Recognition of diplomas

 

Students and PhD students

You must comply with the following procedure to ensure that your Belgian degree is recognized in all foreign countries. You must go to:
 
1. The Ministry of Education for the French Community in Belgium, taking your degree certificate and any annexes and additional documents associated with the degree certificate. (Please note that any annexes and additional documents associated with the degree certificate must first be signed by Ms Anne Van Laethem, Director of the UCL Student Office.)
 
Contact details: Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 20-22 (3rd floor), 1000 Brussels.   Tel.: 02-690 81 00, Fax: 02-690 80 24.
Monday – Friday, 9 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 4 pm.
Metro: Station Rogier, exit via CITY 2
Cost: free
 
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking your documents.
 
Contact details: Rue des Petits Carmes, 27, 1000 Brussels. Tel.: 02-501 88 15, Fax: 02- 501 37 90.
Monday – Friday, 9 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm.
This will cost 10 euros per document.
 
 
Postdoctoral researchers
 
Requests for equivalence of a doctorate degree (3rd cycle) should be submitted to the Rector's Office of the Université catholique de Louvain. The applicant must supply the following documents before the request can be deemed to be allowable:
 
A copy of the PhD certificate and a translation if applicable. English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and German degree certificates do not require translations:
  • a copy of the 2nd cycle university degree (Master’s);
  • a paper copy of the doctoral thesis (which will subsequently be returned to the applicant);
  • a curriculum vitae including the applicant's personal details, titles (and possibly grades) of the annual study programmes followed, list of publications (especially those relating to the thesis) and papers presented to international conferences, as well as any other items deemed by the candidate to be relevant in considering his or her application;
  • if applicable, the name of one contact person at the university to which the request for recognition has been submitted (compulsory in the case of a request made with a view to applying for an FRS-FNRS grant (Fund for Scientific Research));
  • if available, the PhD regulations for the university issuing the PhD certificate for which a request for equivalence has been submitted, or any other document that definitively defines the conditions of admission to doctoral study programmes, as well as the accreditation or recognition by the competent foreign authorities of the institution issuing the degree certificate, and the recognized rights and obligations conferred under the degree by the competent foreign authorities.
 For further information please contact: Marie Welsch,  Research Department – Doctorate Management
| 4/01/2013 |