All successful applicants for an EU job have to undergo a medical examination before taking up duties. The medical examination is necessary for two reasons: 1) to establish that a candidate is “physically fit to perform his duties”, and 2) to establish a health baseline so that an employee would hold the European Commission or another EU institution accountable for issues that existed before starting the job.
The medical examination usually takes place 2-4 weeks before starting your employment. Attending and passing the medication examination is a prerequisite to signing your employment contract.
This article will help you to understand what to expect and how to prepare for the health check-up, as well as answer some of the most common questions.
Location and travel
The medical examination usually takes place in Brussels, but can also take place in the location of your institution if it has procured the necessary services locally. Irrespective of where the medical examination takes place, you most likely have to take a holiday and plan an extra trip there before the start of employment.
The medical examination in Brussels takes place at the European Commission’s Medical Service, building BREYDEL 2 – office 6/508, 19 avenue d’Auderghem, 1040 Brussels. It is a 10-minute walk or one metro stop away from the Schuman roundabout. The entrance is quite inconspicous so don’t walk past it. Check out the full Google Street View in advance.
What to expect?
Arrival time at the medical centre
Usually you’ll have to be at the medical examination centre at 8:00 AM as the first procedure is a blood test and the lab supposedly closes at 9AM. Because of a blood test, you are required to stop eating at 22:00 the evening before.
I arrived a 8AM sharp and there were already quite a lot of people in the queue, so if you don’t want to wait try to arrive before that. While some sources indicated that the facility opens at 8:00, it apparently is open well before that. I’d recommend to arrive at 7:30 at the latest.
Having arrived at 8:00, I was anyway finished with everything except the ophthalmologist in two hours by 10:00, including the wait in queue.
The ophtalmologist took longer than expected. I arrived at the eye doctor’s office that’s in a different building than the medical centre shortly after 10:00. I was informed that the doctor will be there only at 12:00 and there were a few people before my. I was done by about 14:00, including the wait in a queue again.
What tests are administered?
The medical examination consists of the following procedures:
- Blood test
- Urine test (sampled locally at the centre)
- Heart examination (electrocardiogram)
- X-ray of the lungs for smokers (I as a non-smoker was exempted)
- General examination (conversation with a general practitioner, stethoscope, relfex tests, etc., like at your family doctor at an annual check-up)
- Ophthalmologist (eye examination)
Eye examination
As the eye examination takes place in a different address some 500 meters from the medical centre, you have to walk there for the final check-up. The address is Avenue de Cortenbergh 66, Brussels. Plan at least another 1,5 to 2 hours for the eye examination as in my case there was only one doctor present and it took her around 15 minutes to deal with each patient.
Useful tip. Preserve the eye examination results. Once you start working and are enrolled in JSIS, the EU health insurance scheme, you can buy glasses and get reimbursed based on this document.
Medical examination form
Before the general examination (general check-up by a doctor) all attendants have to fill a fairly detailed health assessment form.
An older version of the form presented at the medical centre can be found here. The layout of the most current form differs slightly, but it has the same contents as the form available for download above. If you have had lots of medical procedures or have a serious health condition, it’s best to take key documentation with you.
Expanded list of questions that might require advance preparation
The examination questionnaire is fairly detailed. There are plenty of questions, where, if you happen to have a particular condition, it wouldn’t be possible to recall the necessary information from the top of your head.
This is a list of questions you probably should go through a week before the medical examination. I suggest that you write down the answers so as to have them available on the medical examination day.
- Has any of your family members (father, mother, siblings) suffered from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders, mental illness, neurological disorders?
- Give details of any medical condition for which you are currently being treated.
- Have you ever been treated in a hospital or at a clinic? Where, when and for what reason?
- Have you ever undergone surgery? Specify nature of operation(s) and date(s).
- Have you ever been absent from work for more than a month because of ilness? When? What was the ilness?
- Do you have a partial permanent incapacity for work following an accident or illness? When? Nature of the disability?
- Have you ever consulted a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst or psychotherapist? When? Nature of the disability?
- Have you ever undergone treatment for alcohol or drug addiction?
- Do you regularly take any medication, including oral contraceptives?
- Have you ever undergone radiological or nuclear medicine examinations? Which examinations?
- Have you undergone courses of radiotherapy or chemotherapy? Specify treatments.
- Have you ever had an industrial accident or suffered from an occupational disease?
- List any occupational or other hazards to which you have been exposed?
