No. Applying for and participating in EPSO selection procedures is free of charge.

EPSO does not charge any registration or participation fees at any stage of the selection process.

You may come across private companies offering paid preparation courses, training materials, or coaching for EPSO competitions. These companies operate independently and are not affiliated with or endorsed by EPSO or the EU institutions.

If you see messages, websites, or social media posts suggesting that you must pay a fee to apply for an EPSO competition, please treat them with caution.

No, a confirmation email is not sent after you submit your application for a competition.

You can verify whether your application has been submitted by clicking on "My applications" in your Single Candidate Portal account. If your application status is "Validated", that means that your application has been successfully submitted.

Yes. When applying to open competitions for permanent staff, a pop-up message will appear if mandatory information is missing from your candidate account when you try to start an application.

As explained in the message, before applying, candidates must complete certain mandatory sections of their profile:

• For all candidates: in “My CV”, at least: 
  • two official EU languages in “Language skills”, 
  • one entry in “Education and training”, 
  • and a copy of a valid identity document. 
• For external candidates only: nationality must be indicated in “My profile”. 
• For internal candidates only: a personal email address must be added in “My profile”. 

Once the required information is completed, you will be able to start your application.

We also recommend consulting the step-by-step video tutorial on how to apply for EPSO competitions, which guides you through the entire process, and helps avoid common issues.

For open competitions:

When filling in the application form, you must select the languages in which you want to sit the tests. For most competitions, you will need to choose two different languages (Language 1 and Language 2), in line with the “Languages used in this competition” section of the Notice of Competition (NoC).

You can usually select any two of the 24 official EU languages, so choose the ones in which you will perform best. For linguists’ competitions, specific language requirements may apply. Always check the NoC for the rules applicable to your competition.

Please note that your language choices cannot be changed after the application deadline.

For contract staff selection procedures:

When completing your application form, please note that, in accordance with the Call for expression of interest, you must declare:

• Language 1: A thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the 24 official EU languages. 
• Language 2: A satisfactory knowledge (minimum B2 level) of English, French or German. 
  Language 2 must be different from Language 1. 

Please note that your reasoning tests will be administered in the Language 1 you selected in your application for the specific selection procedure (profile/function group). This may differ from the main language you might have in your EPSO Account.

Language 2 may be assessed by the recruiting service during interviews and/or any further tests organised by the recruiting service.

Choose your languages carefully, as they should be the languages in which you are most likely to perform at your best throughout the selection procedure.

The status ‘Ongoing’ is the status all validated applications automatically change to after the application deadline has passed.

Supporting documents must be uploaded differently depending on the stage of the selection procedure. 

Please consult the Instructions on uploading supporting documents for detailed guidance.

For open competitions:

Yes, you can modify your languages even after submitting your application for an open competition, as long as the application deadline has not passed. Once the deadline has passed, the application form including your choice of languages can no longer be modified.

If you edit your application after submitting it, don’t forget to click “Submit” again. Otherwise, your application will remain in draft status and will not be taken into consideration.

See also: How do I choose the languages of the tests?

For contract staff selection procedures:

You cannot change your language options yourself.

Instead, you will need to submit a request to EPSO via the contact form.

Please note that the language requirements are defined in section 3.2 of the Call for Expressions of Interest.

See also: How do I choose the languages of the tests?

No. Once the deadline for submitting supporting documents indicated in the Notice of Competition has passed, candidates can no longer upload documents to their application.

EPSO does not accept documents sent by email or via the contact form.

However, in line with the Notice of Competition, candidates may be asked at any stage of the selection procedure to provide additional information or supporting documents. If needed, the Selection Board may contact candidates via their Single Candidate Portal to request missing documents, including identity documents.

Open competitions for permanent staff:

No, a separate application must be submitted for each competition.

Candidates must complete and submit the application form for each competition they wish to apply for, in line with the requirements set out in the relevant Notice of Competition.

Contract staff selection procedures:

No, a separate application must be submitted for each profile and/or function group.

Candidates must pass the tests required for the specific profile or function group concerned.

For more information about the available profiles and function groups, please consult our dedicated page for Contract staff selection procedures.

For open competitions using the Single Candidate Portal:

Yes, you can modify your application form after submitting it, as long as the application deadline has not passed. Once the deadline has passed, the application form can no longer be modified.

If you edit your application after submitting it, don’t forget to click “Submit” again. Otherwise, your application will remain in draft status and will not be taken into consideration.

Note: You can update your CV in the Single Candidate Portal at any time. However, only the version submitted with your application will be taken into account when verifying eligibility for the specific competition you applied for. Any later updates will not affect your submitted application.

For contract staff selection procedures:
You can modify your application(s) and upload or update your CV within your EPSO Account at any time.

Don’t forget to update your application(s) at least every six months if you wish to remain visible to the recruiting services. This applies regardless of whether you have passed or failed the tests.

Open competitions for permanent staff:

Candidates may apply for more than one open competition, provided they meet the eligibility requirements set out in the relevant Notice of Competition.

However, it is not possible to submit more than one application for the same competition, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the Notice of Competition.

Contract staff selection procedures:

Candidates may apply for multiple profiles or function groups, provided they meet the eligibility requirements set out in the relevant Call for Expression of Interest.

However, only one application per profile is allowed. For example, candidates cannot create more than one application for the “translators” profile, including applications with different target languages. 

You can declare all your languages under ‘Linguistic skills’ in the application form if you have a working knowledge of more than two official languages. This will allow the recruiting services to find your application according to their specific language needs.

Candidates can fill in their application form in any of the 24 official EU languages.

To apply for open competitions:

• Choose a competition that matches your profile.
• Read the Notice of Competition carefully.
• Click “Apply” on the competition webpage and log in to the Single Candidate Portal using your EU Login account (or create one if needed).
• Complete the application form and submit it before the deadline. 
• Detailed information is available in the Application section of the Selection procedures for permanent positions webpage.

To apply for contract staff selection procedures:

• Consult the contract staff page and select the profile that best matches your qualifications and experience.
• Please read all important documents, especially the Call for Expressions of Interest.
• Choose a profile and register for the available function group
• You will then be asked to log into your EPSO Account. If you don’t have one, start by creating it.
• Complete and submit your application form. By doing this, you are registering in the EPSO contract staff database.

When recruitment needs arise, the recruiting services of the EU institutions, bodies and agencies search the EPSO contract staff database and shortlist the candidates who best match the job requirements. 

Shortlisted candidates are invited to sit reasoning skills tests (verbal, numerical, and abstract) and may later be invited for an interview by the recruiting institution or body. All updates and invitations are communicated through your EPSO Account.

Yes, when applying for an EPSO competition, candidates can choose whether they wish their contact details to be shared with the national authorities of their EU Member State.

If candidates agree, EPSO may transmit their name, email address and the reference of the competition concerned so that national authorities can contact them with offers of support related to the selection and recruitment process (such as training, information sessions or guidance materials).

This choice is optional and applies only to the specific competition concerned. Candidates must indicate their choice each time they submit a new application.

Candidates may withdraw their consent at any time by contacting the relevant national authorities.

The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the applicable EU data protection rules.