Foreign Diploma Nostrification in Belgium: Complete ARES Guide

Have you obtained your degree as a doctor, nurse or architect abroad and do you wish to practise in Belgium? Nostrification is the key step to having your training officially recognised. This guide explains the procedure, the documents to gather and the mistakes to avoid.

Nostrification and equivalence: two notions not to be confused

In Belgium, two distinct procedures make it possible to value a foreign degree. Academic equivalence aims to situate your degree on the Belgian qualifications framework (CFC): it is useful for continuing studies or accessing certain non-regulated jobs. Nostrification, on the other hand, is the official recognition of a foreign degree with a view to practising a regulated profession in Belgium. In other words, without nostrification, a doctor trained outside the European Union cannot legally practise medicine on Belgian territory, whatever their skills.

The distinction is fundamental: many candidates lose months by starting the wrong procedure. If your goal is to practise a profession whose access is protected by law, then it is indeed nostrification that concerns you.

Which professions are concerned?

The regulated professions that require nostrification in Belgium notably include:

• Health professions: doctor, nurse, midwife, pharmacist, veterinarian, dentist, physiotherapist
• Legal professions: lawyer (access to the Belgian bar subject to specific conditions)
• Technical professions: architect (subject to the Order of Architects)
• Teaching: certain pedagogical qualifications to teach in the official network

For nationals of the European Union, directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications provides for mechanisms of automatic or simplified recognition for certain professions (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, architect...). Nostrification in the strict sense mainly concerns degrees obtained in third countries outside the EU.

ARES and NARIC: the key players in the French Community

In the French Community (Wallonia-Brussels), the nostrification procedure is managed by ARES (Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement supérieur). ARES examines the files for recognition of foreign degrees and issues a nostrification decision for the regulated professions falling within its competence.

NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centre) plays a complementary role: it provides information on foreign education systems and can issue equivalence certificates for academic or non-regulated professional purposes. For the health professions, it is the FPS Public Health that rules in the last instance on the basis of the opinion of ARES.

On the Flemish side, it is NARIC Vlaanderen (within the AHOVOKS agency) that handles the requests. The procedure and the forms are distinct from those of the French Community: if you work or reside in Flanders, inquire directly with NARIC Vlaanderen, whose site offers complete documentation in Dutch.

The documents to provide for your ARES file

Putting together the file is often the most time-consuming step. ARES generally requires:

• The original diploma: the official certificate of award of the qualification, accompanied by a sworn translation into French (or Dutch for NARIC Vlaanderen) carried out by a translator registered on the list of the FPS Justice
• The complete transcript: covering the entire curriculum, also accompanied by a sworn translation - this is one of the most frequently forgotten documents
• The course programme (syllabus): for certain professions (medicine, veterinary), ARES requests a detailed description of the subjects taught, which may also require a translation
• Proof of identity: copy of the passport or identity card
• A certificate from the institution: confirming that the diploma was indeed issued (sometimes required)
• The documents relating to any additional training: internships, post-graduate specialisations

Caution: certain foreign documents must first be legalised or apostilled before they can be translated and submitted. If your country has ratified the Hague Convention of 1961, an apostille is sufficient; otherwise, a consular legalisation is necessary.

Lead times and practical steps

• Gather the documents: allow 2 to 6 weeks depending on your country of origin to obtain the originals and legalise them
• Have the documents translated: a professional sworn translation generally takes 24h to 5 working days depending on the volume
• Submit the file: submission is done online via the ARES platform or by registered mail depending on the type of recognition
• Processing of the file by ARES: the legal deadline is 3 to 6 months from receipt of a complete file; an incomplete file interrupts this deadline
• Decision and appeal: in case of refusal or partial recognition, administrative and judicial appeal routes exist