Systems of recognition of professional qualifications
Rules of the recognition of professional qualifications
Article 11(c) of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications reads as follows:
"(c) a diploma certifying successful completion of
(i) either training at post-secondary level other than that referred to in points (d) and (e) of a duration of at least one year or of an equivalent duration on a part-time basis, one of the conditions of entry of which is, as a general rule, the successful completion of the secondary course required to obtain entry to university or higher education or the completion of equivalent school education of the second secondary level, as well as the professional training which may be required in addition to that post-secondary course; or
(ii) regulated education and training or, in the case of regulated professions, vocational training with a special structure, with competences going beyond what is provided for in level b, equivalent to the level of training provided for under point (i), if such training provides a comparable professional standard and prepares the trainee for a comparable level of responsibilities and functions provided that the diploma is accompanied by a certificate from the home Member State"
List of regulated professions with training referred to in Article 11(a) c) point ii) in the Slovak Republic
Master of vocational education
Vocational training represents education of at least twelve years' duration, comprising eight years of primary education, four years of vocational education (complete vocational secondary education and/or apprenticeship in a relevant (related) field of study or training], professional practice of at least three years' duration in the field of completed study or apprenticeship and additional pedagogical study at a faculty of education or at technical universities, or complete secondary education or apprenticeship in a relevant (related) field of study or training, professional practice of at least three years' duration in the field of completed study or apprenticeship and additional pedagogical study at a faculty of education, or until 1 September 2005, specialized qualification studies in special pedagogy carried out in methodological centers for masters of vocational education at special schools without additional pedagogical study.
Teacher in dance department at primary art schools,
Vocational training represents education lasting at least fourteen and a half years, including eight years of primary education, four years of education at secondary vocational school and a five-semester course in dance pedagogy,
Educator in special educational facilities and social service facilities,
Vocational training represents education lasting at least fourteen years, including at least eight or nine years of primary education, four years of study at secondary pedagogical school or another secondary school and two years of additional pedagogical study in an external form.
In order to ensure the protection of the health or safety of the recipient of the services, the competent authority may examine the professional qualifications of the service provider before the first provision of the service in the Slovak Republic. This possibility currently applies in the Slovak Republic to the health professions and the mountain guiding profession.
Health care professions
The Slovak Republic has identified all health regulated professions as having an impact on public health and safety. Therefore, Article 7(4) of the Directive applies to this group of professions, with the exception of qualifications covered by the automatic recognition system under Articles 21 to 45 of the Directive (*).
Pursuant to Act No 578/2004 Coll. on health care providers, health professionals and professional organisations in the health sector, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic obliges the visiting person to notify the Ministry in writing of the exercise of the health profession before commencing his/her activity. The measure applies to the following health professions (including fields of specialisation):
- Dental assistant
- Paramedic
- Nurse practitioner - assistant
- Paramedic
- Radiology technician
- Orthopaedic technician
- Doctor of Medicine*
- Dental Practitioner*
- Midwife*
- Pharmacist*
- Nurse*
- Dental technician
- Dental hygienist
- Optometrist
- Ophthalmic optician
- Massage therapist
- Nutritional therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Pharmaceutical laboratory technician
- Medical laboratory technician
- Medical device technician
- Health care therapeutic educator
- Public health worker
- Laboratory diagnostician
- Physicist
- Psychologist
- Speech therapist
The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, pursuant to Act No. 544/2002 Coll. on Mountain Rescue Service, obliges the visiting person to notify the National Association of Mountain Guides of the Slovak Republic in writing prior to commencing his/her activity:
- Mountain guiding activity
Databases of regulated professions including the responsible authorities for recognition of professional qualifications are available through the links below:
Use of foreign academic degrees and titles
There is no recognition process for the purpose of using a title, entering a title in an identity card or for any other reason related exclusively to the use of an academic title. An academic title is obtained by successfully completing university studies; it cannot be acquired through recognition.
A person who has met the conditions for exercising a regulated profession in the Slovak Republic uses the academic title and its abbreviation that was awarded to him or her according to the national legislation of the state of origin, in the language of that state. The competent authority may require that a natural person indicate after his or her academic title the name and location of the institution or examination board that awarded the academic title.
A person whose educational qualification has been recognised for the purpose of continuing his or her studies is entitled to use the academic title and its abbreviation in the territory of the Slovak Republic as they were awarded to him or her according to the national legislation of the state of origin, in the language of that state. If an academic title or its abbreviation is interchangeable with titles awarded under a special regulation that require the fulfillment of other conditions for obtaining professional competence than those in the country of origin, the Ministry of Education shall decide on the use of the appropriate academic title.