As you see, lots of information is requested as part of the examination, part of it can be quite detailed. If you answer with a “YES” to any of the questions, you are requested to indicate when the disorder/disease/incident/procedure took place and other details. Be sure to download and check the form at least a week before your visit at the medical centre as you might need to hunt down health documentation to be able to fill out the form completely. Most institutions’ HR units don’t mention that the information requested will be this detailed.
Consequences of the European Commission medical examination
Article 28 (e) of the Staff Regulations states that a candidate must be “physically fit to perform his duties”. So, theoretically, one can fail the physical evaluation. However, in practice, the European Commission and other EU institutions and agencies are equal opportunities employers and have a fairly high threshold when it comes to health issues.
What if I have a disability?
A serious medical condition or a disability is not a reason to avoid applying for a job at the European Commission or another EU institution.
If a person “can perform the essential functions of the job when reasonable accommodation is made” he/she has passed the European Commission standard of qualification for a general office job post. ‘Reasonable accommodation’ in this regard means appropriate measures in relation to the essential functions of the job so that the person with a disability can have access to, participate in, or advance in employment, or to undergo training, unless such measures would impose a disproportionate burden on the employer. (Source: Article 1d(4) of Staff Regulations).
In practice this might mean that you cannot work as a security guard if you have a particular physical disability that does not allow you to perform typical duties of the job. However, with the same disability you would qualify as an office worker where your main work instruments are your brain and a laptop. I’ve had at least one colleague with a serious physical disability, but it was no issue for the person to fulfill the tasks of an AD5 temporary agent.
Access to some benefits restricted for 5 years
While persons with a serious ilness and disability are entitled to coverage by JSIS, the European Commission health insurance scheme, there is a limitation if the condition existed before taking up an EU job.
Where the medical examination made before an official takes up his duties shows that he is suffering from sickness or invalidity, the appointing authority may, in so far as risks arising from such sickness or invalidity are concerned, decide to admit that official to guaranteed benefits in respect of invalidity or death only after a period of five years from the date of his entering the service of the Union.
Article 1 of Annex VIII to the Staff Regulations
In practice this means that a new EU institutions employee would be able to benefit from a number of social security measures after he/she has been in a job for five years. These suspended benefits would include at least the following:
- Insurance against the risk of death and of invalidity occurring during employment
- Entitlement to an early pension due to an occupational safety hazard
- Survivor’s pension for one’s spouse and orphan’s pension for a child
Failure to show up or not taking the job despite passing the medical examination
If you do not undergo the medical examination at the set date without a strongly justified reason, the particular EU institution will most likely withdraw its job offer. If for some justified reason you are not able to attend the medical examination, inform the respective institution’s HR unit immediately, try to agree on a different examination date and document and present the reasons why you were not able to attend the medical examination at the initial date.
If you undergo the medical examination and cover the associated travel and other costs, but end up not taking the job, the particular EU institution will most likely not reimburse you for the costs associated with attending the medical check-up.
Costs
You do not have to pay for any of the costs directly associated with the medical examination. It is indeed free of charge and you get the benefit of a thorough health check.
Travel and subsistence costs related to the medical examination will be reimbursed by your prospective employer. However, you have to initially pay for you travel, accommodation and subsistence costs out of your own pocket, and then to submit proof of payment to your institution’s HR unit along with any requested forms (usually, Application for Reimbursement of Travel and Subsistence Expenses, Legal Entity form, Financial Identification form). The forms will be provided by the institution’s HR unit.
Main reimbursement conditions
- Reimbursement of travel expenses generally has a limit of 750 EUR regardless of where the applicant flies from;
- You will be reimbursed only if the distance between the place of residence (as stated in the application form) and the examination centre is over 150 km;
- You can travel by air only if the distance by rail exceeds 500 km (where a sea crossing is necessary, the 500 km limit does not apply);
- Economy flights and other means of transport are preferred by the institutions. If you buy an expensive ticket, be certain that you can justify your choice (i.e., had to fly out after work, no other alternatives);
- Taxi, parking fees and urban transport expenses are usually not reimbursed; these have to covered from the daily allowance amount;
- You can travel with private car, but check the particular rules of reimbursement, including the necessary proof of payment for gas;
- If you are unsure of the rules or have any doubts about travel expenses, get in touch with the institution’s representative that arranged your medical examination.
EU institutions usually offer a subsistence allowance / per diem of EUR 50 per day if the medical centre is at least 150 km from you place of residence. You are expected to cover accommodation (hotel) costs from this amount so either be prepared to sleep in shoddy hotels or get in touch with friends in Brussels.
