Guidance

Recognition of UK professional qualifications in EU member states

Published 18 December 2025

This guide will help you navigate the different sources of information on the recognition of professional qualifications in the EU. It supports UK professionals and businesses operating in regulated sectors who want to provide services in the EU. It helps to navigate the process for individuals to establish whether their professional qualifications are recognised in EU member states.

Some professions are regulated. This means there is a legal requirement for an individual to have their professional qualifications or experience recognised before they can carry out certain professional activities, such as healthcare, or use a professional title, like ‘architect’.

There is often a need to register with relevant bodies to practice a profession. For many professions, the bodies that decide if you are qualified to work in a regulated profession are known as ‘regulators’ or ‘competent authorities’, such as the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Architects Registration Board (ARB). 

Access to some other professions in the UK is overseen by chartered bodies or professional membership bodies, like the Engineering Council (EC) or the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). You can find more information about these professions and regulatory bodies in the UK via the Regulated Professions Register.

Regulators can recognise professional qualifications from other countries if there is sufficient alignment with the education and training requirements in the home country. These processes are commonly called the recognition of professional qualifications (RPQ).

The system for the RPQ for overseas professionals in the EU is implemented by competent authorities in each EU member state. The regulation of professions is not a standard process across the EU, not every profession is regulated in each EU member state. The EU’s Regulated Professions Database (REGPROF) includes detailed information on regulated professions within EU member states.

How to get UK professional qualifications recognised by EU member states

As a first step, check that you require recognition of your qualifications in the EU member state in which you are planning to provide your services. You can do this by confirming whether your profession is regulated in an EU member state by referring to the EU’s REGPROF. 

If your profession is regulated, your qualifications will need to be recognised by the appropriate regulator for your profession for each EU member state where you intend to work. You need to do this even if you are providing temporary or occasional professional services.

Professionals already working in an EU member state 

You do not have to seek recognition if:

• your qualification has already been officially recognised by the relevant regulator in an EU member state
• that recognition has not come to an end following the UK’s exit from the EU

This guidance only applies if you do not have your qualification currently recognised in the EU member state where you wish to work.

Common Travel Area (CTA)

The RPQ between the UK and Ireland is often easier to navigate than between the UK and other EU member states. This is because of the Common Travel Area (CTA) between the UK and Ireland which allows British and Irish citizens to move freely and reside in either jurisdiction and enjoy associated rights and privileges, including the right to work and study. 

UK professionals seeking to practice in Ireland should still follow the steps in this publication and contact the relevant competent authority for their profession.

General routes to recognition in EU member states 

Background

Since 1 January 2021, the UK is no longer able to use the EU’s Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) directive, ending automatic recognition of professional qualifications.

The UK has since agreed arrangements for the recognition of professional qualifications with Norway, Iceland and Liectensten, and with Switzerland. You can find details and guidance for regulators on the agreements between the UK and Switzerland and between the UK and Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, which includes provisions for the recognition of professional qualifications. 

You can find out more about requirements for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications from the relevant government websites of Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

For EU member states, the recognition of professional qualifications is now subject to the local laws and regulations of EU member states, unless:

• a recognition agreement is in place under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)
• a sectoral bilateral agreement is in place between the UK and an EU member state

General routes to recognition

The EU facilitates the recognition of qualifications from third (non-EU) countries, through different mechanisms. UK professionals must meet the individual requirements of each EU member state, under their ‘host country rules’.

To find the appropriate country-specific competent authority for your sector, refer to REGPROF and input your profession and the country in which you wish to provide services. REGPROF will provide you with the contact details for the EU member state competent authority for your profession. 

It will also list information on relevant competencies and other entry requirements. For example, it may provide you with details around professional memberships or registrations if they are required.

