Recognition after Brexit

Since 1 January 2021, the UK is no longer a part of the EU single market or the EU customs union. The EU’s relationship with the UK including recognition procedures has thus fundamentally changed.

Brexit has legal implications for the recognition of professional qualifications from the United Kingdom:

- For professional qualifications that have already been recognised, the recognition will remain valid after Brexit.

- If recognition of a UK professional qualification was applied for before 1 January 2021 and a decision has not yet been taken, the recognition procedure must be continued and completed in accordance with EU legislation, according to the Withdrawal Agreement. Precise information can be obtained from the competent body. This can be determined on the website Recognition in Germany.

- If recognition is applied for after 1 January 2021, the national regulations for professional qualifications from third countries apply. The automatic recognition according to the EU Professional Recognition Directive no longer applies. According to the partnership agreement between the EU and the UK, professional organisations of both contracting parties can propose facilitated recognition arrangements for specific professions.

Information on the vocational education system of the United Kingdom can be found in the BQ-Portal country profile (in german).

Further helpful information can be found under Recognition in Germany.

The EU commission publicates the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.