Do you have question or suggestion for this article? Please share in a comment below and let’s make this resource better for you and other readers!
106 responses to “European Commission Medical Examination”
I am in the process of recruitment as an “official” by DG-SANTE from the reserve list https://epso.europa.eu/successful-candidates/reserve-lists/epso-ad-340-18/3632_en .
My Medical examination took place in 23/09/2021. Until today 15/10/2021 (almost 4 weeks later), the results have not been issued and my offer letter from DG HR is delayed as they haven’t received the medical clearance. How is such a long delay justified and how longer should I wait?
Hi! As far as I’m aware you cannot really do anything yourself. I’ve heard of cases where the results are delayed by as much as two months. Your best option, from my experience, is to request that your institution’s HR department gets in touch with the PMO/Medial service.
Hey Ben, can I ask you if a moderate hearing deficiency can exclude you from an EU recruitment? Do you get a tone audiogram during medical exams? I was wondering if there are specific thresholds for hearing or any contact point to learn about them?
Hi thank you for this elaborate post. I wanted to ask about the toxicology report – I live in a country where weed is legal, so if I have smoked and have thc in my urine test would that be grounds for disqualification? Or do they look for hard drugs like cocaine, metamphetamine etc?
Hi! I’m sorry, but I don’t know. You might try to anonymously contact the Medical Service and ask about this – for contacts see my 21 May comment below. If the MS answers, please let me know as well as it would be great to update the article. Afterall, if something is legal in an EU MS, it would be weird to punish people for that.
Dear Ben,
Do you know if is necessary to have the COVID vacunation for psiisn de medical examination?
Thank you for your help.
Maya
Hi, Ben, could you give a little more details for the eye exam? What do they do to you? Thank you in advance!
Hi! The exams I’ve taken were the regular eye exams. Mine have consisted of what I think is called the Golovin–Sivtsev chart (with the round circles), eye pressure and retina test, etc. Nothing special really. If I remember correctly, the Brussels centre doctor did not use any eye drops for pupil dilation so one would be able to drive a car after the test.
Thank you so much for this info, Ben!
Hi Ben
Are you aware of a way to contact (call) the medical service? I did the exam about a month ago and the doctor who saw me said the results should be out in 2 weeks. It’s now been almost 4 weeks and I haven’t heard anything. My future boss checked with HR and apparently it is not done for the Commission’s HR to check in on the status of individual results with the Medical Service because of confidentiality and privacy reasons. I have checked all the forms I was asked to fill in and there are no contact details on there at all. Are you aware of a secretariat or someone whom I could call regarding the status of my file?
Hi! Maybe the EU Who is Who database can be of assistance here. I did a search for ‘medical service’ and got these results: https://op.europa.eu/en/search-results?p_p_id=eu_europa_publications_portlet_search_executor_SearchExecutorPortlet_INSTANCE_q8EzsBteHybf&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&queryText=medical+service&facet.collection=EUDir&startRow=1&resultsPerPage=10&SEARCH_TYPE=SIMPLE.
Try to get in touch with the European Commission and not the EU Parliament’s or Council’s Medical Service: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/who-is-who/organization/-/organization/HR/COM_CRF_662
The doctor came back and said my medicals are okay after needing a letter form my doctor for some high enzymes in my liver (the doctor said it was because i had food poisoning) and the HR said the results of my medical clearance should come tomorrow , this means that i am fit without reservations?
It seems to me that you’ll be ok 🙂
Hello, I was wondering if being pregnant could be a motive to be qualified as unfit to work during medical examination (early pregnancy – not known at the stage of offer acceptance)?
Pregnancy may not be a motive for disqualification. This would be a direct sex discrimination that can affect only women. Additionally, EU institutions have a number of measures to bridge the period when an employee is on maternity/childcare leave, so it’s not a major challenge for them, unless you’re accepted in a very small agency. I personally would recommend not to bring up your pregnancy during the selection process. Once selected, pregnancy will not affect your health screening.
