Get your EEA qualification recognised in the UK from 1 January 2021

How professional qualifications obtained in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will be recognised in the UK from 1 January 2021.

New rules for January 2021

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year.

This page tells you what you’ll need to do from 1 January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.

You can also read about the transition period.

This guidance is about getting an EEA or Swiss qualification recognised in the UK. There’s different guidance if you need to get a UK qualification recognised in the EEA or Switzerland.

You’ll need to have your professional qualification officially recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in the UK. It will need to be recognised by the appropriate regulator for your profession. You’ll need to do this even if you’re providing temporary or occasional professional services.

Professionals already working in the UK

You don’t have to do anything if your qualification has already been officially recognised by the relevant regulator in the UK. The regulator’s decision to recognise your qualification will remain valid.

If you have been using the temporary or occasional declaration to work in the UK, you will need to get your qualification recognised by the relevant regulator. Applications made before 1 January 2021 will be completed under the existing rules where possible.

Start working in the UK

For a temporary period after the 1 January 2021, the UK will still recognise EEA and Swiss qualifications which are of an equivalent standard to UK qualifications.

Check the UK list of regulated professions to find out if your profession is regulated.

Then contact the relevant UK regulator, to find out how to get your professional qualification recognised.

Some professions have separate regulators in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Make sure you contact the appropriate regulator for where you want to work.

Applications made before 1 January 2021 will be completed under the existing rules where possible. This will be the case even if they are not completed before this date.

If you’re a Swiss national

There are different rules for Swiss nationals and the family members of Swiss nationals.

If you already have a qualification, or you started your qualification before 1 January 2021, your application for recognition in the UK will be completed under the current EU rules. This will still be the case if the application is made after 31 December 2020, as long as it is made before 31 December 2024.

If you have a pre-existing contract to provide temporary or occasional services in the UK, and you started working before 1 January 2021, you can continue to provide your services until 31 December 2025. This will be subject to the terms of your original contract.

If you’re an architect, auditor, lawyer or healthcare professional

There are different rules if you’re an architect, an auditor, a lawyer or a healthcare professional.

Find out what to do if you’re an architect
Find out what to do if you’re an auditor
Find out what to do if you’re a lawyer
Find out what to do if you’re a healthcare professional

Published 12 October 2018
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