The use of an academic title in official relations (identity document or other public documents) is possible only after the recognition of the qualification itself. In other uses of an academic title (business cards, address, everyday contact), the use of the academic title is not regulated.
Holders of foreign documents of education or professional qualifications who were not awarded any academic title in the country of origin do not have the right to use an equivalent academic title awarded under Slovak law.
Use of professional titles
A person who has fulfilled the conditions for exercising a regulated profession in the Slovak Republic uses a professional title or a designation of a profession that corresponds to this profession in the Slovak Republic.
If a profession is regulated in the Slovak Republic by a professional organization or other similar legal entity, a natural person shall use the professional title or professional designation granted by that chamber or other similar legal entity only on the basis of registration or membership.
When providing services on a temporary and occasional basis, the service provider shall use the professional title of the Member State of origin; if there is no professional title in the Member State of origin, the professional qualification acquired shall be stated. After the prior check of the professional qualification, the service provider shall use the professional title or professional designation corresponding to that profession in the Slovak Republic.
Anyone who meets the conditions for the provision of services under the legislation of another Member State (hereinafter referred to as "service provider") may provide the same services temporarily and occasionally in the territory of the Slovak Republic without recognition of professional qualifications, provided that
- the profession is a regulated profession in the Member State in which the services are provided or the education and training required for the exercise of the profession is regulated; or
- service provider has pursued that profession for at least one year during the preceding ten years in a Member State or in several Member States in which that profession is not regulated.
Whether it is still temporary and occasional provision of services (and not establishment) is assessed according to the type of profession, in particular the duration, frequency, regularity and continuity of the provision of services.
The service provider has the right to temporary registration in the register of the chamber or in another similar organisation according to special regulations.
Procedure for temporary and occasional provision of services
Proceed according to the type of regulated profession:
- Health professions: information is published on the website of the Ministry of Health
- Architects: information is published on the website of the Slovak Chamber of Architects
- Construction professions (authorized civil engineer, etc.): information is published on the website of the Slovak Chamber of Civil Engineers
- Craft and regulated trades: information is published on the website of the Single Contact Point in the Slovak Republic
- Other regulated professions:
The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic publishes a form of notification on temporary provision of services. This form is sent to the authority which recognises the professional qualification for the exercise of the regulated profession in the SR
Temporary provision of services notification form
Database of regulated professions (search for the authority responsible for the recognition of professional qualifications)
The annexes to the notification of temporary provision of services, which the applicant shall submit to the competent authority together with the notification before the first provision of the service, are:
- copy of the identity document,
- certified copy of the professional qualification document (notarised or certified copy),
- proof of provision of services, if it is an unregulated profession in the State of origin and the service provider proves to have at least one year's experience in the last 10 years,
- proof of authorisation to provide the same type of services issued by the competent authority of the Member State and proof that the provider is not restricted or prohibited from providing the services, and
- proof that the service provider has not been temporarily or permanently suspended from the pursuit of his profession and that he has not been finally convicted of a deliberate criminal offence, in the case of professions in the fields of security, health or education and training.
- declaration of insurance or other means of personal and collective protection, if insurance is required for a particular service under the legislation of the Slovak Republic (to be resubmitted annually for each calendar year in which services are provided).
In the event of a change in the facts evidenced by the documents referred to in paragraph 2, the service provider shall be obliged to notify the change in writing within eight days of the date on which the decisive fact occurred and to prove it by a document evidencing the change made.
The European Professional Card (EPC) is an electronic certificate proving that a professional has fulfilled all the necessary conditions for the temporary and occasional provision of services in a host Member State or the recognition of professional qualifications for the purpose of establishment in a host Member State.
For the purpose of establishment, the issuance of an EPC does not confer an automatic right to exercise a specific profession if registration requirements or other control procedures are implemented in the host State (e.g. for the health profession, registration with the relevant chamber is mandatory, i.e. only after registration with the chamber is it possible to exercise a regulated profession with an EPC).
The EPC can only be issued or used in the 27 EU Member States (it does not apply and is not valid to EFTA countries and Switzerland). In the case where the chosen profession is not regulated in the (host) State, the professional does not need to apply for an EPC.
EPC can be issued for 5 regulated professions: pharmacist, nurse, physiotherapist, real estate agent and mountain guide.