Thanks a lot for your reply Ben! Actually, I was already selected and just have to undergo the medical examination to begin employment in 2 months. My pregnancy was just confirmed today and is really new (2 weeks) which means I was not even pregnant at the time of the interview and selection letter offer. I was scared that it would impede me from being offered the final contract…
Congratulations again! I’ll add a bit more detail to my reply as I unfortunately don’t have a post on the rights of new parents yet. 1) Because of the recentness of your pregnancy, you’ll look quite good in the eyes of your employer as nobody can predict these things. 2) Please see article 1.c of the Staff Regulations: “[..] any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.” Unequal treatment of women because of a pregnancy is very well developed in EU law and case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union; if it’s a situation where a man wouldn’t suffer consequences, it’s discrimination based on sex. 3) Please check your entitlements under EU law for civil servants. The benefits are surprisingly scant compared to many Member States, there is a very short leave and the allowance you’re paid is quite small as well. Quite many people opt for working part-time in the first year of the baby’s life, as then you at least get half a salary. 4) The good thing – you and the baby are covered by the JSIS even during maternity/childcare leave, so you’ll enjoy a high level of medical care at low cost.
Thanks a lot for all these additional details and for your nice words!
Hello, would if someone that is perfectly healthy just has some 20 kilos extra can be disqualified? I had bloodwork two months ago everything was fine but i am worried if they disqualify me given i am overweight
Being overweight is no reason to terminate your contract. This is even not a reason to limit any of the insurance and pension entitlements. Apologies if I’m overstepping any boundaries here, but if being overweight creates anxiety or another psychological issue for you, please remember that JSIS compensates both up to 30 psychotherapy sessions (referral necessary) and also dietologist’s consultations with a referral from your family doctor/GP. Additionally, an increasing number of EU institutions offer staff well-being measures such as reimbursement of gym costs or even rental of sports equipment to be used at home.
Hi all! 🙂
Just done my medical examination. The centre works fine, however there are some tips and updates to the article above needed:
1. You do not need to be there at 7:30 or 8:00. Just be there on time the DG HR indicates on convocation letter you will get. I had to be there at 8:50, but my colleague was appointed for 10 am. They have a list so there is no point in coming much earlier than indicated.
2. If you need to stay overnight before the examination, you will be reimbursed for the hotel expences. But the limit is no 50 euro as stated in the article – it is 100 euro. So you shall get some nice accommodation for this price after all 🙂
The answer I got from HR on that matter was: ” A lump sum for accommodation costs of 100 euros per night is granted. With a total amount of up to 300 euros”. The 300 euros is in case you need to stay another night, if there is no convinient flight back. I had such case, since due to COVID a lot of regular afternoon or evening connections are cancelled. When I asked about that, they wrote: ” If the flight is cheaper the next day, you need to provide a written justification for the additional night if justified.”
3. I did not receve any information about any daily allowance to cover public transportation or food on the spot (in BLX). I just paid for it myself, however since I had to travel from Poland to Germany to the closest airport (in Berlin) I shall be reimbursed for bus tickets on this route as a part of my travel expences (alongside the airline tickets). And that is nice 😀
All the best to you!
Hallo!!
Do you know if the medical center is functioning this period? And, if yes, how can I book an appointment?
Hi, this is a great post. Thanks.
I will be soon starting to work for an EU agency. My wife is pregnant and I wonder if she would be covered by the JSIS scheme. I have asked many colleagues who work for EU institutions but no one seems to no if there is a waiting period for pregnancy coverage.
Thanks
Hi! I’m very certain that there is no exclusion from JSIS for spouses due to pregnancy. According to EU law, that would be discrimination of women as only they can experience pregnancy and adverse consequences because of this. The only reason why she might be excluded is if she had/has very high income and now receives a high pregnancy-related state benefit. There are country-specific ceilings regarding this, about which you may enquire with your institution’s HR.
That being said, even though her pregnancy-related medical expenses will be largely reimbursed by JSIS, be aware, that there will be an initial delay of about 2 months while the institution sorts out all documents. During this time she can receive paid medical services, but has to collect all invoices and other documentation, and you’ll have to submit it for reimbursement after your spouse is formally added to the system. I hope this answers your question.
Also, JSIS might initially deny reimbursement of some medical expenses if they believe that the expenses might be covered by your spouse’s primary healthcare scheme. In this case, if the expenditure is not covered by your spouse’s primary healthcare scheme, you might have to submit some kind of a proof of this. But the latter is most likely not relevant if you move to a different country, as then it is obvious to JSIS that you are not covered in this country and have to be reimbursed.
Hi,
I was very stressed during my medical visit and this has effected the results of my ECG, blood pressure, and my visit in general. Is it possible that I could be considered “not fit to work” due to these factors?
Thank you in advance for your time
Hi! If you are worried just about stress, it’s hard to imagine that elevated cortisol level would be a reason to fail your examination. It would have to be something far more serious to fail you, for example, drugs. Even in the case of a preexisting medical condition you will just be exempt for 5 years from some of the health insurance benefits.
