Study

Recognition of degrees and professional qualification, the Benelux countries are joining forces to contribute to a European higher education area.

When planning your professional life, you should be able to focus on your studies, and there should be no need to worry about whether your degree is valid in another country. The Benelux Union has worked to ensure that this is the case across the three Benelux countries and, more recently, in the Baltic States.

Automatic recognition of degrees

Started your studies in Belgium and want to continue them in the Netherlands, or want to work in Belgium after studying in Luxembourg? It’s all possible. Since 2015, automatic mutual recognition of bachelor’s and master’s degrees means administrative hurdles are a thing of the past. And since 2018, this mutual recognition also applies to associate degrees and doctorates.

Beyond our borders: an agreement with the Baltic states

Ever since a treaty to that effect was signed in September 2021, the automatic recognition of higher education degrees between the three Benelux countries has been extended those obtained in the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. With the entry into force of this Treaty in 2024, these six countries will form the only region within the European Higher Education Area where degree levels are automatically recognised. Their ambition is to encourage other countries to follow this path.

In specific terms, this results in greater mobility for students and instant administrative simplification:

• Automatic recognition without any administrative procedures and at no cost to the degree holders;
• Recognition established as a legal right;
• Validity of degrees for working or continuing studies in one of the members states.

Recognition of professional qualifications

In a context marked by labor shortages and the rapid evolution of professions and sectors, facilitating the mobility of workers between countries has become essential, especially in a region as economically integrated as the Benelux. The recognition of professional qualifications is a key tool to make it easier to access opportunities abroad.

The Benelux countries, in collaboration with the competent authorities, are working to simplify and speed up the procedures for recognizing professional qualifications, improve access to information for employers and workers, and develop joint training programs, particularly in sectors facing shortages or related to the green and digital transitions.

The goal is clear: to make the cross-border labor market more accessible, better support workers, and respond more effectively to the needs of businesses.