Yes, diplomas obtained outside the European Union are accepted if they are accompanied by a recognition document issued by a competent national authority of any EU Member State. Diplomas obtained in the United Kingdom require a recognition document if issued after 1 January 2021.

The recognition document must include at least the following information:

• Candidate’s full name
• Name of the university
• Title of the diploma obtained

Please note that the statement of equivalency (which can be downloaded from the NARIC Ireland database) is not valid for this purpose.

Each Notice of Competition/contract staff selection procedure has its own eligibility requirements, which may include different combinations of educational qualifications and professional experience.

To cover the broadest diploma spectrum in each competition, candidates are encouraged to request recognition for all relevant diplomas declared in their application. 

Recognition documents must be issued by a competent national authority in an EU Member State. Below is a non-exhaustive list of competent national authorities in EU Member States: