The Recognition of Foreign Diplomas in France

If you are planning on moving overseas to live and work abroad in France then you may first want to know if they will recognize your diplomas. If you have attended and graduated college in a country other than France, you will want to be sure that when you arrive in France that employers in that country will recognize your foreign diplomas. This is especially important if you will be working in an industry or job where it is absolutely necessary that you be in possession of a certain degree or diploma.

As you probably are already aware, there are certain sectors and industries where the recognition of your qualifications is absolutely vital to enabling you to practice in your profession. A good example of this is if you are a doctor or nurse or even a lawyer. In France you will find that there are two basic situations where you will need to have recognition of your diplomas. They are based upon whether your profession is a European Union regulated profession or a non regulated profession.

For non regulated professions in France any person can do the job. This means that experience and the candidate's qualifications are what the employer will base their hiring decision on. You can contact the Ministry of Education for certificates of studies and provide those to the employer but just remember that those have no legal value.

For regulated professions there are two types. There are those that are covered by a sectorial directive and those that are not covered by a sectorial directive.

Professions such as dentists, nurses, doctors, veterinarians, midwives and pharmacists are some of the professions covered by a sectorial directive. If you are a European Union citizen and you have a diploma or degree from your own country then you can work in one of these professions as long as you have your qualifications certified by the professional organization in France. If you are not a European Union citizen then you will have to check with the French professional organization relevant to your occupation to see if they will accept your qualifications.

Other professions, some of which are in medicine, law and architecture, are not covered by a sectorial directive. This means that the training and qualifications for these positions have to be specific to France. Your diploma or degree must be recognized by an official French body.

Either way it is a good idea to check in with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) in your home country or in France. You can get contact info for them on their website.