Working abroad

Recognition of professional qualifications in the EU

Is your qualification valid in another EU country? It mostly depends on one question: is the profession regulated in the country where you want to work? Here is how recognition works and whom to ask.

6 min read

Who this is for

For people who obtained a professional qualification in an EU country and want to practise the same profession in another EU country, either permanently or temporarily. If your qualification was obtained outside the EU, different rules apply: ask the competent authority in the destination country. This page does not cover recognition of a degree to continue your studies.

In short

  • If the profession is not regulated in the destination country, no formal recognition is needed.
  • Doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, architects and vets get automatic recognition, if their training meets EU minimum requirements.
  • Other regulated professions follow the “general system”: the country may ask for an aptitude test or an adaptation period.
  • Some professions can use the European Professional Card, an online procedure.
  • Professional recognition and academic recognition are two different things.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and have exceptions. Always check the official text in the sources below and, for your own case, talk to a trade union, a qualified lawyer or the competent public authority.

First question: is the profession regulated?

Under Directive 2005/36/EC a profession is “regulated” when the law requires a specific qualification to access or practise it, including simply to use the professional title. [1] In practice: you need a particular degree, a state exam, or registration with a professional body. [3]

If the profession is not regulated in the destination country, you can practise it under the same conditions as that country’s nationals, without asking for authorisation or starting a recognition procedure. [3] To find out, check the EU Regulated Professions Database, which lists for each country the regulated professions and the competent authority. [5]

Automatic recognition

For seven “sectoral” professions, EU countries automatically recognise qualifications that meet harmonised minimum training requirements: doctor, nurse responsible for general care, midwife, dentist, pharmacist, architect and veterinary surgeon. [1] [3] The qualification must be listed in Annex V of the Directive. You still apply to the competent authority, but you do not have to pass compensation measures.

The general system and compensation measures

For other regulated professions, the host country must admit you on the same terms as its nationals if you hold the qualification required in your country for the same profession. [1] It may, however, ask for a compensation measure (an adaptation period of up to 3 years or an aptitude test) if there are substantial differences: for example training with very different content, or professional activities that are not part of the profession in your country. As a rule you can choose between the two, with some exceptions (Art. 14). [1]

The authority must acknowledge your application within one month and decide within 3 months of receiving the complete file; this can be extended by one month in some cases. You can appeal the decision, or the lack of one, under national law (Art. 51). [1]

You may have to show knowledge of the language needed for the profession. Language checks must be proportionate and can only take place after recognition or after the professional card is issued (Art. 53). [2]

Working temporarily

If you are already legally established in one EU country and want to provide services in another on a temporary and occasional basis, full recognition is usually not needed. The host country may ask for a prior written declaration (Art. 7). [1] If the profession is not regulated in your country, you must have practised it for at least one year in the last 10 years. [2]

The European Professional Card

Directive 2013/55/EU introduced the European Professional Card (EPC): an electronic procedure that leads to a digital certificate, usable both to settle and to work temporarily. [2] Today it is only available for general care nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, mountain guides and real estate agents. [4] If the authority misses the deadlines, in some cases the qualification is considered tacitly recognised. [4]

If you are coming to work in Italy

Italy transposed the Directive with Legislative Decree No 206 of 9 November 2007. The competent authority depends on the profession: for example the Ministry of Health for health professions, the ministry supervising the professional order for professions with a register, the ministry responsible for universities for architects (the text still refers to the “Ministry of Education, University and Research”), and the Ministry of Labour in other cases set by law (Art. 5). [6] The Department for European Affairs of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers runs an assistance centre and links to the list of Italian regulated professions with their authorities. [7]

Academic recognition: a different thing

Professional recognition lets you practise a regulated profession. Academic recognition is used to continue studying, for public competitions or to use your degree in other contexts. Every country has a centre in the ENIC-NARIC network that advises on this; in Italy it is CIMEA. [8]

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