Procedure

Equivalence to a specific academic degree implies submission of a file to the competent advisory body: the Equivalence Commission. Composed of experts from higher education institutions, the Commission analyses each case individually and delivers a duly reasoned opinion on the application for recognition. This examination of training content, carried out on a case-by-case basis, means that there is no automatic recognition of study programmes, even for European diplomas resulting from the Bologna Process.

Namely: In the event of a negative opinion concerning equivalence to a specific academic degree, equivalence of the educational level is still analysed. Consequently, no other steps need to be taken by the user to prove the level of his/her training. 

In addition to the fact that the foreign diploma is part of the higher education system and is recognised by a competent foreign authority in the field of higher education (e.g. a Ministry or a national accreditation agency), the main criteria guiding an academic evaluation are the following:

• the level of education with which the foreign diploma needs to be compared. It is a matter of how a diploma is positioned in a foreign higher education system, generally in relation to a national certification framework;
• the content of the training expressed as learning outcomes: comparison of the study programme completed abroad with a programme currently organised in FW-B higher education institutions. In this evaluation, account is taken of apprenticeship and professional integration activities, including internships and final academic work (thesis, dissertation, project, etc.);
• the volume of studies expressed in terms of years or ECTScredits , etc. The legal duration of studies must be at least the same as that required to obtain the corresponding diploma in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation;
• the quality of the curriculum.

As soon as all the requested documents have been provided for the compilation of the file and an acknowledgement of receipt has been communicated to you, our Directorate legally has 4 months to obtain the opinion of the Equivalence Commission. Once the latter has concluded its deliberations, the decision taken on the basis of that opinion shall be forwarded within a maximum of 40 days.

The cost of this procedure is €200.  For diplomas awarded in a country receiving official development assistance (ODA), the amount is €150.

If you are a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary or temporary protection in Belgium, the procedure is free of charge.

Namely: These procedural costs will be paid in a second stage, after being informed by our Directorate.

These amounts do not include indirect costs, such as any costs for sworn translations of academic documents.

Decisions on equivalence may be appealed to the Council of State for annulment. The Council of State is the Belgian court with jurisdiction for all appeals against administrative decisions.

The services of the Walloon Ombudsman and the Walloon-Brussels Federation are also at your disposal for any information with regard to challenging an administrative decision. The Ombudsman receives complaints concerning the functioning of the administrative services in relations with citizens. The latter is independent and the free recourse attempts to provide an answer, a further explanation, a new direction and reconciliation of the different points of view between the citizen and the administration.

The purpose of this procedure is to establish a correspondence between levels of training attained abroad and those relating to FW-B higher education diplomas.

There are two possible scenarios:

1. Your diploma can be processed directly without first going through the Equivalence Commission. This occurs when:
   • the diploma was awarded in a country of the  European Economic Area after the implementation of the Bologna Process and corresponds to the “Bologna” education structure (bachelor’s degree-master’s degree-doctorate);
   • the diploma is the subject of case law on account of it having already been submitted to the Equivalence Commission for an opinion.
2. Your diploma must be the subject of an analysis by the Equivalence Commission.

NOTE: After submitting your request online, our Directorate will inform you of the circumstances that apply to your application based on the documents provided.

In addition to the fact that the foreign diploma is part of the higher education framework and is recognised by a foreign higher education authority (e.g. a ministry or national accreditation agency), the main criteria guiding an assessment of educational attainment are as follows:

• the level of education with which the foreign diploma needs to be compared. It is a matter of how a diploma is positioned in a foreign higher education system, generally in relation to a national certification framework;
• the volume of studies expressed in terms of years or ECTS credits , etc. The legal duration of studies must be at least the same as that required to obtain the corresponding diploma in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation;
• the quality of the curriculum.

As soon as all the requested documents have been provided for the compilation of the file and an acknowledgement of receipt has been communicated to you, a level equivalence will be issued within a maximum period of 2 months if your diploma is not to be subjected to an examination by the Equivalence Commission.

In other cases, the time limit for obtaining the opinion of the aforementioned Commission is 4 months . Once the latter has concluded its deliberations, the decision taken on the basis of that opinion shall be forwarded within a maximum of 40 days.

The costs of this procedure amount to €65 if your file does not have to be submitted to the Equivalence Commission.  

If an opinion is required, the cost of this procedure is €200.  For diplomas awarded in a country receiving official development assistance (ODA), the amount is €150.

If you are a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary or temporary protection, the procedure is free of charge in all cases.

Namely: These procedural costs will be paid in a second stage, after being informed by our Directorate.

These amounts do not include indirect costs, such as any costs for sworn translations of academic documents where the original language of the documents is neither English nor French.

For certain higher education degrees awarded in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Netherlands,Estonia,Latvia and Lithuania, there is no need to undertake an equivalence procedure in order to have the level of education associated with those diplomas recognised.

Following the signature by those countries of agreements on generic automatic mutual recognition of the level of diplomas, education levels are automatically recognised. These agreements are as follows:

• Decisions of the Benelux Committee of Ministers M (2015)3 and M (2018)1 
• Treaty of 14 September 2021 on the automatic recognition of higher education qualifications

What is this recognition about?

That recognition does not relate to the content of a study programme but only to its level. It therefore does not imply that your degree is equivalent to a specific academic degree (e.g. a master’s degree in economics). Nor does it attest to the number of ECTS credits earned as part of your training.

Mutual recognition of diplomas relates only to diplomas at level 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the European Qualifications Framework issued by a higher education institution recognised by the competent authorities of the countries concerned.

The corresponding levels of training in FW-B are, respectively, generic academic degrees:

• Higher education certificate (level 5)

• Bachelor's degree (level 6)

• Master's degree (level 7)

• PhD (Level 8)

How can you check that your diploma is subject to automatic recognition of your level of education?

Mutual recognition agreements requires certain conditions:

• the foreign diploma must be accredited in its national higher education system,
• the diploma must finally be included in the lists relating to these agreements.

The diplomas concerned by this automatic recognition are listed in this table

Example: you hold a getuigschrift master’s degree from a university in the Netherlands and your degree is accredited by the NVAO (Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie).This master's degree is considered to be automatically equivalent to a generic academic master's degree awarded in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

For information on recognised institutions and programmes, you can contact the ENIC-NARIC centres in each of the countries concerned: www.enic-naric.net

Decisions on equivalence may be appealed to the Council of State for annulment. The Council of State is the Belgian court with jurisdiction for all appeals against administrative decisions.

The services of the Walloon Ombudsman and the Walloon-Brussels Federation are also at your disposal for any information with regard to challenging an administrative decision. The Ombudsman receives complaints concerning the functioning of the administrative services in relations with citizens. The latter is independent and the free recourse attempts to provide an answer, a further explanation, a new direction and reconciliation of the different points of view between the citizen and the administration.