Authenticating the documents
DL July 31
1. Verification at the time of accepted admittance
1.1. Degree completed in a country with country-specific requirements for document authentication
All African countries, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
A. Document authentication by mail
You must be able to provide us with the hard copies for your Degree Certificate and Transcript of Records together with the official translations in English (when applicable) by mail, attested as requested in the country-specific requirements at Required Documents – Document Authentication – Country-Specific Requirements. The updated DL for LUT Admissions Services to receive the hard copies is July 31, at 15:00 (UTC+3). The mailing address is:
LUT University/Susanna Koponen
SE4GD Admissions Services
Yliopistonkatu 34
FI-53850 LAPPEENRANTA Finland
Tel: +358 29 446 2111
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- For Bangladesh, China, Iran and Pakistan, there is a special way of attesting both the copy for your Degree Certificate and the copy for your Transcript of Records – please carefully follow the instructions given at Country-Specific Requirements.
- For All African countries, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, there is a detailed way of mailing the official Transcript of Records to LUT University directly by the awarding university plus, getting the copy for the Degree Certificate either officially certified by the awarding university or, getting it attested by you through a special process called legalisation. Please carefully follow the instructions given at Country-Specific Requirements and Document Authentication.
B. Providing us with electronically verified documents by Digitary
If you are able to provide us with your educational documents that are electronically verified by Digitary, there is no official certification according to the country-specific requirements required. The updated DL for LUT Admissions Services to receive the hard copies is July 31, at 15:00 (UTC+3).
1.2. Degree completed in a country with no country-specific requirements for document authentication
2. Final Verification for Educational Documents After Having Started Your Studies
Final verification process for degrees awarded in countries outside of Finland After having arrived at LUT University, the final verification process will be completed; you will be requested to bring your original Degree Certificate and Transcript of records plus the possible translations for the final verification process.
Not being able to provide us with the required documents as requested will automatically lead into losing your place in the programme.
Providing us with documents involved in a forgery will automatically lead into losing the place in the programme and LUT reporting to Police and to Finnish Immigration Service.
Official Certification or Digital credentials
The official certification can be done either by the awarding institution or through a special process called legalisation.
1. Official Certification by the Awarding Institution
Officially certified copies for the educational documents can be issued by the awarding institution.
When requesting officially certified copies from the awarding institution, make sure that the copies submitted meet the following criteria:
- The copies are taken directly from your original educational documents
- The copies include every page of your educational documents
- The copies bear the original stamp of the awarding institution on each page of the document
- A generic stamp stating only “Certified true copy” will not be accepted.
- Bear the original signature of the certifying officer
Plain and simple regular photocopies taken from the certified copies without any official certification on the photocopies will not be accepted.
2. Official Certification by Legalisation
If not able to have your educational documents officially certified by the awarding institution, you can get them officially certified through a process called legalisation, which is diveded into two different methods depending on whether the country where the degree was awarded is a signatory to the Hague Convention of 1961 or not.
For more information on the signatory countries for the Hague Convention of 1961 and the authorities issuing Apostille Certificates, please see Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.
A. Apostille
Apostille Certificate is required, if the degree has been awarded in a country that is a signatory of the Hague Convention of 1961. The Apostille Certificate can be done by stamping the document with a specific Apostille stamp or, on a separate Apostille Certificate.
B. Legalisation
Legalisation is required, if the degree has been awarded in a country that is not a signatory of the Hague Convention of 1961. The document must be first legalised by the Foreign Ministry of the degree-awarding country. After that, the document must be legalised again by a Finnish Embassy or Consulate to that country having done the first legalisation.
3. Digital Credentials by Digitary
If you are able to provide us with your educational documents that are electronically verified by Digitary, there is no official certification otherwise required.
Official translations
Whenever the original educational documents are not issued in English/Finnish/Swedish, official translations in English are required in addition to the documents in original language.
An official translation must be one of the following:
- Issued by the awarding institution
- An officially certified copy of a translation issued by the awarding institution
- Translated by an official translator
- An officially certified copy of a translation made by an official translator
Each page of an official translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be exact translations of the original documents; translations done by the applicant are not accepted.
