You are entitled to work and be recognised as a professional engineer or technician in another EEA Member State under the Directive if your professional qualifications (education and professional experience) provide you with recognition in your home EEA Member State.

For UK engineers this means that having registered Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech) status provides you with the protection of the Directive.

Engineering in the UK is a regulated profession by virtue of the definition in Article 3 paragraph 2. This describes a profession as being regulated where there is an organisation recognised in a special form by Member States, which awards formal qualifications to its members, monitors their code of conduct and confers the right to use titles. The Engineering Council fulfills these requirements and is listed in Annex 1 of the Directive.

Directive 2005/36 applies to all levels of qualifications and under it Chartered Engineers are at Level E, Incorporated Engineers at Level D and Engineering Technicians at Level C.

Applying to work outside the UK

The host country (the one in which you are seeking to be permanently established in order to work) has four months in which to reply to your application. If your application is refused you must be given detailed reasons why, and are entitled to appeal against this decision. Failure of the host country to respond within four months is considered an implicit refusal. You may be required to undergo an aptitude test or adaptation period if there are substantial differences between your training and that required by the host country. The choice of aptitude test or adaptation period is given to the migrant. If a UK engineer or technician encounters difficulties in being recognised then the Engineering Council will provide advice (contact us at: international@engc.org.uk). Help can also be obtained through the SOLVIT system, a Europe wide mediation service aimed at reconciling difficulties between citizens and national organisations.

Once your qualifications have been recognised you are entitled to work in the host country under the same conditions as persons with the qualifications of the host country. You have the same rights and obligations as nationals of the host country.

The directive also covers the procedures required to gain sufficient professional recognition to work temporarily, for example as a consultant, in EU/EEA countries other than your original country.