What supporting documents should be attached to the application form?

Make sure that all supporting documents fully correspond to the information declared in your application form. Any missing, inconsistent or incorrect document may result in exclusion during the eligibility checks or in your application being declared ineligible.

General rules for uploading documents

You must upload a single PDF file, which must:

Dates:

Translation of documents:

Personal data

Required documents

You must provide:

• A copy of a valid passport or identity card, or
• For refugees only: a valid residence card.

The document must:

• Prove the nationality declared in your application
• Be valid (not expired) at least until the closing date of the application portal.
  Driving licences are not accepted.

Names

• When completing your application, use your full legal name exactly as it appears on your ID or passport.

• Ensure that the First and Last name shown on all supporting documents match those on your ID or passport. 

  OR

• If you have changed your name, you must provide official supporting evidence (e.g. a marriage certificate or a certificate issued by the competent national authorities).

Dual nationality

If you hold dual citizenship, you must submit the document corresponding to the nationality you selected in your application.

Example:
If you hold both Belgian and Spanish nationalities and you apply as Belgian, you must submit a Belgian passport or ID card.

Education

Required documents

You must provide copies of all degrees, diplomas and qualifications declared in the application form, for:

A. 'Eligibility Criteria' and 
B. 'Formal education' - further completed university studies

Bachelor’s degrees or other equivalent university degrees or diplomas, including:

• Passerelle / academic reorientation degrees:
  Select  Licence/Bachelor, indicate 3 years or more, include all study years, and explain the reorientation in the comments.
• Preparatory classes:
  Preparatory years cannot be claimed as a diploma, but they count towards the full 3-year Bachelor’s cycle (minimum 180 ECTS).
  Include them in the start and end dates and explain in the comments.
• Degrees obtained outside the EU without ECTS:
  Accepted if you can prove completion of a standard 3-year higher education degree. You must still indicate minimum 180 ECTS in the application form.
• Accelerated Bachelor’s degrees:
  If you completed a 180 ECTS degree in less than three years, it is accepted.
  Indicate 3 years as the programme duration and explain this in the comments.
• University transcripts (list of subjects studied each year)
• Europass Diploma Supplement
• Self-declarations are not accepted, except for Italian candidates as they are legally recognised for education. In that case, the document must be dated and signed or stamped.
• Date of completion:
  Use the date indicated on the diploma or the final year of the study cycle.
• Missing start or end dates:
  If the diploma does not indicate dates, enter:
  • the first day of the starting month and
  • the last day of the last month for the end.
    The period indicated must clearly represent a full academic semester or year.

C. Ongoing studies

• University transcripts that show you are enlisted in a study programme.
  If pursued outside your home country, they may also be listed under International experience. 

D. Informal education

• Professional certifications or licences, if declared (e.g. IT certifications, TOGAF, ITIL, Bar exams, CPA, CFA).
• Certificates must explicitly confirm that the exam was successfully passed.

Not accepted

• Declarations without the necessary documentation
• Language certificates under this section (they belong to the Languages section)
• Participation certificates for seminars and course attendance documents are not accepted.

Professional experience (home country)

• The minimum duration for an experience to be declared must be 15 calendar days. If your experience does not amount to 15 calendar days (in full-time employment equivalent, in case of part-time experience), it cannot be declared.
• Only experiences accumulated after your 16th birthday are accepted.
• Every experience must be declared separately if this is non-continuous or in the case of a change of role, even with the same employer.
• Only full-time equivalent experience is accepted. One full-time workday is considered to be 8 hours.
  If you worked part-time, you must convert your experience to its full-time equivalent.
  To convert part-time work into full-time days:
  • Calculate the total number of hours worked part-time.
  • Divide the total hours by 8 (the number of hours in a full-time workday).
  • The result corresponds to the number of full-time equivalent days (calendar days, including weekends and holidays).
    Example:
    One month of work at 50% of full-time is equivalent to 15 calendar days of full-time work.
• Teleworking from another country for a company located in your home country or teleworking for an international organisation from your home country counts as professional experience and NOT as an international experience.

Required documents

You must provide written proof for every declared work experience, such as:

• Signed and dated employment contracts clearly stating the period of work
• Recommendation letters, duly signed and dated (please introduce the exact dates as in your supporting documents)
• Payslips, clearly indicating the period of employment (please provide the first and last payslip for each continuous experience)
• For ongoing work experience, a current employment certificate confirming that you are still employed at the time of application or at the closing date of the application period
• Tax declarations (accepted for freelancers), provided they cover the relevant period and clearly identify the employer
• Invoices covering the relevant period, with the employer clearly identified
• Proof of self-employment, such as tax declarations and/or invoices
• Military service certificates
• Certificates of volunteer work
• National social insurance records
• PhD contracts.
   

