Med Recognition & career
Your Romanian medical degree in the European Union: your rights, explained
· Med Romania
You are studying medicine in Romania, or about to. You have heard about “Directive 2005/36/EC” and “Annex V.1”. But what does that actually mean for you? What rights do you really have? And what are the limits nobody spells out?
This guide is a legal explanation — in plain language — of the European framework that protects your Romanian Doctor-Medic degree throughout the European Union.
Directive 2005/36/EC: the foundation of your rights
What is it?
Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 is the founding text on the recognition of professional qualifications in the European Union. It has been amended several times, notably by Directive 2013/55/EU, and most recently by delegated decision (EU) 2025/2187 of 30 July 2025.
Its purpose is simple: to let a professional qualified in one member state practise in another without having to sit the whole training again.
For the medical professions — doctors, dentists, pharmacists, midwives, nurses, vets — the directive sets up a regime of automatic recognition, more favourable than the general regime that applies to other professions.
Why is Romania covered?
Romania has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 2007. Since that date, Romanian medical degrees that meet the directive’s minimum training requirements have been listed in Annex V and benefit from automatic recognition.
The degree in question: the Diplomă de Doctor-Medic, awarded by accredited Romanian medical universities (UMF), is listed at point 5.1.1 of Annex V to the directive.
Annex V: the list that changes everything
Annex V to Directive 2005/36/EC is an official list of the training qualifications recognised automatically across the EU. It is organised by profession:
| Annex | Profession | What is recognised |
|---|---|---|
| V.1 (5.1.1) | Doctor (basic training) | The medical doctor degree (Doctor-Medic for Romania) |
| V.1 (5.1.2) | Specialist doctor | Specialist titles for each specialty and each member state |
| V.1 (5.1.3) | Medical specialties | The names of recognised specialties and their minimum training duration |
| V.1 (5.1.4) | General practice | The title of general practitioner |
Each member state notifies its training qualifications to the European Commission. The Commission updates Annex V. The last significant update dates from 30 July 2025 (delegated decision (EU) 2025/2187).
What “automatic recognition” means
Automatic recognition means the host member state cannot:
- Refuse to recognise your degree on the grounds that it was not awarded by one of its own universities.
- Impose a knowledge test or an adaptation period on you for the basic degree.
- Subject your degree to an individual assessment of its content.
Recognition is a matter of right. The host state must register you with its professional body (Ordre des Médecins, Ärztekammer, Ordine dei Medici, General Medical Council equivalents, and so on) on the same terms as one of its own graduates — subject to the usual checks on identity, good standing and language.
Automatic recognition does not cover everything
This is the critical point most sites leave out. Automatic recognition guarantees your basic medical degree. It does not guarantee:
1. Your specialty (unless it is also in Annex V)
Your Doctor-Medic degree is recognised. But if you want to practise as a cardiologist, surgeon or paediatrician, you must either:
- Have obtained a specialist title in a member state and have that specialty listed in Annex V.1, points 5.1.2/5.1.3; or
- Sit the specialty competition of the country where you want to practise (the EDN in France, the rezidențiat in Romania, the Scuola di Specializzazione in Italy, the specialty training application in your own system).
The good news: many specialties obtained in Romania are listed in Annex V.1. A cardiologist trained in Cluj, a surgeon trained in Bucharest, a paediatrician trained in Iași — their specialist titles are recognised automatically. But check case by case.
2. Your right to a practice number or reimbursement code
Some countries, Belgium among them, apply installation quotas. Your degree may well be recognised, yet you can still be refused an INAMI/RIZIV number if the quota for the area you are targeting is full. The directive guarantees recognition of the degree — not the right to set up wherever you like.
3. Command of the host country’s language
The directive allows the host state to check a professional’s language skills. In practice every country requires a minimum of B2 in its official language. And for medicine, what is expected is a “medical” B2–C1: you have to understand a patient, write up notes, and talk to colleagues.
