European Professional Card; Application

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

• registered nurse (also known as a nursing professional)
• pharmacist,
• physical therapist,
• mountain and ski guide, or
• real estate agent

, you may apply for the European Professional Card through an electronic procedure to have your professional qualifications recognized in another country of the European Union or the European Economic Area. Professionals in other fields must still follow the standard procedure to have their professional qualifications recognized.

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

The European Professional Card offers you the following benefits:

• The authorities in your country of origin will assist you with your application and verify that it is correctly filled out and complete. They will also verify the authenticity and validity of your documents.
• If you wish to apply in the future to establish a business or provide services temporarily in another EU country, your file will already be in the system, and you will not have to upload your documents a second time. This saves you time when submitting future applications.
• If the authorities responsible for your application do not make a decision within the specified time limit, recognition is granted automatically.

The European Professional Card is valid:

• indefinitely for establishment
• for 18 months in most cases where you provide services on a temporary and occasional basis, or
• 12 months for professions that impact public health or safety, provided they are not subject to automatic recognition (e.g., physical therapist)

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

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

• the State Office for Nursing for
  • Registered Nurse (also: nursing professional)
  • Physical Therapists
• the Regional Governments of Upper Bavaria for pharmacists
• the district administrative authorities for real estate agents
• the Technical University of Munich for mountain and ski guides

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

The EPC procedure is currently available only for the following professions:

• Registered nurse (also: nursing professional) for general nursing
• Pharmacist
• Physical therapist
• Mountain and ski guide
• Real estate agent

Professionals in other fields must still follow the standard procedure to have their professional qualifications recognized. However, the EPC procedure may be expanded to include other professions in the future.

If you 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 that country for at least three years following the recognition of your qualification

First, you must register with the European Commission’s authentication service and choose a username and password.

Then, create your profile with your personal information (ID card or passport number, last name, nationality) and your contact details (address, email address, phone number, etc.). Your personal information will appear on your European Professional Card.

Once you have created your profile, you can apply for the European Professional Card. To do so, go to the homepage. When submitting your application, you will learn 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 along 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 submitted your application, you can no longer change your personal information. Only the authority processing your file can make updates. However, you can update your contact information at any time. You can track your application online and reuse documents you have already uploaded for new applications in other countries.

Once your application is approved, you can generate an EPC certificate in PDF format. The EPC certificate contains a reference number. Your future employer can use this reference number to verify the validity of your European Professional Card online. For more information, please refer to the EBA User Manual. 

Please note that the European Professional Card does not generally automatically grant the right to practice the profession (exception: occasional and temporary services that do not affect public health or safety). If you plan to establish a business, you may need to register with a professional organization in the host country or provide certain documentation (e.g., regarding reliability or health) before beginning to practice your profession. Check with a Single Point of Contact or the authorities in the host country to see if this is required in your case.

The competent authority in your country of origin will confirm receipt of your application and inform you of any missing documents and applicable fees within one week. Depending on whether you wish to provide your services temporarily in the host country or establish a permanent presence there, the process continues as follows:

Temporary mobility:

• The authorities in the host country will also review your file if your profession could have an impact on public health and safety and therefore does not qualify for automatic recognition.
• If no review by the host country is required, the authority in your home country will review your application and make a final decision within a maximum of 3 weeks.
• If reviews by the host country are required, the authority in your country of origin must review your application within a maximum 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 plus two extensions of 2 weeks each).
• If the authorities in the host country determine that your education, training, and professional experience do not meet that country’s required standards, they may require you to take a qualification exam or complete an adaptation course.

Establishment:

• The authority in your country of origin must review your application within a maximum of 1 month and forward it to the host country.
• If you are a pharmacist or a registered nurse (also: nursing professional) and your profession is automatically recognized, the host country will make a decision within a maximum of 2 months (1 month plus 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 plus two extensions of 2 weeks each).
• If the authorities in the host country believe that your education, training, and professional experience do not meet that country’s required standards, they may require you to take an aptitude test or complete an adaptation course.

If the authorities in the host country do not make a decision within the statutory time limits, your qualifications are tacitly recognized, and you can generate an EPC certificate through your online account.

• none

The authorities in your country of origin and the host country may charge fees for reviewing your file. You can check the fees using the quick search tool on the European Commission’s “Your Europe” website, provided that the relevant countries have made this information available. You will receive a separate invoice from each authority.