How to check the authenticity of a diploma

The urgency of the problem especially increased after the rapid growth of printing capabilities, which became the reason for the formation of the FRDO in 2013. The abbreviation stands for Federal Register of Information on Education and is a federal database of diplomas issued by Russian educational institutions. This is the most popular, but not the only way to check the authenticity of an educational document. Therefore, it makes sense to consider the topic in more detail.

When should an inspection be carried out?

The main reason for checking an education document is doubt about its authenticity. They arise for various reasons, in most cases - in the presence of one or more of the following symptoms:

registration on plain paper without special watermarks;
poor quality of printing, for example, letters that are easily erased or their shine when viewed at a slight angle;
errors when indicating the series and number of the diploma, which are individual for different universities and colleges;
printing a document on a regular printer or even a typewriter;
unnatural signatures of the management of an educational institution, made using a conventional scanner from copies of publicly available documentation, which is often posted on the official website of the educational institution.

Authentic diplomas are issued in accordance with strict requirements established at the federal level. They provide printing on special forms with an increased level of protection against counterfeiting. It is ensured by applying the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, watermarks and a continuous background line with a color transition. Copying a document causes the “Copy” text to appear. To stitch the original diploma, silk threads are used, which shine when exposed to ultraviolet rays.

But even such serious protection measures do not stop counterfeiters who are actively using the capabilities of modern printing. Therefore, in addition to visual ones, more reliable and effective measures for verifying the authenticity of an educational diploma are required.

Verifying a power of attorney using details: what do you need to know?

You should independently check the validity of the power of attorney, taking into account the provisions of civil law regulating the procedure for drawing up such documents. In particular, a power of attorney is considered void if there is no date of issue in its text (clause 1 of Article 186 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).

The legislator has established the grounds for declaring a document invalid:

sham or pretense of execution of a unilateral transaction for the issuance of a power of attorney;
non-compliance with the form of the document established by law, including the lack of notarization in cases where this is directly provided for by law, for example, in the presence of the possibility of substitution;
granting powers that are obviously contrary to current legislation, for example, on a representative making transactions with property the circulation of which is prohibited;
the minor status of the principal or his recognition as incompetent;
external illegal influence on the principal for the purpose of issuing a power of attorney (deception, abuse of trust, use of violence, etc.).

When checking a power of attorney, it is imperative to request the original and a document certifying the identity of the authorized person. When making a certain transaction, you need to check your authority to perform the necessary actions.

Who can request information about the authenticity of a diploma?

Verification of an educational diploma is carried out at the initiative of the employer or employee if doubts arise about the authenticity of the document. This means that the need for such an event may be relevant for all potential participants in labor relations:

the employee gets the opportunity to confirm the level of professional training, even if the education document is lost;
Representatives of the employer, for example, a manager, personnel officer or payroll accountant - ensure the authenticity of the education diploma.

Why might it be necessary to check the authenticity and validity of a power of attorney?

When concluding a transaction, each party is obliged to provide information about the existence of sufficient powers to conclude it.
When acting personally in your own interests and on your own behalf, it is enough to present an identification document (for example, a passport). In case of representing the interests of third parties, including legal entities, it is necessary to draw up a special document - a power of attorney. Improperly formalized powers of a trustee may lead to the recognition of a transaction concluded by him on behalf of the principal as not concluded on the grounds provided for in Art. 174 Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Execution of a power of attorney in an improper manner and representation of interests by an unauthorized person entails recognition of the transaction as having been completed directly by the representative, according to the rules of Art. 183 Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

A timely check of the legality of the representative’s actions, as well as the compliance of the powers granted by the principal with the nature of the transaction, will help avoid adverse consequences.

What is FRDO?

The decoding of the abbreviation, as well as the need to form the FRDO, are described above. The federal database was created in 2013. This was a consequence of amendments to No. 273-FZ, which regulates the procedure for obtaining education in the country, and the adoption of PP No. 729 (dated August 26, 2013), which provides for the need to launch a new information system.

The formation of the Federal Register took place to solve several extremely pressing problems for Russia:

complete elimination or reduction of the turnover of falsified education diplomas;
providing employers, including government services and departments, with reliable information about candidates for employment;
reducing the level of corruption in educational institutions;
improving the quality of professional training by ensuring access to reliable information and overall transparency of the system.

What data does the FDDO receive and how often is it updated?

Initially, information about higher education was entered into the database exclusively, then about secondary vocational education. Starting from 2019, the scope of the FDDO is gradually expanding due to information on additional professional education, which includes retraining and advanced training courses. A similar database is being created for those who have completed their studies in the 9th and 11th grades of the school.

As of today, the FRDO contains educational diplomas issued after the beginning of 1996. Earlier documents - for the period from July 1992 to the end of 1995 - will be entered into the database until the end of August 2023. The Federal Register is replenished in accordance with the approved schedule. Update, that is, information about newly issued diplomas, is carried out quickly: 20 days are allotted for entering data about school graduates and the certificates they received, for other documents - no more than 60. The countdown begins from the moment of issue.

