Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have reached an agreement on the mutual recognition of diplomas issued by higher educational institutions in these countries.
According to Zakon.kz, on November 12, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Kazakhstan approved the corresponding intergovernmental agreement.
According to the document, the parties recognize diplomas issued by accredited universities in any of these five republics that operate legally.
However, the agreement includes an important stipulation: the qualifications of the specialist must meet the general standards of higher education. If significant discrepancies in requirements are identified, recognition of the diploma may be denied.
Recognition of diplomas will be valid for employment in another Central Asian republic, as well as for internships or further education.
The document also contains important details. Thus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan agree to recognize diplomas from any universities located in the region. However, Kazakhstan agrees to recognize only those documents issued by institutions that are in the top 1000 of global rankings: Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).
In addition, the circumstances under which one of the countries may refuse to recognize a diploma issued by a university of a neighboring republic are specified.
Such reasons include:
- submission of the diploma not in the established form and lack of a certified copy;
- absence of an annex to the diploma;
- discrepancies or contradictions in the information about the curriculum, duration, and results of the education;
- lack of confirmation of the authenticity of the diploma from the university that issued the document.
Currently, there is no information that other Central Asian republics have officially confirmed the intergovernmental agreement, as Kazakhstan has done. In particular, the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovations of Kyrgyzstan reported that the document has not yet passed all the necessary domestic procedures for approval.
