Applying to an EPSO competition takes an evening, if you have prepared. Without preparation it can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with your profile: an EU Login account created the wrong way, an ID document that expires mid-procedure, a CV entry with no document attached, an edited application that quietly went back to draft. This guide walks through the process in order, as EPSO describes it in 2026, with the points where applications are lost.
Step 0: read the notice before anything else
The notice of competition is the legal framework of the competition: eligibility, languages, tests, scoring, deadlines. Everything in the application form refers back to it. Read it before you open the form, and check three things in particular: whether you meet every eligibility condition by the application deadline; which languages you may choose for the tests; and the deadline, which is normally at midday Brussels time, not midnight — the deadline of the two AD8 competitions in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, for example, was set at 12:00 on 13 October 2026.
Step 1: an EU Login account set up the way EPSO accepts
Most application problems start here. EPSO’s rules:
- No third-party sign-in. An EU Login created through an eID service (itsme, SPID, DigiD, MitID and similar), Facebook or Google has a user ID beginning with “v00” and cannot be used to complete an application. If yours is one of those, create a new EU Login with an email address and password.
- Your name and date of birth must match your passport or ID card exactly, including every family name and first name on the document.
- Second-factor authentication must be one of two methods: the EU Login Mobile app or a Trusted Platform. EPSO advises against using eID as the second factor.
Current and former EU staff have separate EU Login instructions and should read them first.
Step 2: complete your profile in the Single Candidate Portal
Log in, accept the data privacy statement, and check the personal data already filled in. If anything differs from your identity document, request a correction straight away through “Request to update your personal data”. Add at least one EU nationality and save your preferences.
Step 3: build your CV once — carefully
The portal keeps one CV that is reused for every application, and it can be written in any of the 24 official EU languages. Give it time the first time. It has three parts:
| Section | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Work experience | Dates, employer, location, and a description of your tasks and responsibilities |
| Education and training | Title of the diploma, awarding institution and its address, qualification level |
| Language skills | Your level for speaking, writing and reading in each language — always including your mother tongue |
Two rules matter later. Upload a valid ID document before the application deadline, and make sure it stays valid throughout the whole procedure, which can run for many months. And if you edit your CV after submitting an application, you must submit the application again before the deadline, or the old version of the CV stays attached to it.
Step 4: fill in the application form
Choose “Apply for a competition”. You can save a draft and come back. The sections:
- Eligibility. You declare that you meet the general and specific conditions in the notice by the application deadline. If you do not, EPSO’s instruction is simple: do not apply.
- Languages. You choose your test languages in line with the notice. They cannot be changed after the deadline. Choose on the basis of which language you reason fastest in under time pressure, not which one sounds better — our guide to verbal reasoning in your second language explains why.
- Reasonable accommodation. If a disability or medical condition would require adjustments to the tests, declare it here and follow the instructions.
- Motivation and strengths. This is not assessed in the competition. It is, however, passed to the recruiting services if you reach the reserve list, so write it for the head of unit who will read it then.
- Declaration. You confirm the information is complete and correct. EPSO can bar candidates who commit fraud from future competitions for a period.
Step 5: attach the supporting documents
This is where applications silently lose experience. Every entry under work experience and under education and training needs at least one supporting document, attached with the paper-clip symbol on that entry. An entry without a document is not considered. Language skills normally need no document, unless the notice says otherwise (for example for linguist profiles).
Where you upload depends on timing: before you submit and before the deadline, attach documents to the entries in your CV; after you have submitted and after the deadline, attach them in the corresponding section of your application. The notice sets the deadline for documents, which for some competitions is later than the application deadline — our guide to the AD5 supporting-documents check shows how that works.
Step 6: submit — and check the status
Submitted applications show as VALIDATED. The statuses worth knowing:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| DRAFT | Not submitted. Drafts are deleted after the deadline. |
| CANCELLED MODIFIED | You edited the application, which created a new one; this is the old copy |
| VALIDATED | Submitted |
| ONGOING | After the deadline, for applications submitted in time |
| INVALID / DISQUALIFIED | Not valid, or disqualified under the notice |
| WITHDRAWN | Withdrawn at your request — final and irreversible |
The trap is the edit. If you change a submitted application, click Submit again; otherwise the new version stays a draft and is deleted at the deadline. Our advice: submit a complete application several days early, then check that the status reads VALIDATED after every change. If something goes wrong, EPSO asks you to contact it well before the deadline.
Applied? The tests come next
After the deadline, every candidate is invited to the tests on the same date and time. Start on the reasoning tests now, while there is still time to improve.
Start practising → First 25 questions free · no account needed to tryAfter the deadline
All candidates who applied in time are invited to the tests set out in the notice, and all sit them on the same date and time given in the invitation. The tests are taken online, so read EPSO’s technical requirements early — our guide to remotely proctored test day and the list of test-day mistakes cover what goes wrong. At a set stage, EPSO checks eligibility against your documents; only candidates who meet every condition can go on the reserve list. What happens after that is explained in our guide from reserve list to job offer.
You can withdraw after the deadline through “Request deletion or withdrawal” in the Contact us section of your account. The withdrawal takes effect immediately and cannot be reversed.
A checklist for the evening you apply
- Notice read; eligibility met by the deadline; test languages decided
- EU Login created with email and password (not eID, Google or Facebook); name identical to your ID
- Second factor set up: EU Login Mobile app or Trusted Platform
- ID document uploaded and valid for the whole procedure
- Every work and education entry has a document attached
- Motivation section written for a future recruiter
- Application submitted days early; status VALIDATED after every edit
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply to an EPSO competition with my Google or eID login?
No. EU Login accounts created through third-party sign-in such as eID platforms, Facebook or Google have a user ID starting with "v00" and cannot be used to complete an EPSO application. Create an EU Login account with an email address and password, and set up the EU Login Mobile app or a Trusted Platform as the second factor.
Do I need supporting documents when I apply?
Yes. Each entry in the work experience and education and training sections must have at least one supporting document attached, and entries without a document are not considered. Language skills usually need no documents unless the notice of competition says otherwise. The notice sets the deadline for documents.
Can I change my EPSO application after submitting it?
Yes, until the deadline. Editing creates a new version, and you must click Submit again; otherwise it stays in draft and drafts are deleted after the deadline. The languages you chose for the tests cannot be changed after the deadline.
Is the motivation section of the application assessed?
No. EPSO does not use the motivation and strengths section for assessment during the selection procedure, but it is passed to the recruiting services if you reach the reserve list, so it is worth writing carefully.
What time do EPSO application deadlines close?
Deadlines are set in each notice of competition and are normally at midday Brussels time. For example, the deadline of the AD8 competitions in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity was set at 12:00 on 13 October 2026. Submit well before the deadline and contact EPSO early if there is a problem.
Based on EPSO's instructions on the EU Careers website, read on 22 September 2026: how to create a Single Candidate Portal account, how to fill in the application form, permanent staff selection, EPSO testing, and the list of open competitions. Advice marked as ours is exactly that. The notice of competition of each competition is the text that binds.