Most people who want to work for the EU think of one door: the EPSO open competition. There is a second one that stays open all year, has no application deadline, and uses the same reasoning tests. It is called CAST Permanent, and it is how the institutions, agencies and delegations recruit contract agents. It is also widely misunderstood, mostly because it does not work like a competition at all. This guide follows the binding text, EPSO’s call for expression of interest for contract staff, as amended on 17 February 2026.
What CAST Permanent is
CAST stands for Contract Agent Selection Tool. “Permanent” describes the procedure, not the job: registration is open at all times, with no deadline. The call creates a pool of candidates from which the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies recruit contract staff as their needs arise. The contract itself is a contract-agent contract under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants — not a post as a permanent official. For how contract agents compare with officials in grade, pay and career, see our guide to AD, AST and CAST career paths.
The four function groups
| Group | Type of work | Minimum education |
|---|---|---|
| FG I | Manual or basic administrative support | Compulsory education |
| FG II | Clerical and secretarial tasks | A post-secondary diploma, or a secondary diploma giving access to post-secondary education plus at least three years of relevant experience |
| FG III | Executive and technical tasks | Same as FG II |
| FG IV | Administrative, advisory, linguistic or equivalent technical tasks | Completed university studies of at least three years, attested by a diploma |
The call also allows, where the service justifies it, professional training or experience of an equivalent level. Notice what FG IV does not ask for: professional experience. A three-year degree is enough to register.
The profiles you can register for
The call currently covers 37 profile-and-group combinations across 20 profiles. You register for a specific profile in a specific function group:
| Profile | Function groups |
|---|---|
| Administration / human resources | FG II, III, IV |
| Finance | FG II, III, IV |
| Building management | FG II, III, IV |
| Technical security | FG II, III, IV |
| Communication | FG III, IV |
| Information and communication technology | FG III, IV |
| Law | FG III, IV |
| Political affairs / EU policies | FG III, IV |
| Project / programme management | FG III, IV |
| Records management / archivistics | FG III, IV |
| Information and document security | FG III, IV |
| IT security | FG III, IV |
| Security operations, including regional security | FG III, IV |
| Security operations | FG II |
| Secretaries / clerks | FG II |
| Childcare staff | FG II |
| Proofreaders | FG III |
| Translators | FG IV |
| Educational psychologists | FG IV |
| Manual and administrative support workers | FG I |
You may register for as many profiles and groups as you are eligible for, but only once per group of the same profile. A second application for, say, Finance FG IV is not a second chance: under the February 2026 addendum it gets you temporarily excluded for a year. If you want to change something, reopen and revalidate the application you already have.
Who can apply
| Requirement | What the call asks for |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Citizen of an EU Member State, with full rights as a citizen |
| Language 1 | Thorough knowledge (C1 minimum) of one of the 24 official EU languages |
| Language 2 | Satisfactory knowledge (B2 minimum) of English, French or German, different from language 1 |
| Education | By function group, as in the table above |
| Other | Military-service obligations fulfilled; the character requirements for the duties |
The language levels apply to each ability the form asks about — speaking, writing, reading and listening. One detail trips people up: EPSO’s own summary page says the second language can be “a second official EU language”, but the binding call limits it to English, French or German, and explains why in an annex: contract agents are expected to be operational from day one in the working languages of the services. Go by the call.
You must meet the conditions when you validate your application and throughout the selection and recruitment. By validating, you declare on your honour that you do; the documents come later, when a recruiting service asks for them.
How a candidate actually gets selected
The call sets out four phases. Only the first is in your hands.
1. You apply. Through your EPSO account, in any official EU language — though EPSO encourages English, French or German, because that is what recruiters search in. The call asks you to include “as much relevant detail as possible” on qualifications and experience, and this is not a formality: see the next phase.
2. A recruiting service shortlists you. When a service needs someone, it searches the pool and picks a limited number of candidates based on the information in their applications. There is no test at this stage and no ranking: a recruiter reads profiles. You can be shortlisted by several services, for the same or different profiles.
3. EPSO tests you. Shortlisted candidates are invited to reasoning tests in multiple-choice format, taken in their language 1:
| Test | Questions | Time | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 20 | 35 minutes | 10/20 |
| Numerical reasoning | 10 | 20 minutes | 10/20 combined |
| Abstract reasoning | 10 | 10 minutes |
These are the same formats and pass marks as the reasoning tests in EPSO’s AD5 competition. The difference is that here they are pass or fail: there is no ranking and no reserve list, so a score above the pass marks buys you nothing extra. The delivery mode and instructions come in the invitation letter, and the booking and testing windows are short.
4. The service interviews you. Candidates who pass are invited by the recruiting service to an interview and/or further tests — written, oral, practical or a simulation, and languages may be tested too. This is where your supporting documents are checked against what you declared.