How long is data processed and stored?

New documents are processed in real time. Replenishment of the FDDO from previously issued diplomas is carried out in accordance with the established calendar schedule. The storage period for data is currently unlimited. As of October 23, 2021, the FDDO contains information on more than 22.5 million education documents.

How to request verification of a diploma?

The current rules provide two ways to verify the authenticity of an education document. The first is to contact Rosobrnadzor with an official letter, the second is in real time directly on the official website of the department.

By official letter

The address of the official Internet resource of Rosobrnadzor is https://obrnadzor.gov.ru/. There you can also find all the details necessary for sending letters - both in regular paper form and in electronic format.

The request is made in any form. The main thing is to indicate in it the required details and data:

Full name of the applicant (if the last name has changed, indicating the previous one);
name of the university or college (also old and current);
information about the document - number, date, etc. (the best option is to attach a copy to the request).

The response period established by department rules is 30 days. The letter received from Rosobrnadzor confirms the authenticity of the diploma or, on the contrary, the lack of data about the document in the Federal Documentary Educational Inspectorate. Such a development of events is possible not only in a situation of falsification, but also, for example, in the event of failure to provide data on the part of the educational institution. This happens extremely rarely with state universities and colleges, and much more often with commercial ones, despite the presence of an official educational license.

Online through the organization's website

The second method of verification - on the Rosobrnadzor website online - is in noticeably greater demand. Which is quite logical, since it is faster and more convenient. To verify the authenticity of a diploma, you need to perform the following set of actions:

Go to the official resource of the department located at the address indicated above.
Activate the menu item “State. services and functions” and select the second subsection from the “Government functions” list that opens.
Select the item indicating FRDO.
Open the database search filter by clicking the corresponding button.
Select your education level and enter other information requested by the online verification service.
Start a database search by clicking on the button of the same name.

The result of the search is the display of information about the presence of a diploma in the database or its absence in the Federal Educational Institution. Information is provided free of charge. Moreover, the owner of the document has the right to receive a copy, and the employer - only information about the details of the diploma, including the series and number. Their presence is sufficient to confirm the authenticity of the document.

What documents are needed to obtain information?

To verify the authenticity of the diploma, you must provide the recipient's full name and document details. The latter means:

number and series of the diploma;
date of issue;
level of professional training;
year of completion of studies at a university or college.

How much does it cost to submit a request?

Submitting a request is free of charge. It does not matter whether we are talking about the diploma holder or his employer.

Duration of registration and request processing

When contacting Rosobrnadzor by sending a letter, 30 days are given to provide a response. Searching the FRDO database on the department’s website is carried out in real time, that is, online.

Can they refuse to receive information?

The response to the official request is sent to the applicant in any case - both if the authenticity is confirmed and if the document is not in the database. Refusal is possible in several cases, which make sense to consider in more detail.

Main reasons for refusal

The grounds for refusal to provide information from the FDDO are usually:

indication of erroneous or unreliable data in the request;
an attempt to obtain information that is personal and protected by law (for employers);
violation of the procedure for sending a letter to Rosobrnadzor;
sending a request regarding diplomas of study at universities that are under the jurisdiction of the FSB or SVR, since such information is classified as a state secret.

How to appeal a refusal?

An appeal against a decision of a federal agency takes place in accordance with the procedure established by law. The easiest way is to file a claim with the court or supervisory authorities, in this case the Prosecutor's Office.

In what form are the processing results provided?

The search result depends on the status of the person verifying the authenticity of the educational document. If we are talking about an employer, he is provided with the details of the diploma. If the request is sent by the owner of the document, he receives any data he is interested in, up to a copy of the diploma.

Types of powers of attorney

Based on the provisions of Art. 185 and 185.1 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, a power of attorney can be notarized or simple. The power of attorney is certified by a notary:

to carry out transactions requiring a notarial form;
related to filing applications for state registration of rights (transactions);
related to the disposal of rights registered in state registers.

Question: Can the owner of an electronic signature verification key certificate on behalf of an individual entrepreneur and an individual be a representative by proxy? View answer

In addition to notaries themselves, other bodies can perform notarial acts. For example, the Consular Charter of the Russian Federation (Article 26) gives officials of this structure the right to notarize powers of attorney. Amendments to Federal Law No. 131 dated 6/10/03 (Article 16.1) also provide local government bodies with the opportunity to perform the functions of a notary where one is not available.

There is a category of powers of attorney equivalent to those certified by a notary. They are issued by representatives of some government agencies:

the head of a military unit to military personnel, employees and their families;
the head of a military medical institution (or those who have the right to sign) the military personnel being treated there;
the head of a correctional system institution serving a sentence;
by the social security authority or the administration of the social institution to the citizens living there.

Other powers of attorney are classified as simple. For example, a power of attorney for submitting reports to the Federal Tax Service or for receiving goods and materials from a counterparty does not require certification by a notary.

What other registries can be used to obtain information?

