Requests for the recognition of qualifications for the purpose of entry into the regulated professions should be addressed to the relevant government department, a list of which is given at the web site of the French Education Ministry (in French only). The recognition procedure is free.

These departments follow the advice of committees drawn from the professions concerned, and where there is a difference in the length or the content of the training between the two countries, these will in general require applicants to undergo a course of further training. Waiting periods before recognition are long, because of the need to involve members of the profession, and as a consequence of the high number of applications made.

Teachers who wish to present themselves for the national qualifying examinations for employment in primary or secondary education are generally expected to have successfully completed 3 years of higher education (with the possibility of having followed a shorter course for those who have previous relevant professional experience).

For non-regulated occupations, a certificate recognising the level of the qualification acquired in another country may be issued by the French Education Ministry’s national offices (in the case of persons residing abroad) or by a regional office (in the case of persons already resident in France).

To know more:

The web-site of the French Education Ministry gives the addresses of those departments to which requests for the recognition of foreign qualifications should be addressed.

Contact for certification of foreign qualifications: