Lisbon Recognition Convention
| Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region | |
|---|---|
| Signed | 11 April 1997 |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Effective | 1 February 1999 |
| Condition | Ratifications including 3 member States of the Council of Europe and/or the UNESCO Europe Region. |
| Parties | 57 (all Council of Europe member states), as well as Australia, Belarus, Canada, Holy See, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic, Turkmenistan, New Zealand and Tajikistan |
| Depositary | Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Director-General of UNESCO |
| Languages | English and French |
The Lisbon Recognition Convention, officially the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, is an international convention jointly developed by the Council of Europe UNESCO. This is the main legal agreement on credential evaluation in Europe.
As of 2025, the convention has been ratified by 57 States, of which all member states the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, while 56 are members of UNESCO. It has also been ratified by the Council of Europe non-member states Australia, Belarus, Canada, the Holy See, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and New Zealand. The United States has signed but not ratified the convention. The Lisbon Recognition Convention is the only international legal treaty of the European Higher Education Area, and all EHEA member States have now ratified the Convention.
The Convention and subsidiary documents are milestones in the enhancement of fair recognition of educational achievements across borders. Noteworthy subsidiary documents are:
- The Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications
- The Recommendation on Recognition of Qualifications Held by Refugees, Displaced Persons and Persons in a Refugee-like Situation
- The Recommendation on the Use of Qualifications Frameworks in the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications
In a 2025 publication on the history and relevance of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, it is argued that the Convention has made recognition more student-centered, and that further recognition progress can be achieved by better articulation or learning outcomes.