Statement of Comparability. Outside the Skilled Worker PhD points options above, whoever is asking sets the requirement:

  • Employers decide what evidence of qualifications they want, and the job advert or offer usually says.
  • Universities publish entry requirements for international applicants, including which qualifications they accept directly.
  • Professional bodies publish their own routes for overseas-qualified applicants, and some assess qualifications themselves rather than relying on a comparability statement.

The practical point is to ask the specific body what it needs before paying for a service you may not have to buy.

Cost and Processing Time

UK ENIC is not a government body, so its fees are not published in the Home Office fee table and are not fixed by law. It offers several service levels at different prices and turnaround times, and it publishes both on its own website. Check there for the current figures, and allow for the turnaround time when you plan around a visa, job or registration deadline. If the cost is relevant to you, it belongs alongside the published fees in your immigration budget.

Next Steps

Two things to establish before spending anything: whether the body asking for your qualifications wants a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability at all, and, for a regulated profession, what the professional body's own published route is for overseas-qualified applicants. Both publish their requirements.

Related guides:

Questions and answers

How do I get my foreign degree recognised in the UK?

Apply to UK ENIC (formerly UK NARIC) for a Statement of Comparability. This confirms how your overseas qualification compares to UK qualifications on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. The process is done online and typically takes a few weeks.

Is a UK ENIC statement mandatory for UK visa applications?

Not for most routes. There is one clear place where the Immigration Rules require it: on the Skilled Worker route, points options based on holding a PhD require either a UK doctoral qualification or an overseas academic qualification which Ecctis, the organisation that runs UK ENIC, confirms meets the recognised standard of a UK PhD. Beyond that, professional bodies and universities set their own document requirements.

How much does a UK ENIC statement cost?

UK ENIC is not a government service and sets its own prices, which vary by service level and turnaround and change from time to time. The current price list is on the UK ENIC website, and Rowan does not reproduce it here because it would go stale.

Will UK employers accept my overseas qualifications?

Employers set their own hiring requirements, so there is no general rule here. What a Statement of Comparability does is state how a qualification compares to the UK framework, in terms a UK employer can read. For regulated professions the separate step is registration with the relevant professional body, which has its own published assessment process.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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