Translating a Medical Diploma for INAMI in Belgium: Complete Guide

Have you obtained your diploma as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or physiotherapist outside Belgium and do you wish to practise in this country? Two distinct procedures await you: the recognition of your diploma (ARES/NARIC) and the INAMI accreditation, which conditions your reimbursement by social security. The documents to translate vary according to your situation and can block your file if poorly prepared.

INAMI and the FPS Public Health: two bodies, two roles

In Belgium, access to regulated health professions involves several federal and community authorities. It is essential to clearly distinguish their roles so as not to file your application in the wrong place.

The FPS Public Health is responsible for the recognition of health professional qualifications acquired abroad. It is the body that issues the authorisation to practise (the professional visa) within the meaning of the royal decree of 10 November 1967 on the practice of health professions. Without this authorisation, you cannot legally practise in Belgium.

The INAMI (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) intervenes at a second stage: it accredits the care providers who wish to bill their services to Belgian social security (INAMI). This accreditation is essential if you want to be conventioned and for your patients to be reimbursed. Without an INAMI number, you can theoretically practise, but only as a non-conventioned provider.

To these two stages is added, for certain professions, the recognition of the diploma by the ARES (Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur) in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation or by the NARIC Vlaanderen in the Flemish Community. These academic recognitions precede the professional recognition.

Professions concerned and applicable regime

The health professions subject to recognition in Belgium are notably:

• Doctor: general practitioner or specialist according to the foreign title obtained
• Dentist (dental surgeon): recognition distinct from the doctor
• Pharmacist: including hospital pharmacists
• Physiotherapist: regulated profession with internship requirements
• Nurse: general care or specialised nurse
• Midwife: profession distinct from the doctor under Belgian law
• Speech therapist: recognised as an INAMI provider since 2012

The recognition regime varies fundamentally according to your nationality and the country where you obtained your diploma. The directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications applies to nationals of the European Union (and of the EEA + Switzerland). For the professions of doctor, dentist, pharmacist, general care nurse and midwife, this directive provides for an automatic recognition as soon as the title was obtained in a Member State and the minimum training conditions are respected. For third countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, etc.), it is the compensatory regime that applies: the procedure is longer, more demanding in terms of documents, and may include aptitude tests or an adaptation internship.

Documents to translate for your FPS Public Health / INAMI file

The list of documents varies according to the profession and the country of origin of the diploma. Here are the documents most often requested:

• Original diploma: the basic title (bachelor's, master's, doctorate depending on the country) with all its annexes - the annexes are often forgotten and constitute one of the most frequent causes of rejection
• Transcript or academic record: detail of the teaching units followed and the credits obtained, essential to prove that the training covers the subjects required by the directive
• Certificate of good standing: document issued by the professional or judicial authority of the country of origin, certifying that you have not been the subject of any serious disciplinary sanction
• Conformity certificate: sometimes issued by the Ministry of Health of the country of origin, confirming that your training complies with national standards
• Title certificate (EU): for EU nationals, a certificate on the model of annex V of the directive 2005/36/EC may be requested
• Birth certificate: if civil status documents are required to establish the identity of the candidate

All these documents must be translated into French or Dutch depending on the region where you primarily wish to practise, by a sworn translator registered with the RNEJ (National Register of Judicial Experts). A non-sworn translation (for example carried out by a bilingual colleague) is not accepted by the FPS Public Health.

Deadlines and cost of the procedure

The processing times vary considerably according to your situation:

• EU national, profession with automatic recognition: the FPS Public Health has a regulatory deadline of 3 months from the receipt of the complete file. In practice, the deadlines are often shorter for well-constituted files
• EU national, profession with general recognition: the procedure is longer, with an examination of the substance of the training. Count 4 to 6 months
• Third-country national: the procedure may take 6 to 18 months, notably if compensatory measures (adaptation internship or aptitude test) are imposed. Incomplete files or files with non-compliant translations are systematically rejected and returned, further lengthening the deadlines

The cost of the administrative procedure is generally modest (a few dozen euros of file fees). The main cost is that of the sworn translations, which depends on the number and volume of the documents. It is also necessary to provide for the apostille or the legalisation of the original documents if you are a national of a non-EU country.