EPSO competitions step by step
How an open competition for permanent EU officials works, from the notice to the job offer, and what the reserve list really means.
What a competition is
EPSO, the European Personnel Selection Office, runs open competitions to choose the permanent staff of the EU institutions. Each competition has several steps, from its publication to a reserve list of successful candidates.
Being on the reserve list means you can be recruited, not that you are hired: the institutions, bodies and agencies recruit from the list when they have vacancies.
The steps
- Read the Notice of Competition: it sets the profiles, the grade, the eligibility rules, the languages and the tests.
- Create an EU Login account, fill in the application form in your EPSO account and submit it before the deadline (Brussels time).
- Take the tests: candidates are invited to a series of tests, which depend on the competition. They are usually taken online, on the date and at the time given in your invitation.
- Eligibility check: at a set stage, EPSO checks your nationality, education, languages and professional experience. Only eligible candidates can enter the reserve list.
- Reserve list: the successful candidates are published on the list.
- Recruitment: each institution consults the list, invites shortlisted candidates to an interview and makes job offers. You may be contacted by more than one institution.
Tips
- Apply early: the forms ask for details on your studies, experience and languages that take time to gather.
- Check the time zone of the deadline: it is Brussels time.
- Practise reasoning tests (verbal, numerical and abstract): they are multiple-choice and timed.
- Read the technical requirements for online tests before the day: failing them can stop you from finishing a test.
- Once on the reserve list, keep your profile up to date and answer the institutions that contact you.
Open now
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European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) · Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Belgium, Luxembourg, FrancePermanent official (EPSO competition) AST 3 C1 in one official EU language and B2 in another official EU languageEU citizens Closes in 14 days
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European Court of Auditors · LuxembourgPermanent official (EPSO competition) AD 5 - AD 12 Danish at C2 (mother tongue or C2); English at C1; another EU official language at B2.Closes in 16 days
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Court of Justice of the European Union · LuxembourgPermanent official (EPSO competition) AD 7 C2 in the competition language (native level). C1 in French and in at least one other official EU language, depending on the competition.EU citizens Closes in 28 days
Official sources
Checked on 27 October 2026. Rules and figures change: the official pages and each notice always prevail. Content from europa.eu reused under CC BY 4.0 and rewritten by Kandidatu.
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