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Recognition of New Zealand degrees in Russia and the CIS

Which New Zealand degrees Russia recognises automatically (six universities), the Rosobrnadzor procedure for 6,500 roubles, and recognition in the CIS.

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Recognition of a New Zealand degree in Russia is the procedure after which a foreign qualification carries the same academic and professional rights as a Russian one. Under Article 107 of Russia's Law on Education there are two routes. Degrees from six New Zealand universities on the Russian government list (AUT, the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and the University of Otago) are recognised automatically, but only Honours, Master's and PhD degrees. Every other qualification, including those of private providers and polytechnics, is recognised by Rosobrnadzor on application after an expert assessment, for a state fee of 6,500 roubles within up to 30 working days. CIS countries have their own procedures, summarised below.

Updated 30 September 2026. Legal information is taken from official texts on that date.

At a glance: how a New Zealand degree is recognised in Russia

Your qualification How it is recognised What you need to do
Honours (1st or 2nd class), Master's or PhD from one of the six listed universities automatically an apostille and a Russian translation; no Rosobrnadzor procedure
An ordinary bachelor's (without Honours) from the same universities through Rosobrnadzor apply for recognition
Qualifications from other universities, polytechnics and private providers (ICL, AIS, NMIT, Whitireia & WelTec, Yoobee, NZMA, Whitecliffe, Skill NZ and others) through Rosobrnadzor apply for recognition

Source: the list of foreign institutions approved by Russian Government Order No. 186-r of 30.01.2023 (as amended by No. 298-r of 19.02.2026) (text of the list, current as at August 2026).

Automatic recognition: which universities and which degrees

Six New Zealand universities are on the list:

  1. Auckland University of Technology;
  2. University of Auckland;
  3. Victoria University of Wellington;
  4. University of Canterbury;
  5. Lincoln University / Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki, added by Order No. 103-r of 22.01.2024;
  6. University of Otago.

The equivalences are the same for all six:

New Zealand degree Russian equivalent
Bachelor with Honours (1st or 2nd class) higher education — bachelor's
Master higher education — master's
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Candidate of Sciences

An ordinary bachelor's without first- or second-class Honours is not listed, so it needs the Rosobrnadzor procedure even from one of these six universities. Massey University and the University of Waikato are not on the list.

Recognition through Rosobrnadzor: the procedure

For qualifications not on the list, Rosobrnadzor decides on recognition after an expert assessment (Article 107, 273-FZ, version of 04.08.2026):

Item What applies Source
Who decides Rosobrnadzor, based on an expert assessment Art. 107(4), 273-FZ
How to apply on application, including through the Gosuslugi portal same
State fee 6,500 roubles Tax Code, Art. 333.33
Time up to 30 working days from registration, extendable by up to 30 more Rosobrnadzor Order No. 1443 of 26.07.2023
Outcome an entry in the federal recognition register and a digitally signed extract (since 01.09.2023; the extract is free) Art. 107(6)
Possible decisions recognition (including as a period of study) or refusal Art. 107(5)

Documents must be legalised with an apostille and translated into Russian (Art. 107(13)). Apostilles on New Zealand documents are issued by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (dia.govt.nz). The national information centre is the Glavexpertcentre (FGBU "Glavexpertcentr").

Who can recognise directly. Universities with special status (Moscow State University, St Petersburg State University, federal and national research universities) may recognise foreign qualifications themselves for admission to their own programmes (Art. 107(11)).

What recognition gives you. A recognised qualification carries the same academic and professional rights as a Russian one, but does not exempt you from general admission or employment requirements such as entrance tests or professional licensing (Art. 107(2) and (12)). Whether you need recognition depends on your purpose, such as further study in Russia, the civil service or regulated professions, so check with the institution or employer.

NIU joint programmes: which document to recognise

On the joint programmes of Nairi International University (NIU), graduates receive an NIU certificate for the NIU stage and a degree from the New Zealand partner: a Master degree in Business Informatics from ICL Graduate Business School on the MBI, and an ICL bachelor's on the BBIS.

ICL is a Category 1 private provider in the NZQA system but is not on the Russian list, so an ICL degree is recognised through Rosobrnadzor in the ordinary way. NIU is a Chilean university and is not on the list either. Russia's rules on network delivery do not apply directly to the NIU and ICL joint programme (Art. 15, 273-FZ), so each document is assessed separately under Article 107. For the assessment you will need the degree certificate, a transcript listing courses and credits, an apostille and a translation.

What a double degree is and how these programmes work is covered on Online double degree.

The Lisbon Recognition Convention

Both Russia and New Zealand are parties to the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (the Lisbon Convention, ETS No. 165): it has applied to New Zealand since 1 February 2008 and to Russia since 1 July 2000. Kazakhstan has participated since 1999, Belarus since 2002, Kyrgyzstan since 2004 and Armenia since 2005; Uzbekistan is not a party (Council of Europe, status at 30.09.2026). The Convention sets principles and procedure, but in Russia recognition still follows Article 107: the list or an expert assessment.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus: in brief

  • Kazakhstan. Amended recognition rules apply from 30 August 2026. Applications go through eGov (online, including eGov Mobile) to the National Centre for Higher Education Development, with a decision in 8 working days; documents need an apostille and a notarised translation into Kazakh or Russian (egov.kz, ENIC-Kazakhstan; summary of the amendments: zakon.kz, 20.08.2026). Check the official text of the order before applying.
  • Uzbekistan. Since 2019, qualifications from universities in the top 1,000 of the QS, THE and ARWU rankings are recognised without examinations. The procedure is run by the State Inspectorate for Supervision of Education Quality, with the service on my.gov.uz. The rule dates from 2019, so check the current requirements before applying.
  • Belarus. Recognition is by the Ministry of Education through the National Institute for Higher Education (RIVSh), after an expert assessment, within one month of application (pravo.by).

The other direction: assessing your degree for New Zealand

When you apply to study in New Zealand with a Russian or Kazakh degree, the provider assesses it itself. NZQA also offers an International Qualifications Assessment, which compares an overseas qualification with New Zealand levels (NZQA). Whether you need one depends on the provider and your purpose; for master's admission, the provider's own assessment is usually enough — see Master's in New Zealand.

Sources

All links checked on 30 September 2026.

Questions and answers

Is a New Zealand degree recognised in Russia?
Yes. Honours, Master's and PhD degrees from six universities on the Russian government list are recognised automatically; other qualifications are recognised by Rosobrnadzor on application after an expert assessment.
Which New Zealand universities are on the automatic list?
Auckland University of Technology, the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and the University of Otago (Order 186-r as amended on 19.02.2026). Massey and Waikato are not.
What does recognition through Rosobrnadzor cost and how long does it take?
The state fee is 6,500 roubles, and the decision takes up to 30 working days from registration, extendable by up to 30 more.
Is an ordinary bachelor's recognised automatically?
No. The list covers only Bachelor with Honours (1st or 2nd class), Master's and PhD. An ordinary bachelor's goes through Rosobrnadzor even from one of the six universities.
How is an ICL degree from an NIU programme recognised?
ICL Graduate Business School is not on the list, so its degree is recognised through Rosobrnadzor in the ordinary way: the degree certificate, a transcript, an apostille and a Russian translation.
Does a New Zealand degree need an apostille?
Yes. Under Article 107 of 273-FZ, documents are legalised and translated into Russian; apostilles on New Zealand documents are issued by the Department of Internal Affairs.
How are degrees recognised in Kazakhstan?
From 30 August 2026, through eGov within 8 working days, with an apostille and a notarised translation. Check the official text of the rules before applying.

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