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Doctors and nurses: translating diplomas and documents for Polish chambers

Medical professions are regulated — the right to practise is decided by the professional chamber or the Minister of Health, not the employer. There are many documents and they are translated as a package, so it pays to know in advance who may translate them and what must be done BEFORE the translation. Below: what follows directly from the statutes.

Key facts

  • A doctor’s diploma may be translated by a sworn translator from Poland OR another EU state (Art. 5(11)). [15]
  • Non-EU diploma: legalisation by a Polish consul or an apostille first, translation second. [16]
  • Doctors from outside the EU need the LEW or LDEW exam; apply by 28 February or 31 July. [15]

The translator need not be from Poland — and the statute says so

  • A diploma issued in a language other than Polish is submitted with a Polish translation made by a sworn translator practising in the Republic of Poland OR IN ANOTHER EU MEMBER STATE (Art. 5(11) of the Act on the professions of doctor and dentist). [15]
  • The same rule applies to documents submitted for recognition of a postgraduate internship completed outside the EU: they are submitted as originals or notarised copies with translations by a sworn translator from Poland or another EU state (Art. 15j(5)). [15]
  • Practical conclusion: if you already live in Germany, Czechia or Italy, you do not have to look for a translator in Poland — a sworn translator authorised in your country is enough. [15]
  • You can check a Polish translator’s credentials on the Minister of Justice list — by language, city, voivodeship or seal number. [9]

Apostille or legalisation first, then translation

  • A nurse’s or midwife’s diploma issued outside the EU must be legalised by the Polish consul competent for the issuing state OR bear an apostille if that state is party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 (Art. 35a(1)(7)). [16]
  • For doctors the statute sets the same condition: legalisation by a Polish consul or an apostille of the state that issued the diploma. [15]
  • The order matters. An apostille is a separate stamp placed on the document in its country of issue — get it before handing the diploma over for translation. [16]

Doctors from outside the EU: LEW or LDEW

  • Qualifications of doctors or dentists obtained outside the EU are recognised by the director of the Medical Examinations Centre (CEM) on the basis of passing the Medical Verification Exam (LEW) or the Dental Verification Exam (LDEW) — Art. 6c(1). [15]
  • The LEW is open to anyone who obtained a medical diploma outside the EU that entitles them to practise in that state, after at least five years of study (Art. 6c(4)). [15]
  • The LEW and LDEW are held twice a year. Applications go to the CEM director by 28 February (exams between 15 May and 15 June) or by 31 July (Art. 6c(3) and (5)). [15]
  • Knowledge of Polish need not be confirmed by an exam if you completed medical studies in Polish. [15]

Nurses and midwives: two different routes

  • The full right to practise (Art. 35(1)) requires, among other things, a permanent residence permit, an OFFICIAL certificate of Polish language proficiency issued under the Polish Language Act and completion of a 6-month adaptation placement. [16]
  • The adaptation placement does not apply to foreigners who graduated from a nursing or midwifery school in Poland (Art. 35(2)). [16]
  • The simplified route (Art. 35a) requires neither permanent residence nor a language exam — a DECLARATION of Polish language knowledge is enough, but the right is then limited in scope of duties, duration and place of employment. [16]
  • This route requires at least 3 years of professional experience gained within the 5 years immediately preceding the employer’s certificate (Art. 35a(1)(6)). [16]
  • Consent is granted by the Minister of Health by administrative decision. The service itself is free — the costs are the apostille, translations and certificates. [18]

What actually goes for translation

  • The chamber requires the diploma with a translation by a sworn translator — with the original for inspection. [17]
  • Besides the diploma, the usual documents to translate are: a certificate of practice in the previous state, a certificate that the right to practise has not been withdrawn or suspended, employment records and a health certificate (Art. 35(1)(3) and (4)). [16]
  • Note: the Act on the professions of nurse and midwife does not contain the word “translator” — the sworn-translation requirement comes from the document lists of the chambers and the Ministry of Health, not from the Act itself. Confirm the scope of documents with the chamber you apply to. [17]

Based on the official sources listed below (as of August 2026). The right to practise is decided by the regional chamber or the Minister of Health — confirm the list of documents with the body handling your case. We do not accept documents for translation.

Request to sworn translators

Tell us briefly what you need. We pass the request to sworn translators registered with us — whoever takes it contacts you directly with their offer.

Send a request to translators

Are you a sworn translator?

Medical diplomas and supplements are tables, seals and hundreds of entries. Lingverra turns a scan into a translation with the layout preserved — you check the content, not the formatting. The certification and responsibility remain yours.

See Lingverra for translators

Sources

All information above comes from official sources:

  1. ENIC-NARIC Polska (NAWA) — Zasady tłumaczenia dokumentów w procedurze uznania wykształcenia
  2. Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości — Tłumacze przysięgli (lista, ustawa z 25.11.2004)
  3. NAWA — nostryfikacja dyplomów ukończenia studiów
  4. Umowa PL–UA o pomocy prawnej z 24.05.1993 r., art. 15 (Dz.U. 1994 nr 96 poz. 465)
  5. NAWA — Apostille dla ukraińskich dyplomów i świadectw
  6. Umowa PL–RF o pomocy prawnej z 16.09.1996 r., art. 15 (Dz.U. 2002 nr 83 poz. 750)
  7. Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości — obrót prawny z Federacją Rosyjską
  8. Ustawa z dnia 25 listopada 2004 r. o zawodzie tłumacza przysięgłego — tekst jednolity (Dz.U. 2017 poz. 1505)
  9. Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości — wyszukiwarka listy tłumaczy przysięgłych
  10. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych — Apostille
  11. Transkrypcja zagranicznego aktu stanu cywilnego — procedura urzędu stanu cywilnego (portal samorządowy gov.pl)
  12. Konwencja nr 16 o wydawaniu wielojęzycznych odpisów skróconych aktów stanu cywilnego (Wiedeń 1976, Dz.U. 2004 nr 166 poz. 1735)
  13. Krajowy Rejestr Karny — koszt zaświadczenia o niekaralności
  14. Gov.pl — Uzyskaj zaświadczenie z Krajowego Rejestru Karnego
  15. Ustawa o zawodach lekarza i lekarza dentysty — tekst jednolity (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 37)
  16. Ustawa o zawodach pielęgniarki i położnej — tekst jednolity (Dz.U. 2011 nr 174 poz. 1039 ze zm.)
  17. NIPiP — przyznawanie prawa wykonywania zawodu pielęgniarki lub położnej cudzoziemcowi (art. 35 i 36)
  18. Ministerstwo Zdrowia — prawo wykonywania zawodu pielęgniarki lub położnej na określony zakres czynności (art. 35a)
  19. Ustawa o kierujących pojazdami — tekst jednolity (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1226)
  20. Rozporządzenie Ministra Infrastruktury z 5.08.2025 r. w sprawie wydawania dokumentów stwierdzających uprawnienia do kierowania pojazdami (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073)
  21. UN Treaty Collection (MTDSG) — Convention on Road Traffic (Wiedeń, 8.11.1968): lista stron
  22. Gov.pl — Wymień zagraniczne prawo jazdy na polskie
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