FRDO is deservedly considered the most effective and affordable way to verify the authenticity of a diploma, but it is far from the only one. Therefore, it makes sense to consider alternative sources of information available in Russia today.

The most popular databases

Most often, the following methods are used to determine the authenticity of a diploma:

Sending your request directly to the educational institution. Each university, college and training center has its own archives. They are required to provide data when a graduate applies.
Confirmation of the authenticity of the diploma on the State Services portal. The advantage of such an appeal is efficiency - information is provided within 5 working days (although currently the website contains a comment that it takes 45 days to consider the issue on its merits), and the disadvantage is the need to pay 2.5 thousand rubles. as a state duty.
Personal interview with a candidate for employment. Communication with a potential employee allows you to draw conclusions about the real level of professional training.
Studying the social networks of a job applicant. Information about education is often posted on a personal page. Since it is visited by friends and relatives, it usually turns out to be reliable, as it is easily verified.

Are there separate registers for professions?

There are currently no official federal databases for most professions. The exception is highly specialized registers of specialists, for example, NRS NOSTROY or NOPRIZ, which unite engineering workers with higher specialized education in the field of construction, design and surveying.

What documents and information must be provided to obtain information?

Sending a request to a university or college, as well as various information resources, requires the applicant to provide a standard set of data. It includes passport details and information about the diploma, for example, the name of the educational institution, dates of issue, number and series, as well as the year of completion of education.

How to quickly get information?

The easiest and fastest option for obtaining information about an education document is to contact the Federal Educational Institution. If you check the authenticity of a diploma in real time, the information arrives almost instantly. The bonus is that there is no need to pay for using the online service.

Another, but somewhat less fast and at the same time expensive way to confirm the presence of education, professional qualifications or even an academic degree, is offered by the State Services portal. In this case, you will need to register on the website and pay 2.5 thousand rubles. state duty and provide the necessary documents.

Initially, the period for providing the service was 5 days with registration of the request within 24 hours. But today, due to the massive transition to remote document flow, it is possible to receive an answer within a month and a half, that is, longer than when sending a letter to Rosobrnadzor.

Rules for numbering documents in notary organizations

Each notary office is obliged to adhere to the uniform established Rules of office work. They were approved by Order of the Ministry of Justice No. 78 of April 16, 2014. Each notary office must have a journal in which the details of powers of attorney issued in this office are entered. The journal can be kept by hand or on a computer in MS Excel, or in another way.

The numbering of outgoing documents begins with the number “1”, and then in order. The journal is necessary for systematization of issued powers of attorney, quick search for queries, etc. If the journal is drawn up by hand, then before you start taking notes you should:

number each page in order, starting from the first;
independently calculate the number of pages, write down their number.

Each page has a tear-off and a non-tear-off part. On the tear-off part, the data of the issued permit is indicated in form M2; this spine remains with the organization that issued the trust document. The number of the integral part is additionally indicated in the power of attorney itself.

Numbering is carried out in order; by number you can find information about a previously issued permit. Therefore, the authenticity and validity of the power of attorney can be easily determined. If its number and details correspond to the journal entry, then the document is valid.

FAQ

When is it necessary to verify the authenticity of a diploma?

Verification of the authenticity of an education document is usually carried out by the employer when hiring or transferring an employee to a new position. The latter requires confirmation of the level of professional training if the document is lost.

What are the reasons for the creation of FRDO?

The need to create a PDF with data on educational documents is associated with the emergence of a large number of forgeries. The main goal of creating the Federal Register is to restore order in this area.

What data is posted in the FDDO?

FRDO is gradually replenished. Today, diplomas from universities and colleges after the beginning of 1996 are included in the database. Earlier documents are gradually entered into the register in accordance with the schedule. Starting from 2021, the database includes information on additional professional education in retraining or advanced training courses.

How to obtain information from the FDDO?

Two methods are used for this: sending a letter to Rosobrnadzor or searching on the agency’s website online.

What alternative methods of verifying the authenticity of a diploma are available in Russia today?

There are several ways to confirm or deny the authenticity of a diploma:

on the State Services portal;
sending a request to the educational institution;
during a personal interview with a candidate for employment;
through analysis of its social networks.

Is it possible to check online powers of attorney that have not been certified by a notary?

To check a document certified by a notary, it is enough to specify its registration number and have access to the Internet. However, uncertified powers of attorney are not entered into the database.

If the power of attorney was not certified by a notary, but was issued, for example, by the head of a legal entity, then it is impossible to check its validity online. This is due to the fact that the law does not provide for the obligation to enter information about powers of attorney not certified by a notary into the unified register. To check, you need to contact the sole executive body of the organization that issued the power of attorney.

Summary

The problem of falsifying educational documents is relevant for Russia.
To solve this problem, the FRDO was created in 2013.
The Federal Register has become popular, which proves its effectiveness.
You can obtain information from the FDDO in two ways: by sending a request in the form of a letter or during an online search on the department’s website.
Alternative options for verifying educational diplomas are confirmation of authenticity on the State Services portal, sending a request to an educational institution, analyzing the candidate’s social networks or interviewing him.