Some useful steps to take include: 

• referring to the EU’s REGPROF
• reviewing information on the EU member state regulator websites 
• considering contacting the appropriate member state regulator to make sure you have identified the correct application route 
• referring to your profession’s UK regulator website or professional body, they may have online further guidance for overseas recognition of qualifications

Important information you will need to identify 

Application fees and costs

You might be charged fees to get your professional qualifications recognised in the EU member state in which you wish to practice your profession. Note that costs vary depending on the competent authority involved. You could be charged for applying and for any exams that you may need to take. 

Supporting evidence requirements

You will need to provide the EU member state’s competent authority with evidence of your qualifications, experience and suitability. This could include original copies of your qualifications and transcripts, and your work history and references. This may involve seeking confirmation of your credentials by your UK authority.

Local language competency

You may need to demonstrate local language ability as part of your application. The website for the competent authority will explain specific tests required. 

Exams and training requirements

The examination and training requirements may vary from those set out by UK regulators, requirements between EU member states may also vary. Refer to the competent authority for information on examination and training requirements.

How long it takes to get qualifications recognised

The length of time it takes to have your professional qualifications recognised depends on the EU member state’s competent authority and your individual circumstances. You should start the process of seeking recognition in advance of any plan to move to an EU member state or take employment there.

You may also find the following additional resources useful in finding out more about RPQ in EU member states.

Statement of comparability between UK and international qualifications

The European Network of Information Centres (ENIC) and National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) in the EU work together in the ENIC-NARIC networks to make it easier to find information about qualifications and recognition in different countries. 

You can explore using their commercial, paid for, service to gain a statement of comparability between UK and international qualifications. If this is something you are interested in pursuing, refer to the ENIC-NARIC guidance for more details. 

List of EU national websites on regulated professions

For a general overview of regulation in EU member states, you can refer to the following list of national websites on regulated professions. 

Enhanced routes to recognition in EU member states

There are a variety of ways in which the recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU can be enhanced.

The UK-EU TCA includes a provision in Article 158 which enables profession-specific recognition agreements to be agreed, which would apply across the UK and the EU. 

Profession-specific recognition arrangements (RAs) can be proposed jointly by regulators and then be agreed between the European Commission and the UK government. This could facilitate the automatic RPQ for a profession between the UK and the EU, or mean certain recognition checks are not required. No recognition arrangements have been finalised through this agreement to date.

There is guidance to support UK regulators and professional bodies to enter into bilateral or multilateral arrangements with their counterparts in the EU.

There are also sector-specific bilateral agreements in place between the UK regulators and their counterparts in EU member states. You can refer to the UK bilateral agreements list to understand if you could benefit from the existing preferential bilateral recognition agreements. This list is not exhaustive and is subject to change, it only covers arrangements between the UK and the 27 EU member states.

UK-EU bilateral agreements

Profession	Country	Competent authorities or chartered or professional membership bodies
Architecture	UK	The Architects Registration Board (ARB)
Architecture	Ireland	The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI)
Auditing	UK	Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
Auditing	Ireland	Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA)
Engineering	UK	Engineering Council (EC)
Engineering	Netherlands	Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers (KIVI)
Engineering	Spain	Asociación de Ingenieros Profesionales de España (AIPE)
Snowsports instructing	UK	British Association of Snowsports Instructors (BASI)
Snowsports instructing	Italy	Collegio Nazionale Maestri di Sci Italiani (COLNAZ)

If your profession and EU member state of interest are listed in the table, take the following steps:

• refer to the website for the UK competent authority, they are likely to have online guidance for the bilateral agreement and the specific recognition process

• refer to the website for the EU member state competent authority, they are likely to have online guidance for the bilateral agreement and their specific recognition process for UK professionals, you can also refer to the national websites on regulated professions

• consider contacting the appropriate member state competent authority to make sure you have identified the correct application route

You can talk directly to your regulators about the TCA and bilateral recognition arrangements, letting them know your priority international markets for recognition arrangements. 

The information contained in this webpage is not designed to be exhaustive, nor constitute legal advice.