Steps to submit an EPC application
- registration via the Your Europe – ECAS website;
- creation of the applicant’s profile (name, surname, year of birth, title and number of the identity document, these data must be confirmed by the home authority responsible for the EPC, etc.);
- creation of an application – for a specific regulated profession; it is important to correctly choose the recognition regime (automatic recognition system or general recognition system), determine the Member State where the applicant plans to establish himself or temporarily and occasionally provide a service;
- uploading documents to the application, which are to be verified by the competent authority in the Member State; each document should be scanned into a separate file;
- sending the application to the home competent authority;
Document requirements of the Slovak Republic for the granting of an EPC
- Nurse
- Pharmacist
- Physiotherapist
- Mountain guide
- A real estate agent in the Slovak Republic is not a regulated profession, therefore it is not possible to apply for an EPC.
In the Slovak Republic, the granting of an EPC is exempt from administrative fees.
The applicant for recognition of professional qualifications is obliged to master the state language to the extent necessary for the performance of the relevant regulated profession.
In the case of a healthcare professional, the knowledge of the state language is verified to the extent sufficient for the performance of the relevant regulated profession with regard to patient safety. The competent authority for the purpose of verifying the language knowledge of a healthcare professional is the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. More information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic.
In the case of other regulated professions, the verification of language knowledge is carried out only if there are serious specific doubts about the sufficient extent of language knowledge. In such a case, the applicant may demonstrate mastery of the state language by successfully completing the school-leaving examination, the state language examination or another equivalent examination, or by another appropriate method that the applicant proposes.
If the competent authority does not assess the knowledge of the state language as sufficient on the basis of the above, it shall decide on the verification of knowledge of the state language. The verification must be appropriate to the activity that the applicant wishes to perform.
The verification of the knowledge of the state language to the extent necessary for the performance of the relevant regulated profession shall be carried out after the decision on the recognition of professional qualifications or after the issuance of a European Professional Card.
Recognition of evidence of formal education and recognition of professional qualifications for the pursuit of a regulated profession
Act No. 422/2015 Coll. on the recognition of formal qualifications and on the recognition of professional qualifications introduces a two-stage model of recognition of foreign education for the exercise of a regulated profession. The first stage is the recognition of the evidence of formal education and the second stage the recognition of the evidence of professional qualifications.
The decision on the recognition of the evidence of formal qualifications alone does not necessarily entitle the applicant to exercise the regulated profession.
If both the recognition of the evidence of formal qualifications and the recognition of the professional qualification are decided by the same competent authority, it is possible to proceed in a combined procedure. In such a case, the result of the decision-making procedure is a single decision which contains the elements of both the evidence of formal qualifications and the evidence of professional qualification. In this way, the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic decides on the educational and professional qualification documents for the exercise of education, sports and health professions.
In the case of other regulated professions, the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic is the competent authority for the recognition of educational qualifications. If there is a qualification condition other than the formal education, e.g. professional experience, a certificate of lifelong learning or a professional examination, it shall be decided on by the competent authority for the recognition of professional qualifications. Information concerning the competent authority for the recognition of professional qualifications for each profession is given in the Regulated Professions Database.
If the regulation defines other conditions for the exercise of the regulated profession, in addition to the qualification requirement, e.g. the obligation to register with a professional organisation, compulsory insurance, etc., these conditions must also be fulfilled after the recognition of the evidence of formal qualifications and professional qualifications.
Specific conditions for the pursuit of regulated health professions
After the recognition of the formal qualifications and professional qualifications, the health care professional is obliged to register with the relevant professional organisation (chamber), since, pursuant to Article 31(1) of Act No. 578/2004 Coll. on health care providers, health care workers, professional organisations in the health care sector and on amendments and supplements to certain acts, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the 'Health Care Providers Act'), registration in the relevant professional organisation is a condition for the exercise of the health care profession in the Slovak Republic. Pursuant to Article 31(3) of the Health Care Providers Act, this condition is to last for the entire duration of the exercise of the health care profession.
The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic is the competent authority for the recognition of basic medical education. The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic is the competent authority for the recognition of health care specialisations and certification activities.
The recognition of professional qualifications is based on Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications.
The Directive determines the basic rights and obligations of the individual Member States in terms of recognition of professional qualifications and contains the basic institutes relating to the migration of professionals, which have been compulsorily transposed into national law, e.g.:
- equal treatment of qualifications
- harmonised training and an automatic recognition system for the so-called sectoral professions (doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, pharmacist, architect and veterinarian)
- a general recognition system based on comparability of qualifications for other professions
- temporary and occasional provision of services
- admissible documentary requirements, maximum deadlines, etc.
Further information on the above-mentioned institutes, which apply to recognition in the Slovak Republic as well as in other EU Member States, as well as other compulsory information to be published in connection with the Directive, can be found in the sections below. Further information is also available on the Your Europe portal.