It's Burns Night!
Whether you're conscious of it or not, it's likely that you're familiar with the works of Robert Burns. He wrote Auld Lang Syne - the song traditionally sung to ring in the New Year. He's inspired countless writers through the years, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge - and, as of today, me.
In honour of Burns Night, this blog is going to focus on Scottish documents. More specifically, we're looking at the process of legalising Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) for use in Qatar.
What is the process for legalising an educational document for Qatar?
Educational documents are documents awarded by educational institutions. Schools, universities, colleges - any qualifications you gained through study.
If you're starting a new job in Qatar, the company will want to see at least some of your qualifications as part of the hiring process. Any qualifications that were awarded in a country that isn't Qatar will need to be legalised before you can present them. Legalisation is the process of taking documents issued in one country and making them legally recognised in another.
Generally, the legalisation process of documents for Qatar involves having something called an Apostille applied to your documents. With educational documents, though, you may also need to supply supporting documents in order to have them legalised. Whether or not you need to provide supporting documents depends on the level of your qualification.
What are supporting documents?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Qatar may require you to present three documents as part of your educational document's legalisation. That includes:
- The qualification certificate (e.g. your degree)
- If available, a transcript of your results (a breakdown of your studies which the institution you studied at should be able to provide)
- A supporting letter from the institution you studied at
If supporting documents are required, you'll need to provide all of them.
How do I know if I require supporting documents?
Whether or not you need to provide supporting documents depends on the qualification that you're legalising. Different qualifications are credited differently.
At the time of me writing this blog, the following qualifications require supporting documents. This list is subject to change - always double check with the Embassy or MoFA first.
- BA / BSc
- MA
- PhD
- Any diploma
- National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 5-8
- Doctorate (without transcript)
- PGCE
- Higher National Diploma (HND) Level 5 and above
- Any BTEC issued as part of a Diploma or HND
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) if studied in person
But what about SVQs? I thought this was a Robert Burns themed blog!
SVQs are the Scottish equivalent of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). Like NVQs, they are awarded at different levels. But, whereas NVQs go up to Level 8, while SVQs go up to Level 5. That can complicate things slightly - don't confuse your SVQ with the NVQ requirements.
A Level 4 NVQ won't require supporting documents, but a Level 4 SVQ likely will. Always make sure that you check with the Embassy and MoFA the requirements for your documents. You don't want to just assume that you will or won't need to provide supporting documents. That could end up wasting you time and money. Always check - it's better to be safe than sorry.
Is there an easy way to legalise SVQs for use in Qatar?
There's a simple way of avoiding having to worry about the legalisation process of Scottish documents for use in Qatar - get Vital Certificates to do it for you!
