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?