The Panamanian Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) — the legal entity that oversees academic institutions in Panama — requires all students entering 2nd through 12th grade who are transferring from a school abroad to go through a validating process. This procedure is a requirement that parents must complete to officially enroll their child into the correct grade level. Transcripts issued outside of Panama must be apostilled in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or in an embassy of the country that issued the transcripts, which will later be validated through MEDUCA.