Equivalence: What is happening to Schools and how you should act.

- Because this information is pertinent to your successful licencing or enrolment at IMOPPI, as the exam pass certificate only is valid for 1 year.

THE PRESENT SITUATION

What is happening within the Ministry of Education and its relationship with the schools - in regards to issuing equivalence certificates - has obliged me to write this down so all can read, understand, and take the right course of action.

Schools are being "bombarded" with requests for foreign equivalence and are now having to face the consequence of accepting lightly the orders come from Lisbon through DL 227 and its Portarias.

Like everything else in Portugal, these have proven insufficient to respond in full to such requests of equivalence and so there is in motion a change in the whole process (of adaptation) so as to make 2 things possible:

A) The schools clerks and administration are trying to get to grips with the equivalence of things which the simple tables in the portarias do not have in them; Hence all foreign equivalences are going up to Lisbon;
B) The consulates and translators are in need of understanding themselves what is at stake (which I explain early on in my courses), and so people can come to terms with the requirements and make sure whoever translates and authenticates your documents knows what they are doing.

What I have been trying to do is the following:

- I have established a line of action through the Faro School of João de Deus, which enables some broadmindedness and the possibility to have a say in favour of such requests;
- At the same time, I have re-established ties with the "Sector de Equivalência" in the Ministry of Education in Lisbon

These 2 actions combined allow for a working line of communication to smoothen acceptance of your qualifications; It will also allow to act in combined force with translators and consulates/embassies in the near future - To inform and educate them on what is required.

This does not mean that the whole process can be magically made by some sort of prince to fall upon a timeframe which does not respect the reality entailed.

It means that the procedure will be far more realistic and adapted to the different credentials presented form all the different nationalities, especially in the light of IMOPPI requirements.