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.
Take note: If you wish to temporarily or occasionally exercise a healthcare profession in Belgium, you first have to apply for permission. You have to apply using a form from the Federal Public Service Health (external link).
What you have to do depends on whether or not your diploma comes from inside or outside the European Economic Area.
Your diploma | Your nationality | What do you have to do? |
---|---|---|
from the European Economic Area (EEA)** | EEA* | Request recognition from the Department of Care. |
non-EEA | ||
outside the European Economic Area (EEA)**, but deemed equivalent in an EEA country | EEA* | |
Outside the European Economic Area (EEA)** | EEA | Request the specific recognition your diploma from NARIC and your visa from the Federal Public Service Health. |
non-EEA | ||
South Africa | South-African | South Africans with a South African basic diploma as a physician can request recognition of it from the Department of Care. |
* Your nationality is from the EEA in the following cases:
- Anyone who has the nationality of one of the 28 Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
- Anyone who has the status of refugee.
- You are also considered as a national with a residence permit for long-term residents for one of these countries or with a residence permit as a family member of a European national.
** The European Economic Area is composed of the 28 Member States of the European Union and Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Exercising a healthcare profession abroad with a Belgian diploma
Do you wish to exercise one of these healthcare professions abroad?
- Doctors: General Practitioners and specialist physicians
- Dentists: General dentists and specialist dentists
- Pharmacists
- Clinical Psychology
- Clinical Special needs education
- Physiotherapists
- Nurses, including the professional titles and competencies (specialisations) that they can acquire
- Nursing auxiliaries
- Paramedical professions: audiologists and hearing-aid specialists, dieticians, occupational therapists, technical pharmaceutical assistant, speech-language pathologists, technologist in medical laboratory techniques, dental hygienist, optometrists, orthopaedic technologists, orthoptists, podiatrists, medical imaging technologist, patient transport service (PTS) drivers (no emergency transport)
- Midwives
And do you have a Belgian diploma for that healthcare profession?