All documents must:

• Be signed and dated
• Include the employer’s header
• Clearly indicate the exact period of work.

Not accepted

• Contracts with political groups at the European Parliament or with MEPs
• Contracts signed with a ministry or national representation for a placement abroad (these must be declared as international experience)
• Letters on plain paper, documents without dates, unsigned documents or documents that do not specify the work period
• Diplomatic Studies: studying for a diplomatic competition is not considered work experience. It can be declared under Education if a diploma is obtained. 

International experience (experience gained outside your home country)

• The minimum duration for an experience to be declared must be 15 calendar days. If your experience does not amount to 15 calendar days (in full-time employment equivalent, in case of part-time experience), it cannot be declared.
• Only experiences accumulated after your 16^th birthday are accepted.
• Every experience must be declared separately if this is non-continuous or in the case of a change of role, even with the same employer.
• A full-time workday is considered to be 8 hours.
• To convert part-time work to full-time days:
• Only full-time equivalent experience is accepted. One full-time workday is considered to be 8 hours.
  If you worked part-time, you must convert your experience to its full-time equivalent.
  To convert part-time work into full-time days:
  • Calculate the total number of hours worked part-time.
  • Divide the total hours by 8 (the number of hours in a full-time workday).
  • The result corresponds to the number of full-time equivalent days (calendar days, including weekends and holidays).
    Example:
    One month of work at 50% of full-time is equivalent to 15 calendar days of full-time work.
• Teleworking from another country for a company located in your home country or teleworking for an international organisation from your home country counts as professional experience and NOT as an international experience.
• Working for your home country’s embassy abroad qualifies as international experience.

Accepted types of experience

• Work experience (paid or unpaid)
• Internships
• Voluntary work
• NGO or political party activities
• Exchange programmes
• University studies (full degrees)
• Mobility abroad.

Required documents

You must provide written proof for every declared work experience, such as:

• Signed and dated employment contracts clearly stating the period of work
• Recommendation letters, duly signed and dated (please introduce the exact dates as in your supporting documents)
• Payslips, clearly indicating the period of employment (please provide the first and last payslip for each continuous experience)
• For ongoing work experience, a current employment certificate confirming that you are still employed at the time of application or at the closing date of the application period
• Tax declarations (accepted for freelancers), provided they cover the relevant period and clearly identify the employer
• Invoices covering the relevant period, with the employer clearly identified
• Proof of self-employment, such as tax declarations and/or invoices
• National social insurance records
• Diplomas obtained abroad
• Erasmus certificates or transcripts
• Certificates of volunteer work
• Certificates from study exchange programmes
• PhD contracts.
   

All documents must:

• Be signed and dated
• Include the employer’s header
• Clearly indicate the exact period of work.

Languages

Administrative traineeship

You must provide evidence for all declared language proficiency levels, except for levels A1 and A2 (CEFR).

Language Proficiency levels (CEFR) declared for levels B & C must be supported by the relevant accepted certificates.
 

Accepted proof includes:

• Language certificates with a clear Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) level
• Certificates from recognised language institutes
• Certificates from state-recognised language schools
• TOEFL, IELTS, DELF/DALF, DELE, Duolingo English Test, ILEC, CELTA (Expired language certificates are still accepted)
• Completed University degrees (accepted only with qualification diploma)
• On-going University degrees (accepted only with transcript of records)
• Bilingual secondary education diplomas and certificates certify a C1 declaration for each language
• Online tests organised by official institutions when the identity of the candidate is clearly identified.
   

Not accepted:

• Online Linguistic Support (OLS) tests results
• Language courses at university without separate Diploma or Certification
• Erasmus mobility is not proof of language knowledge
• Living abroad does not constitute proficiency in the local language.

Order of language declaration:

• First language: one of the Commission's working languages, i.e. French, English or German (C level or mother tongue level).
• Second language: minimum B2 level of another official language of the EU (can also be a mother tongue).

• Additional languages can be declared in any order.

  Languages should be listed in order of proficiency starting with the strongest; however, note that mother tongues do not contribute points towards the evaluation of your application.

Translation traineeship

The same rules apply as for the administrative traineeship, with the following additional points:

Order of language declaration:

• Main/Target language: (normally your mother tongue)
• First source language: English, French or German (C level or mother tongue)
• Second source language: another EU official language at minimum B2

• Additional languages can be declared in any order.

  Languages should be listed in order of proficiency starting with the strongest; however, note that mother tongues do not contribute points towards the evaluation of your application.