No. There is no age limit for applying. 

However, EU officials are automatically retired at the age of 66. For more information, please consult the EU Staff Regulations.

The general role of administrators (AD) is to support decision-makers in fulfilling the mission of their institution or body. They typically work in areas such as policy formulation, operational implementation, coordination and management of resources and programmes.

Their tasks may vary depending on the institution and the specific position and are always described in detail in the Notice of Competition or vacancy notice.

Administrators cover grades from AD 5 to AD 16, reflecting different levels of responsibility and seniority:

• AD 5: entry level for university graduates, generally with no professional experience required 
• AD 6–AD 7: specialist roles requiring several years of relevant professional experience 
• AD 9–AD 12: middle management positions requiring proven management experience 
• AD 13–AD 16: senior management roles with high-level strategic and leadership responsibilities

Each selection procedure (competition) for permanent EU officials has its own selection board. Each selection board is composed of officials from the EU institutions and bodies served by EPSO. Officials join the selection board on a voluntary basis, following a dedicated call for interest. Selection board members are nominated formally by their organisation of origin. They must have no conflict of interest as regards their competition in order to be confirmed as members of the selection board.

The members of the selection board are EU officials appointed by their organisations of origin to a particular competition for their technical or linguistic expertise, for example.

Nominated selection board members are trained on selection and assessment methodologies before they take up their duties and continue to receive specific training and guidance from EPSO’s team of psychologists during the different stages of their competition.

Selection boards decide on the difficulty of the competition tests and approve their content, assess the candidates’ compliance with the specific eligibility criteria, compare candidates’ merits, and select the best candidates in the light of the requirements set out in the notice of competition. The proceedings of the selection boards are secrete and their work is facilitated by EPSO.

The 'reserve list' is a database containing information on the profile, competencies, and availability of all the successful candidates in a particular selection procedure. 

Being on a reserve list is not a guarantee of recruitment, but on average 50% of candidates are recruited within 7 months. 

For more info please see also: For how long is my reserve list valid?

The EU institutions select candidates for permanent contracts through the organisation of open competitions. Each of these competitions is announced by the publication of a Notice of Competition in the Official Journal of the European Union, as well as on EPSO’s website. The Notice of Competition contains a full description of the profile sought, the minimum requirements as regards education (and sometimes work experience) and indicates the tests and other assessment exercises (designed to measure your professional skills and a number of core competencies) that will take place during the competition. The Notice of Competition also includes information and instructions on how to apply for the open competition. In general, the Notice of Competition is published on the first day of the application period.

In view of the very large number of applicants, EPSO deems that this is the fairest and most transparent method for selection procedures. Spontaneous applications cannot therefore be taken into account.

The EU institutions select candidates for permanent contracts through open competitions. These are tests and assessment exercises designed to measure your professional skills and a number of core competencies. In view of the very large number of applicants, this is the fairest and most transparent selection procedure. This means that spontaneous applications cannot be taken into account.

Assistant-Secretaries (AST/SC), also referred to as Secretaries/Clerks, generally work in office management and administrative support roles within EU institutions. Their tasks may include preparing files, supporting the coordination and organisation of departmental activities, handling documents, and providing general administrative support to teams, managers, and services.

Assistant-Secretaries cover grades from AST/SC 1 to AST/SC 6, reflecting different levels of responsibility and experience:

• New staff usually enter at grades AST/SC 1 or AST/SC 2
• AST/SC 1: entry level, requiring secondary education and either relevant professional experience or a relevant vocational qualification 
• AST/SC 2: sometimes used for more experienced candidates 
• Higher AST/SC grades involve increasing levels of responsibility and experience

Assistants (AST) generally work in administrative, technical, or executive support roles within EU institutions. Their work may include areas such as financial and budgetary management, human resources, communication, policy support, IT, document management, research, or scientific and laboratory work. They play an important role in the internal functioning of the institutions.

Assistants cover grades from AST 1 to AST 11, reflecting different levels of responsibility and experience:

• AST 1: entry level, requiring at least secondary education and relevant professional experience or a relevant vocational qualification 
• AST 3: typically requires secondary education, a relevant vocational qualification, and/or several years of relevant professional experience 
• Higher AST grades involve progressively greater responsibility and experience requirements

In the past, all EPSO selection procedures were managed through the EPSO Account. EPSO is now gradually moving to a new platform: the Single Candidate Portal.

At present, different platforms and candidate accounts are used depending on the type of selection procedure:

• For open competitions published after 1 January 2025, candidates must use the Single Candidate Portal. 
• For open competitions published until 31 December 2024 and for contract staff selection procedures, candidates must continue to use the EPSO account until further notice.

Candidates may have more than one profile in the Single Candidate Portal. However, only one EPSO Account is allowed. Having more than one EPSO account may lead to exclusion from the selection procedure.

Candidates must ensure that they have access to the relevant candidate account and to the email account associated with it throughout the selection procedure, including until the publication of the reserve list.

EPSO organises selection procedures mainly for the following EU institutions and bodies:

• European Parliament 
• Council of the European Union 
• European Commission 
• Court of Justice of the European Union 
• European Court of Auditors 
• European External Action Service 
• European Economic and Social Committee 
• European Committee of the Regions 
• European Ombudsman 
• European Data Protection Supervisor 

Upon request, EPSO also organises selection procedures for other EU agencies and bodies, such as European Union Intellectual Property Office, Single Resolution Board, and Research Executive Agency, as well as for EU Delegations worldwide and EU representations in the Member States.

If successful in a selection procedure, you may be recruited in different locations, mainly in Brussels and Luxembourg. Please consult the Notice of Competition or Call for Expression of Interest for further information.