The rules that decide whether you are ever called
Renew your interest every six months. You must update or simply confirm each application at least once every six months. Miss it and your profile disappears from the recruiters’ view — your data stays in the system and you can reactivate at any time, but for as long as it is lapsed, nobody can shortlist you.
Check your EPSO account every three days. Invitations and results arrive there, and the call obliges you to check it at least every three calendar days. The booking windows are short enough that a missed invitation is a missed test.
Write the application for a recruiter, not a form. Our advice: since shortlisting is done by people searching and reading, describe tasks with the vocabulary of the profile’s typical duties (annex I of the call lists them for every profile), name tools, budgets and procedures, and keep the profile current. An application that says “administrative tasks” is invisible in a search for “grant management”.
What a pass is worth — and what a fail costs
A pass stays valid for ten years from the day the result appears in your account, for the same and lower function groups, across all profiles. After that, any service can interview you for such a post, as many times as it likes, without new tests. A pass at FG IV, in other words, also covers FG III and FG II vacancies in every profile.
A fail means you cannot be invited again to the reasoning tests for the same or a higher function group for four months from the test date (you can still be invited for a lower one). The end of that period does not re-invite you automatically: a service has to shortlist you again. The same applies if you fail to book, sit or complete a test without a reason beyond your control.
The tests are the part you can prepare
CAST uses the same verbal, numerical and abstract formats as the EPSO competitions. Practise them timed, with a worked explanation for every answer.
Start practising → First 25 questions free · no account needed to tryTest session dates
EPSO publishes the dates on which shortlisted candidates are tested. On 22 September 2026 the two remaining sessions of the year were 6 October 2026 (results expected from November) and 19 November 2026 (results expected by the end of December); later dates appear on EPSO’s CAST Permanent page. These are not dates you can sign up for — they are the sessions to which shortlisted candidates are invited.
The contract you would get
Depending on the recruiting service, the call names two kinds of contract:
| Contract | Duration | Where the call says it can be offered |
|---|---|---|
| “3a” (Article 3a CEOS) | Can lead to an indefinite contract | Agencies, Commission representations, EU delegations and offices, the OIB, OIL, PMO, EPSO and EUSA, and FG I posts at headquarters |
| “3b” (Article 3b CEOS) | Fixed term, six years at most | Institutions’ headquarters, OLAF, the Publications Office |
Most contracts are in Brussels and Luxembourg, with a limited number elsewhere in the EU and in delegations worldwide; some posts require security clearance. The basic monthly salaries at the lowest grade of each group, on the scale applicable from 1 July 2025, are:
| Function group | Lowest grade | Basic salary, step 1 |
|---|---|---|
| FG I | 1 | €2,613.72 |
| FG II | 4 | €2,714.73 |
| FG III | 8 | €3,475.62 |
| FG IV | 13 | €4,449.31 |
That is gross basic salary before allowances, deductions and the correction coefficient of the duty station. Our EU salary calculator works out the rest.
Where CAST fits in a career plan
CAST is not a consolation prize. It is the fastest structured route into an EU workplace, it keeps working for you in the background while you prepare for competitions, and a pass is reusable for ten years. Its limits are just as real: the contract is not a post as an official, a “3b” contract ends after six years, and nobody is obliged to shortlist you. Many people run both routes at once — a CAST profile kept current, and the EPSO competitions when they open. For the rest of the landscape, temporary agents, seconded experts and traineeships, see how to work for the EU without a competition.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a deadline to apply for CAST Permanent?
No. CAST Permanent is an open-ended call: you can register at any time for any profile and function group you are eligible for. You must then renew your interest at least once every six months, or your profile stops being visible to recruiting services until you reactivate it.
How do I get invited to the CAST reasoning tests?
Only by being shortlisted. Recruiting services search the CAST database when they need staff and pick a limited number of candidates based on their applications. Those candidates are invited by EPSO to verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning tests. Registering alone does not lead to a test.
What are the CAST test pass marks?
Verbal reasoning has 20 questions in 35 minutes with a pass mark of 10/20. Numerical reasoning (10 questions, 20 minutes) and abstract reasoning (10 questions, 10 minutes) share a combined pass mark of 10/20. The tests are pass or fail; there is no ranking.
How long are CAST test results valid?
Ten years from the date the result is published in your EPSO account. A pass is valid for the same and lower function groups across all profiles, so services can interview you for those posts without new tests. After a fail, you cannot be re-tested for the same or a higher function group for four months.
Can I register for more than one CAST profile?
Yes, for as many profiles and function groups as you are eligible for, but only one application per function group of the same profile. Submitting a second application for the same profile and group leads to temporary exclusion for one year; update your existing application instead.
Every rule on this page comes from EPSO's call for expression of interest for contract staff (the consolidated reader-friendly version including the addendum of 17 February 2026), read on 22 September 2026, together with EPSO's page on contract staff selection procedures and its announcement of testing dates. Salaries are the basic monthly figures applicable from 1 July 2025 (OJ C/2025/6564). The call and its addenda are the legally binding texts.