Belgium Professional Qualifications: Licensing & Recognition Guide

A foreign diploma does not always need formal recognition before you can use it to find work in Belgium. The right step depends on the job, the employer and the rules for your profession. Start by checking what you need, before paying for an application or translations.

This guide explains the main routes for people with overseas qualifications. It covers diploma recognition, regulated professions and ongoing help with work and training. The authority handling your application must confirm the rules for your own case.

1. Find out which kind of recognition you need

Diploma equivalence compares studies completed abroad with Belgian qualifications. It may confirm a level, such as a bachelor’s degree, or a particular qualification. It does not always give permission to practise a regulated profession.

Professional recognition concerns access to a regulated job or protected title. These are roles for which the law sets qualification or registration rules. The Belgian government’s professional-recognition guide explains the systems that may apply.

Skills validation is a different route for showing what you can do through work experience. For example, Actiris explains how practical assessments can lead to a skills certificate. Check the occupations covered and entry rules; not every job has this route.

2. Ask what the job or course actually requires

• A private-sector job: formal diploma equivalence is not always needed. Ask the employer what evidence it accepts.
• A public-sector or publicly funded role: check the vacancy’s diploma requirements. Equivalence may be needed.
• A regulated profession: find the authority for that profession before choosing an application.
• Further study: ask the school, college or university about admission. Do not assume the employment-recognition process is also the admissions process.

Actiris sets out the main uses of diploma equivalence. For study in Flanders, the Flemish government says to contact the institution first. It usually decides whether your diploma meets its entry rules without a separate equivalence decision, although exceptions apply.

3. Choose the right Community and service

Belgium’s Flemish, French and German-speaking Communities each have diploma-recognition services. The choice is not just about your home address. Where you will work or study, and which decision the employer or institution needs, also matter.

• Flanders or a Flemish employer in Brussels: use the NARIC-Vlaanderen guidance and application wizard. It helps identify whether recognition is needed and where to apply.
• The French Community: use the official Belgian directory of equivalence services. It separates secondary-school and higher-education routes and links the relevant French Community services.
• The German-speaking Community: consult the Ministry’s diploma-equivalence guidance, including its conditions for accepting an application.

For a bilingual Dutch/French employer, ask which route it prefers. The official Community guide explains the options. Do not assume that every decision about a foreign diploma is accepted for every purpose across Belgium. Professional recognition, including healthcare, has its own rules.

4. Check regulated professions separately

Use Your Europe’s regulated-professions guide to reach the official database. Select Belgium as the country where you want to work. If you cannot find a clear answer, contact the Belgian service listed in the EU directory of assistance centres.

The route may depend on where you trained, your nationality, earlier recognition and work experience. Temporary services can also have different rules from permanent practice.

Some qualifications can use an EU automatic-recognition route. This does not mean you can start work without paperwork: Your Europe says to submit the required evidence and wait for permission. Other cases may need a test or an adaptation period.

Also check any professional-body and language requirements. If you plan to be self-employed, check the rules for your activity and place of business. A general list of Belgian trades is not a substitute for that check.

Healthcare: follow the foreign-diploma route

Healthcare workers should use guidance written for foreign-trained applicants, rather than instructions for new Belgian graduates. The official healthcare recognition guide explains how the country of training and personal circumstances affect the route.

For the Flemish route, the process may involve NARIC-Vlaanderen, Departement Zorg and the federal public health service. Depending on the profession and qualification, you may need diploma equivalence, professional recognition and/or a professional visa (permission to practise). Check the steps for your exact profession and any specialisation. Do not treat an academic equivalence decision alone as proof that all practice requirements are met.

5. Prepare the right documents before you pay

Use the chosen authority’s checklist, not a generic list from another country or profession. The NARIC application guide explains how its wizard produces a document list for your case. It also distinguishes recognition of a level from recognition of a specific qualification.

Check which qualification to submit. For a regulated profession, this may be the diploma that lets you practise, rather than your highest or most recent award. Confirm translation requirements before ordering translations. Keep copies of your application and reference number.

If documents are missing, contact the authority or an adviser. NARIC has a specific procedure for refugees, asylum seekers and people with protected status. It allows a personal statement where official evidence cannot be supplied, so the case can be investigated. A statement does not automatically replace the required diploma or guarantee recognition.

6. Check fees, waiting times and your decision

Fees depend on the authority and procedure. Some applicants qualify for an exemption. Check the current NARIC fee and exemption rules or the fee rules of the Community handling your case.

For NARIC, registration with Actiris or VDAB alone is not enough to prove entitlement to a jobseeker fee exemption. Check the proof required with your employment adviser. Free advice does not mean the recognition application is free.

NARIC currently reports longer waiting times and says there is no accelerated procedure. Use its processing and status guidance and the e-portal to track your case. Waiting times vary; do not plan around a guaranteed decision date.

If you disagree with a decision, read its reasons and review or appeal instructions promptly. These routes have different deadlines. NARIC’s decision-review guidance also explains options such as extra study or recognition at another level. Other authorities have their own procedures.

7. Find ongoing advice and employment support

In Brussels, Actiris works with CIRÉ and Bon to help people navigate diploma recognition. Ask your Actiris adviser or use the CIRÉ and Bon contact page to find out what support fits your situation. Check eligibility and appointment arrangements before visiting.

For wider job-search and training support, the Belgian government’s employment directory points to:

• Actiris: Brussels-Capital Region.
• VDAB: Flanders.
• Forem: Wallonia.
• Arbeitsamt/ADG: the German-speaking Community.

These services can help you find the right place to ask about jobs, training and language support. Their registration and programme rules vary.

Diploma recognition does not settle your right to live or work in Belgium. If you need immigration permission, check that process too. The EU Immigration Portal’s guide for non-EU employees is one starting point.

Start here: choose the job or course, ask what proof is required, identify the right authority, and use its current checklist. That can help you avoid paying for the wrong process.

Official guidance checked on 26 October 2026. This is general information, not a decision on an individual application.

Illustrative archive photograph: a workplace conversation. Photo: Christina @ wocintechchat.com M / Unsplash (cropped).