5. ‘Force majeure’ policy

In case of force majeure or unforeseen circumstances beyond candidate's3 control which prevents from testing, the candidate must contact EPSO without delay, between the day of reception of the invitation letter in the candidate's EPSO account, and no later than the complaint deadline stipulated in the relevant Notice of Competition or Call for Expression of Interest.

The candidate must provide their candidate number and present all pertinent documentary evidence, such as medical certificates, service provider’s attestations to prove power or internet outages, or death certificates of a close relative, etc. This documentation should cover the test date.

Disruptive events that are beyond the control of EPSO or the test provider which may include natural disasters, widespread internet outages, server failures, or other force majeure events that affect multiple candidates simultaneously, will be taken into consideration and the necessary corrective measures will be applied.

In case of proven inability to provide certificates due to a medical condition within the period stipulated above (accident and/or hospitalisation), the candidate should provide the certificate as soon as possible. The certificate must cover the test date and the delay between the deadline and the date the certificate was provided.

It is important to note that professional commitments (meeting, conference, business trip) are NOT considered as exceptional circumstances or circumstances beyond the candidate's control. This principle also extends, by analogy, to any travel plans be that for private or for professional reasons, that may impede the candidate's participation in the exam.

The candidate's complaint will be submitted to the relevant evaluation body (EPSO Testing Operations unit and/or Selection Board) who will decide on further action to take.