Dear Ben,
Thank your for your answer. The problem is that the stress has affected my ECG and my blood pressure. Hence, my worries. I hope that high blood pressure or stuff like that would not be a reason to fail me.
Thank you very much for your time.
The medical questions weed out trans people regardless whether they are protected by a GRC and laws (which I do not think will protect since UK left EU)..
So, options are either to:
– lie and know you can progress in your EU career.
– disclose with possible social benefits withheld for 5 years, and having a trans marker on your official employment record, which ine does not want. (People are the same everywhere and harbour the same discrimination whether they are doctors, lawyers , or work in the EU.)
Hi, because there were no available slots to take the medical exam in Brussels, the HR lady at my unit suggested that I take it in Luxembourg and clearly stated that expenses will be reimbursed. However, after my trip, the central HR refused to issue reimbursement because the distance between Brussels and Luxembourg is less than 200 km. My question is which one is it 200 or 150 km (as stated in the article)?
@George – I don’t remember the exact days in my two cases of doing the examination in Brussels and whether there’s an explicit deadline for the Medical Service, however in two weeks me and HR had the results available.
@Alessandro – the delay most likely is not with the Medical Service but your institution’s HR. I think you can write to the HR and ask a question about the delay. Most likely it’s something Covid-19 related that has caused a delay in regular workflow.
@Ben Thank you very much!!
Hi, do we know approximately when the results of the medical examinations come out?
Also, Hani the answer is yes, the medical service has resumed its operations. You should get in touch with HR if you haven’t received an invitation yet.
Hi,
Is the medical service is functioning now, with the covid-19 situation?
can’t foresee any appointment yet!!
Do you have any information regarding that,
Many thanks
Hi, the medical service reopened around end of May. I personally had my examination on May 29. And I’m still waiting for the results and the job offer…..
When did you finally have the results? I am in the same situation…
Hello, I have VIH but I am undetectable and I have the test under control. But I would like to know if it is considered as a serious illness and they can refuse me because of this disease. I have to pass the test in 1 month.
Thank
Hi! HIV, just as other serious health conditions, is not a sufficient reason to discriminate against you. You might even have the benefit of a 100% reimbursement from JSIS for this condition. However, you might have to wait for 5 years for the full insurance to kick in as this is a preexisting condition before employment. Details of this are covered in the article to some extent.
I am also having the same medical problem and I would like to know if Jose actually got the job or was not fit for work
Hello! What about suffering from cancer in a chronic basis? Does this condition exclude someone from working for the EU institutions?
Hi! According to my reading of the EU Staff Rules, you definitively can apply and qualify for an EU institutions job. However, it depends on the Medical Service how they qualify your condition. If it’s qualified as a disability/invalidity or a serious sickness, you will not have the invalidity and death insurance (in case of invalidity while working for the EU you are entitled to an invalidity pension; in case of death while in service your survivors are entitled to a substantial survivor’s benefit); the insurance will enter into force only after 5 years of service provided there are no negative developments with your health. There is a common misconception that having a serious health condition or disability prevents you from being covered by the JSIS (reimbursement of 80-85% of healthcare costs, 100% in case of a serious ilness), which is not true. You are entitled for JSIS coverage from day 1 of your employment.
If I or my family member would have a serious health condition, I would really try to get an EU job as it offers a superb health insurance.
If someone have previous history of tuberculosis but now totally physically fit and doing job in international hospital.
Does he eligible for job in any European country
Hi! Sorry, but I have no competence to answer the question. I guess you’ll have to look up information for a specific country you are interested in. You could start by approaching the particular country’s consular service at the embassy or write to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. State institutions often answer much more quickly if you ask you question on social media – Twitter or Facebook.
Does any one know if taking antidepressants is a valid reason to exclude a candidate for a job in the european comission.
Thanks
Hi! I do not have a legally sound answer, however, from working at institutions I know of plenty of colleagues who where on such medicine and could continue working without any problems. Hence, it should be the case that use of anti depressants and, for example, seeing a psychotherapist or psychiatrist shouldn’t be a problem also for applicants.
The only case where I know this could be an issue if you are applying for a position that requires a security clearance. The necessary clearance is usually given by the national authorities of your state. In very many countries the use of psychotropic medicines or seeing a publicly funded psychiatrist is recorded and might trigger the authorities’ interest. It depends what is the national legislation and the outcome of your interview with the relevant authority.