Before any foreign-trained healthcare professional can practise in Belgium or France, their diploma needs to go through an official recognition process. It’s one of the first steps – and often one of the most misunderstood.
This article gives you a clear overview of how it works, what affects your timeline, and what to keep in mind as you start preparing.
Why does diploma recognition matter?
Both Belgium and France have strict standards for who can practise as a nurse, doctor, or dentist. Diploma recognition is the process by which the relevant authorities confirm that your qualification meets those standards — or assess what additional steps might be needed.
Without this recognition, you cannot legally practise, regardless of your experience or how long you’ve been working in healthcare.
EU diplomas vs non-EU diplomas
The starting point for everyone is the same question: where did you qualify?
If you qualified in an EU/EEA country, your diploma benefits from the European system of mutual recognition of professional qualifications. This doesn’t mean recognition is automatic — you still need to go through the official process – but the framework is more straightforward and the timeline is generally shorter.
If you qualified outside the EU, your diploma goes through an academic equivalence assessment. This is a more detailed process that evaluates whether your training – including the number of hours, clinical placements, and subjects covered – meets the standards required in Belgium or France. Depending on the outcome, additional training or exams may be required before you’re cleared to practise.
How it works in Belgium
In Belgium, Moving People works exclusively with French-speaking Belgium – Wallonia and Brussels. Diploma recognition in this region is handled by the relevant community authority, which assesses whether your qualification is equivalent to a Belgian degree.
Once equivalence is confirmed, the process moves to the professional authorisation stage – the official visa that allows you to practise. These two steps are linked but handled by different bodies, which is one of the reasons the overall timeline can stretch to 11 months for nurses and around a year for doctors and dentists.
The exact requirements – documents, translations, supporting evidence – vary depending on your profession, your country of training, and the specifics of your diploma.
Want to know what the recognition process looks like for your specific profile? Our team can give you a personalised breakdown.
How it works in France
In France, the recognition process follows a similar logic but involves different authorities and a slightly different administrative path. EU-trained professionals go through the European recognition route. Non-EU professionals go through an equivalence assessment that evaluates their training against French standards.
For doctors, there is an additional layer – the right to practise is also linked to registration with the relevant professional council, which has its own requirements and timeline.
As a general guide, the full process from start to finish takes approximately one year for doctors and dentists in France.
What makes the process take longer
Diploma recognition is rarely fast – but some things slow it down more than others:
- Incomplete dossiers: missing documents or documents that aren’t correctly certified are the most common reason for delays
- Translations: all documents not in French need to be officially translated, and not all translation services are accepted
- Non-EU diplomas: the equivalence assessment is more thorough and takes more time than the EU recognition route
- Specific specialisations: some medical specialisations require additional assessment steps
Starting early and submitting a complete, well-prepared dossier from the beginning makes a significant difference.
A note on additional requirements
In some cases – particularly for non-EU professionals – the recognition process may determine that additional training, a period of supervised practice, or a specific exam is required before full authorisation is granted. This isn’t a rejection it’s part of the process for ensuring patient safety, and it’s something that can be planned for.
Your Moving People consultant will flag this possibility early if it applies to your profile, so there are no surprises.
Getting it right from the start
Diploma recognition is one of those processes where preparation genuinely pays off. A well-organised dossier, submitted correctly and on time, can shave months off your overall timeline.
At Moving People, we’ve guided healthcare professionals through this process many times. We know what the authorities are looking for, what tends to cause problems, and how to make sure your application is as strong as it can be.
Get in touch with our team – we’ll help you get your recognition process moving in the right direction.
Last updated: 2026. Requirements may change – always verify current details with your Moving People consultant or the relevant authorities in Belgium or France.