FAQ

General questions about the Europass

What is Europass?

Europass is a portfolio of documents set up by the Decision n. º 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and the Council.

Concept

A single Community framework to reach the qualifications and skills transparency through the adoption of personal, coordinated portfolio of documents that citizens can use on a voluntary basis to better communicate and present their qualifications and skills throughout Europe.

Objectives

Improving the qualifications and skills transparency in order to:

• facilitate mobility throughout Europe for lifelong learning;
• facilitate mobility in the professional context among countries and several activity sectors;

How much cost the Europass documents?

The Europass documents are free.

Can I add photos to the Europass documents?

Yes. There is an opportunity to add your photo to the ECS through your computer.

Are there any links between the Europass and other European initiatives?

Yes, there are national and European links related to education and training.

How can I contact the CNE of other EU countries?

The contacts of other CNE are on this page – Links

Who can apply for this initiative?

Any citizen can apply.

Europass CV (ECV)

Where can I find the document Europass Curriculum Vitae?

You can download this document on this page Downloads from the section and save it to your computer. ECV is filled in by yourself, inserting all the necessary information. You should keep your ECV updated.

Can I create my personalized Europass Curriculum Vitae?

The ECV can be downloaded in PDF or Word. Only the Word version may be changed, however, you should keep the structure of the document.

Europass Language Passport (ELP)

What is the purpose of the Europass Language Passport?

The resolution of the Council of the European Union through the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages provides a standard form for validation of skills, facilitating professional and educational mobility. The EPL enables to validate your knowledge in foreign languages.

Who certifies the Europass Language Passport?

The ELP does not need to be certified. This document allows a self-assessment of foreign languages skills.

Where can I find the document Europass Language Passport?

It can be downloaded from the Downloads section on this page - and saved on your computer. The ELP is filled in by yourself. You should keep your ELP updated.

Europass Mobility (EM)

Who can apply for Europass Mobility?

Organizations, such as schools, higher education institutions, associations and all organizations that allow mobility of beneficiaries abroad. Individual applications are not accept.

A foreign organization may apply for Europass Mobility through the Portuguese Europass database?

No. The application for EM should be requested/sent to the National Europass of your own country.

In which countries can the mobility be carried through?

The EM can be carried through in all the EU countries and EFTA countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey).

How do I apply to the Europass Mobility?

The applicant should show interest in getting this document to the sending institution. The document must be requested to the National Europass Center before the mobility takes place. In the next step, this institution applies for the National Europass Center (NEC), by sending an application form to be evaluated/approved. After the approval of this application form, the CNE sends the document EM to the sending institution. The sending institution should then send this document to the host institution, which should fill it in completely. This document is only complete after it is fully filled in. The original document is kept by the beneficiary.

Can I apply for the Europass Mobility while developing a Leonardo da Vinci project?

Yes, the sending institution, when applying should stat its intention to request the document EM to the participants (see Application Form LDV 2009, paragraph 4.3 - organization and project management). After approval of the project, the institution should request the document to the National Europass Center.

Can I insert mobility periods spent as an au pair or language courses in the Europass Mobility?

Yes, the EM records any learning period occurred abroad. The EM can be requested by schools, vocational schools, training centers, human resource companies, universities, provided that they allow mobility abroad.

Can actions that took place in the past be inserted in the Europass Mobility?

Yes, the EM covers mobilities that have elapsed since the 1st January 2005. The mobilities that have occurred before this date cannot be considered.

In the applications the Europass Mobility can be inserted actions which occurred in the home country of the candidate?

No, the EM does not record any learning period in the home country of the candidate. The purpose of this document is to record all the mobility outside the candidate's home country.

Once completed, the Europass Mobility needs to be approved by the NEC?

No. After the approval of the application form by the National Europass Center (NEC) and the issuance of the document, the approval of the NEC is no longer needed. The application form should be filled in by both, the organizing institution and by the host institution and then delivered to the grantholder. The NEC only requires a copy of the final document.

Can I include more than one stay abroad in the Europass Mobility?

No. The document records only one mobility activity. Therefore, you should acquire a EM for each mobility activity undertook/to be undertaken.

Is there a simplified procedure in case of a large number of applications?

There is no maximum number of applications per institution.

How can Europass Mobility be filled in other (s) language (s)? Is there any support available for translation?

The EM may be issued in Portuguese or in English. For such you only need to request it in the application form.

Europass Diploma Supplement (EDS)

How and where can I get the Europass Diploma Supplement?

The institution of higher education issues the EDS. The EDS is issued to graduates of higher education, along with their degree or diploma. The EDS is to ensure that higher education qualifications are more easily understood, especially outside the country where one graduated. The EDS is issued by the institution of higher education of the candidate.

Is the Europass Diploma Supplement compatible with the diplomas of the Portuguese academic bachelor and master?

The EDS is neither a replacement of the original degree nor diploma or an automatic system that guarantees recognition.

Is the Europass Diploma Supplement document available?

No. This document should be requested at the higher education institution, one has attended. However, on the webpage of the National Europass - in the Documents section, there is an example of this model.

Europass Certificate Supplement (ECS)

What is the Europass Certificate Supplement and whom does it concern?

The ECS is intended to people who hold an education and training certificate. This tool follows the certificate and adds additional information to the one already stated in the official certificate, making it easier to understand, especially by employers or agencies of other countries. The information included in the ECS is provided by the certification authority.

Who provides the Europass Certificate Supplement?

The ECS is issued by the entities that have assigned the certificate. If you need to know where can you get the ECS you can contact the Portuguese National Reference Point for Vocational Qualifications. However, the ECS is neither replacing the original certificate nor an automatic system for recognition of qualifications.

Can the Europass Certificate Supplement be helpful when looking for employment in countries outside the European Union?

Yes, the ECS allows the qualifications recognition of citizens in order to facilitate mobility in the European labor market.