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European Professional Card; application

If you wish to pursue your profession temporarily or permanently in another European country, you will be issued with a European Professional Card upon application in an electronic procedure for the recognition of your professional qualification in another EU country.

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  • Europäischer Berufsausweis - Online-Beantragung

    You must register with the European Commission's authentication service and create a profile with your personal details and contact information. You can then submit your application for the European Professional Card, upload scanned copies of documents and send them to the authority in your country of origin.

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Procedure details

If you are working temporarily or permanently in another European country as a

  • nurse for general care,
  • pharmacist,
  • physiotherapist, physiotherapist,
  • mountain and ski guide or
  • real estate agent

you will be issued with a European Professional Card upon application in an electronic procedure for the recognition of your professional qualification in another country of the European Union or the European Economic Area. Professionals with a different profession must still use the standard procedure for the recognition of their professional qualification.

The European Professional Card (EPC) is not a physical card. It is an electronic proof that your professional qualification is recognized by another country of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) or that you have fulfilled the requirements for the temporary provision of services in that country. The EPC will be issued to you upon application in an electronic procedure (EPC procedure). The EPC procedure is simpler, faster and more transparent than conventional procedures for the recognition of professional qualifications.

The European Professional Card offers you the following advantages:

  • The authorities in your country of origin will help you with your application and check that it has been filled in correctly and is complete. They will also check the authenticity and validity of your documents.
  • If you wish to submit an application for establishment or temporary provision of services in another EU country in the future, your dossier will already be in the system and you will not have to upload your documents a second time. This will save you time with further applications.
  • If the authorities responsible for your application do not make a decision within the specified period, recognition is automatic.

The European Professional Card is valid:

  • unlimited in the case of establishment
  • 18 months in most cases where you provide services on a temporary and occasional basis, or
  • 12 months for professions with an impact on public health or safety, provided they are not subject to automatic recognition (e.g. physiotherapist)

You submit the application for the European Professional Card to the competent authority in your country of origin. This is determined in the EPC procedure.

In Bavaria, the following authorities are responsible for the individual professions:

  • the State Office for Nursing for
    • Nurse for general care
    • Physiotherapist
  • the governments of Upper Bavaria for pharmacists
  • the district administrative authorities for real estate agent
  • the Technical University of Munich for mountain and ski guide

You can use the EPC procedure if you wish to pursue your profession temporarily (temporary mobility) or permanently (establishment) in another EU or EEA country.

The EPC procedure can currently only be used for the following professions:

  • Nurse for general care
  • Pharmacist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Mountain and ski guide
  • Real estate agent

Skilled workers with a different profession must still use the standard procedure for the recognition of their professional qualification. However, the EPC procedure may be extended to other professions in the future.

If you have obtained your qualification outside the EU, you can apply for a European Professional Card under the following conditions:

  • Your qualification has already been recognized in an EU country
  • You have practiced your profession in this country for at least three years following recognition of your qualification

You must first register with the European Commission's authentication service and choose a user name and password.

Then create your profile with your personal details (ID card or passport number, surname, nationality) and your contact details (address, e-mail address, telephone number, etc.). Your personal details will appear on your European Professional Card.

Once you have created your profile, you can apply for the European Professional Card. To do this, go to the start page. When you submit your application, you will find out which documents the host country requires to recognize your professional qualification. You can upload the documents directly. Please upload each document as a separate file.

Then send the application together with the documents to the competent authority in your country of origin.

The competent authority will process your application and, if necessary, forward it to the authorities in the host country for further processing.

Once you have sent your application, you can no longer change your personal details. Only the authority processing your file can update it. However, you can update your contact details at any time. You can track your application online and reuse previously uploaded documents for new applications for other countries.

Once your application has been approved, you can create an EPC certificate in PDF format. The EPC certificate contains a reference number. Your future employer can use this reference number to check the validity of your European Professional Card online. For more information, please refer to the EBA user manual.

The authority in your country of origin and the authority in the host country may charge fees for checking your file. You can find out the fees using the quick query on the EU Commission 's "Your Europe" page, provided these have been made available by the countries concerned. You will receive a separate invoice from each authority.

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The competent authority in your country of origin will confirm receipt of your application and inform you of any missing documents and fees within one week. Depending on whether you want to offer your services temporarily in the host country or settle there permanently, the procedure is as follows:

Temporary mobility:

  • The host country authorities will also review your file if your profession could have an impact on public health and safety and is therefore not automatically recognized.
  • If no review by the host country is required, the authorities in your country of origin will review your application and make a final decision within a maximum of 3 weeks.
  • If checks by the host country are required, the authority in your country of origin must check your application within a maximum period of 1 month and forward it to the host country. The host country will make a final decision within a maximum of 3 months (2 months + two extensions of 2 weeks each).
  • If the authorities of the host country are of the opinion that your education, training and professional experience do not meet the required standards of that country, they may require an aptitude test or an adaptation period.

Establishment:

  • The authority in your country of origin must examine your application within a maximum period of 1 month and forward it to the host country.
  • If you are a pharmacist or nurse and your profession is automatically recognized, the host country will make a decision within a maximum of 2 months (1 month + two extensions of 2 weeks each).
  • If your profession is not automatically recognized, the host country will make a final decision within a maximum of 3 months (2 months + two extensions of 2 weeks each).
  • If the authorities of the host country are of the opinion that your education, training and professional experience do not meet the required standards of that country, they may require an aptitude test or an adaptation period.

If the host country authorities do not make a decision within the legal deadlines, your qualifications will be tacitly recognized and you can create an EPC certificate via your online account.

Please note that, as a rule, the European Professional Card does not automatically confer the right to practise the profession (exception: occasional and temporary services with no impact on public health or safety). If you are planning to set up a business, you may need to register with a professional organization in the host country or provide certain proof (e.g. regarding reliability or health) before you start practicing your profession. Ask a single point of contact or the authorities in the host country whether this is necessary in your case.

Status: 09.05.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Familie, Arbeit und Soziales
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