Your rights country by country (summary)
| Country | Automatic recognition | Specifics |
|---|---|---|
| France | Yes (Annex V.1) | Registration with the CDOM. For a specialty: the EDN unless an EU specialty already recognised in Annex V. |
| Belgium | Yes | Federal public health service + registration with the Order + INAMI number. Installation quotas apply. |
| Luxembourg | Yes | Collège médical + the Minister of Health. Interview required. Timeline: 3 months. |
| Germany | Yes | Approbation via the Landesärztekammer. Medical German at B2–C1 required. |
| Italy | Yes | Registration with the Ordine dei Medici. For a specialty: Scuola di Specializzazione. |
| Spain | Yes | Ministerio de Sanidad + registration with the Colegio de Médicos. Spanish at B2. |
| Netherlands | Yes | BIG register. Dutch at B2–C1 required. |
| Switzerland | No (not in the EU) but recognition is eased by the free-movement agreement | MEBEKO + cantonal authorisation. Language of the canton (B2). |
| United Kingdom | No (post-Brexit) | GMC, separate procedure. PLAB/UKMLA route available. |
Recent amendments to the directive (2024–2025)
Delegated decision (EU) 2024/1395 of 5 March 2024
This decision adds a new medical specialty at point 5.1.3: sports medicine, recognised in 11 member states including France. Minimum training duration: 4 years.
Delegated decision (EU) 2025/2187 of 30 July 2025
This decision updates Annex V on the training qualifications and course names for doctors, specialist doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and vets. It reflects member states’ notifications, keeping the annex in line with the minimum training requirements.
Directive (EU) 2024/505 — Romanian nurses
This specific directive, to be transposed before 4 March 2025, eases recognition for Romanian nurses who completed the post-2014 upgrade programme. It does not concern doctors, but it shows the continued attention European institutions pay to the recognition of Romanian health qualifications.
Special cases
You hold a Romanian degree obtained before 2007
If your medical training in Romania began before 1 January 2007, automatic recognition does not apply as of right. You can still rely on acquired rights (Articles 23 and following of the directive) if you can show effective and lawful professional practice for at least 3 consecutive years during the 5 years preceding the application.
You hold a non-EU degree recognised in Romania
If you obtained a medical degree outside the EU (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, India, and so on) and that degree has been recognised by Romania (CNRED equivalence), you can apply for recognition in another EU member state on the basis of Article 3(3) of the directive. But that recognition falls under the general regime (Articles 10 to 14), not automatic recognition. The host state may impose compensation measures on you: an aptitude test or an adaptation period.
One further condition: you must show at least 3 years of professional practice in Romania (or in the EU) with that recognised degree.
You want to practise in several EU countries
Each country has its own registration procedure. Automatic recognition of the basic degree makes things much simpler, but you still have to complete the formalities in each country. There is no single “European licence”.
What the directive does not do — and what you need to know
- It does not guarantee you a job. Recognition is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. You still compete with local graduates.
- It does not set pay. Every country has its own health system and its own pay agreements.
- It does not cover professional insurance. You have to take out indemnity cover in every country where you practise.
- It does not override national installation quotas. Belgium, Switzerland, some German Länder — local quotas remain enforceable.
- It does not guarantee automatic recognition of specialties that are not listed. If your specialty is absent from Annex V.1, each country will assess your file individually.
FAQ
“Could the directive be repealed?”
In theory any European text can be amended or repealed. In practice, Directive 2005/36/EC is a pillar of the European single market. Repealing it would require unanimity among the 27 member states — or a qualified majority under the ordinary legislative procedure. And an amendment that withdrew recognition from degrees already obtained would run against the principles of legal certainty and legitimate expectations, protected by the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU. Your acquired rights are protected.
“Could Romania lose its place in Annex V?”
No. Annex V lists the degrees of each member state. An EU member state cannot be “removed” from the annex short of leaving the Union — which is on no member state’s agenda. Romania is a full member of the EU and its medical degrees, which meet the European minimum requirements, remain in Annex V.
“Does automatic recognition apply in the French overseas departments?”
Yes. The overseas departments and regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte) are an integral part of France and of the EU. The directive applies there in full.
Going further
- Is a Romanian medical degree recognised back home?
- Recognition of the degree in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg
- Registering with the medical council after a Romanian degree
- Medical degrees in Europe compared
Last verified: July 2026 — Legal sources: Directive 2005/36/EC (OJ L255, 30.09.2005) as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU; delegated decisions (EU) 2024/1395 and 2025/2187; Annex V.1; CJEU case law on the recognition of professional qualifications.
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You could handle all of this yourself. But our clients pay us for one simple reason: we take out the risk and the stress.
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