Competent Authorities inside Europe

 

Most of the 37 EFPA Member Associations have legal recognition of the title psychologist, and many countries also have legal protection of the profession.

This means that the legal authority has defined requirements which entitle the person to use the title psychologist. The legal entity with the powers to define and legislate over the title and the entitlement to work as a psychologist is called the ‘competent authority'. This is usually either a government Ministry or a professional organisation with legal powers and responsibilities. Competent authorities are responsible to take a decision when a professional from another member state wants to practise this regulated profession. In case of provision of service, the declaration must be sent to this authority prior to the provisioning of services. (source: EU Single Market - Regulated professions database)

Below you find the list of the actual 25 countries that are delivering the EuroPsy Certificate and the legal situation for psychologists.

For more information in other countries you can consult the European Commission Regulated Professions Database in the EU member states + Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland available on the website of the European Commission.

 

Country Recognition of title Competent Authority
 Austria

'Psychologist' is a legally recognised and protected
title for clinical & health psychologists.
The federal law is the  Psychologist Act of 2013.

Info: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Frauen/
Federal Ministry of Health and Women´s Affairs

Point of Single Contact

For work & organisational psychologists there is recognition of the title 'psychologist' in the Psychologist Act § 4.  
Bulgaria    
Croatia 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice

Info: Hrvatska psiholoska komora/Croatian Psychological Chamber

Cyprus 'Professional psychologist' is a legally recognised and protected title Info: Council of Registered Professional Psychologists 

  Czech    Republic

'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for the health sector (“registered clinical psychologist”), the education sector (“school counseling”),  the traffic area ("traffic psychologist"), private practice in area of "Diagnostic and Counseling Psychology",
and the forensic area ("judicial expert in psychology")

 

Info: Ministerstvo zdravotnictví/
Ministry of Health 

 

Denmark The title psychologist is a protected title. 
Only persons who hold the degree Cand.psych.or its equivalent are entitled to use the title. 
The title ‘authorised psychologist’ is also 
a protected title. Authorisation is not mandatory 
for the practice of psychology in Denmark, 
but it is requested within certain areas of work.
Info: Psykolognævnet/
Danish Supervisory Board of Psychological Practice
Estonia

'Psychologist' is a legally recognized title for some areas of practice.
The titles 'Clinical Psychologist' and 'School Psychologist' are legally recognized as specified in Professions Act, but not protected. This means that a professional certificate is not required as a precondition of work unless specific legislation requires this.

Council of Health Care and Social Work of Estonian Chamber of Professions
Finland 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice through the
Act on Health Care Professionals (559/1994) (Finlex) and the Decree on Health Care Professionals (564/1994) (Finlex)
Info: Valvira - National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health
France 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice
by Law 85-772 of 25 (July 1985) and specifically Article 44 in force Amended by Ordinance n ° 2016-1809 of 22 (December 2016)  - Article 12.

Info: CIEP - Ministère de l'éducation national

Germany The professional title ‘psychologist’ is not legally recognised but has been protected by a case decision of the federal Court of Germany (1985). There is no requirement for a license to practise.

Info: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit
Berufsverband Deutscher Psycholog/innen

Greece

'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice

Info: Regional Health Departments ,
Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Center (Hellenic NARIC)
Hungary 'Psychologist' is not a legally recognized and protected title Info: Állami Egészségügyi Ellátó Központ/National Healthcare Service Center
Italy 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice Info: Ministero della Salute
Latvia    
Lithuania

'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for some areas of practice.

Psychologists working in the health system are licensed under the Ministry of Health

Info: Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija/Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania
Netherlands

'Psychologist' is not a legally recognized and protected title

However, requirements for the Health Care psychologists are defined by the Dutch government through the Health Care Professionals Act (Wet Beroepen in de Gezondheidszorg or BIG) which administers the BIG Register on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

The NIP (national professional organization for psychologists) determines the requirements for Youth and Child Psychologists and Work and Organisation psychologists through its 'Registerpsycholoog' programs and administers the NIP Register

Info: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport / Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

Norway 'Psychologist' is a legally recognised and protected title for all areas of practice Info:Helsedirektoratet/The Norwegian Directorate of Health
Poland The title Psychologist is legally recognised and partialy protected. Although there is the Act on the Profession of Psychologist and Psychologists’ Professional Corporation (signed in 2001) no Psychologists’ Professional Corporation was established, which means that no body awarding the right to work as psychologist exists. The legislative’s work on the Act are resumed from 2019.   Info: www.mrpips.gov.pl
Portugal 'Psychologist' is a legally recognised and protected title for all areas of practice. 
More info here
Info: Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses
The Order of Portuguese Psychologists
Slovenia

'Psychologist' is not legally protected.
The title “Specialist in Clinical Psychology” or “Clinical Psychologist” is regulated by the documents of Ministry of Health, i.e. the Rules on the Specializations of Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Co-workers« (Official Gazette of 
the Republic of Slovenia, No. 37/2004) and 
the Order about the Programme of Specialisation 
in Clinical Psychology (Official Gazette 
of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 71/2013). 

Info: Ministarstvo za Zdravja / Ministry of Health

Spain 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for some areas of practice like e.g. General Health Psychologist (Psicologo general sanitario)

Info: Consejo General Colegio Oficial de Psicologos

The Spanish General Access Point

Sweden The title of 'psychologist' is legally recognised and protected, to obtain this title one must receive a licence from the National Board of Health and Welfare NBHW Info:www.socialstyrelsen.se
Turkey 'Psychologist' is a legally recognized and protected title for some areas of practice.
The title of clinical psychologist is regulated by the Ministry of Health through the so-called “bag law” (Omnibus Bill no. 6770 of 2017)
 

 

Ukraine Title 'Psychologist' is not legally protected.

Info: National Agency of Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Ministry of Education and Scienceof Ukraine

  UK

In the UK, nine professional titles are legally regulated and protected. These are:

  1. Clinical Psychologist
  2. Counselling Psychologist
  3. Educational Psychologist
  4. Forensic Psychologist
  5. Health Psychologist
  6. Occupational Psychologist
  7. Sport and Exercise Psychologist
  8. Practitioner Psychologist
  9. Registered Psychologist

The single title ‘Psychologist’ is not legally regulated or protected.

Info: HCPC - Health & Care professions council