Practising a healthcare profession with a foreign diploma

If you wish to reside permanently in Belgium and exercise a healthcare profession, you first have to request recognition or have your diploma declared to be equivalent to a Flemish diploma.

Recognition of Ukrainian diplomas

Ukraine is not part of the European Economic Area (EEA). Do you want to permanently practise a regulated healthcare profession in Belgium?

You will first have to apply to NARIC-Vlaanderen for recognition of your diploma.
Then, for certain professions, you can apply directly to the FOD Volksgezondheid (FPS Public Health) for a visa.
For specific professional titles, an application will have to be submitted to Departement Zorg to obtain professional recognition.
If you also hold a specialist title of physiotherapist, healthcare professional or practitioner of a paramedical profession, you will have to apply to Departement Zorg (not to NARIC-Vlaanderen) for recognition before obtaining the visa from the FPS Public Health for your basic title. The visa only grants access to the profession. More information: Requesting recognition of a foreign diploma for a healthcare profession (Departement Zorg)(opens in new window).

Where to apply for the recognition of your diploma

If you want to practise a healthcare profession in Belgium with a foreign diploma, you must first apply for recognition of your diploma. You can apply for recognition of your basic diploma in one of the 3 Belgian communities (Flemish, French or German-speaking community). You can only apply for recognition of a specialisation in one community.

Please note: you cannot apply for recognition of a specialisation if you do not yet have a recognition or a visa for your basic diploma. A recognition or equivalence issued by one community applies throughout Belgium.

These rules apply to the following professions.

Doctor: general practitioner or other specialist.
Dentist: general dentistry, periodontics and orthodontics
Pharmacist: hospital pharmacist
Physiotherapist
Clinical psychologist and remedial educationalist
Nurse: first the basic title and then professional titles and competences (specialisations)
Healthcare professional
Paramedical professions: pharmaceutical technical assistant (pharmacy assistant), dietician, occupational therapist, speech therapist, audiologist, orthoptist and optometrist, podiatrist, medical laboratory technologist, dental hygienist, medical imaging technician
Midwife.

Whether you need to apply to NARIC-Vlaanderen or to Departement Zorg depends on

where you obtained your degree
what your situation is.

You can easily find out via the NARIC-Vlaanderen application wizard(opens in new window): answer a few questions and get advice tailored to your situation.

Your diploma or degree	Your nationality	Where to apply
Obtained in the	EEA^* or outside the EEA	Apply for recognition by Departement Zorg(opens in new window) university non-university / physiotherapist
Obtained outside the or Switzerland	You hold the nationality of or a long-term residence permit in one of the countries of the EEA or Switzerland and your diploma has been professionally recognised in one of the countries of the EEA or Switzerland AND you can demonstrate three years of work experience within your healthcare profession in one of the countries of the EEA or Switzerland = hocsman procedure (please note: this is not the same as academic equivalence)	Apply for recognition by Departement Zorg(opens in new window) university non-university / physiotherapist
	South African with a South African basic doctor’s degree or specialisations	Apply for recognition by Departement Zorg(opens in new window).
Obtained outside the or Switzerland	EEA^* or outside the EEA	Apply for specific recognition of your diploma by NARIC-Vlaanderen. Do you have a foreign degree in nursing or healthcare administration? Then please also complete a document with information about your education, experience and motivation(Word file opens in new window) to work in healthcare and add this document to your file. Next, apply to FOD Volksgezondheid (FPS Public Health) for authorisation to exercise your health profession.

^*You are an EEA national in the following cases:

You hold the nationality of one of the 27 member states of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
You hold a residence permit for long-term residence in one of these countries or a residence permit as a family member of a European citizen.
You are married to or legally cohabiting with a European citizen and are established in Belgium.

Temporary visa for several months

There is a separate procedure for people coming to practise a healthcare profession in Belgium temporarily (a limited number of months, e.g. for an internship) with a foreign diploma.
You can apply for a temporary visa from FOD Volksgezondheid (FPS Public Health) at visa@health.fgov.be(opens in your email application). You therefore do not need to apply for diploma recognition.

Practising a healthcare profession with a foreign diploma

Where to apply for the recognition of your diploma

Temporary visa for several months

Contact

Team Zorgberoepen

Practising a healthcare profession with a foreign diploma

Where to apply for the recognition of your diploma

Temporary visa for several months

Contact

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