EPSO AD5 2026 Supporting Documents: Complete Checklist Before 7 October

If you submitted an application to EPSO/AD/427/26 during the open window (5 February – 10 March 2026), your file is now in the candidate pool of 174,727 applicants competing for the 1,490 places on the reserve list. The application form is closed and cannot be edited. The next hard deadline on your calendar is 7 October 2026 — the date by which every candidate who is still in the procedure must upload all supporting documents.

Missing or incomplete documents on that date is the single most common reason an otherwise strong application is excluded from the procedure. Do not count on a second chance: Annex I, point 2.4(2) of the Notice says that failing to provide a supporting document by that date "may result in a candidate being considered ineligible or in their specific educational qualifications or experience not being taken into account". EPSO may ask for additional documents at any phase (point 2.4(3)), but that is EPSO's choice, not a window you can plan on. The checklist below covers what you need to have ready.

How EPSO Eligibility Verification Actually Works

An important clarification first: when the application window closed on 10 March 2026, EPSO only verified that your form was submitted in full. The real eligibility check — whether your diplomas, experience and languages actually meet the criteria of the Notice of Competition — happens against the documents you upload by 7 October 2026.

This means two things:

• You have not yet been confirmed as eligible. The "application received" email is not validation. EPSO will only confirm or reject your eligibility after reviewing your uploaded documents.
• If your application form claimed experience or qualifications that your supporting documents do not fully evidence, you will be excluded — even if you would otherwise pass the tests.

Treat 7 October as the moment EPSO genuinely looks at your candidacy for the first time.

Before anything else: upload to the application, not to your CV. EPSO's instructions for uploading supporting documents state that, after the application deadline, "documents must be uploaded directly to the relevant application and not to your account's CV section", and that "any documents added to your CV after the application deadline will not automatically transfer to the submitted application and will not be visible to EPSO or the Selection Board". A file left in the CV section of your account therefore counts as not uploaded at all. Accepted formats are PNG, JPG and PDF, up to 20 MB per document.

The Document Checklist

1. Identity Document

A clear, valid copy of your national identity card or passport. The document must be a current member-state nationality at the moment the application window closed. Dual nationals upload their EU passport. Expired documents will be rejected.

2. University Diplomas

For AD5, the minimum is a completed degree of at least three years giving access to postgraduate studies, in any field. Upload the diploma or certificate attesting to the educational qualification that gives access to the competition. If no official diploma has been issued to you yet, the Notice settles the point in Annex I, point 2.4(5)(a): "In the absence of an official diploma, a statement of award or an equivalent document confirming the successful completion of the programme and the conferral of a title, degree, or diploma will be accepted as sufficient evidence". What has to be in place by the deadline is the decision to award, not the printed certificate: under point 3.3(a) the degree must be "attested by a diploma the award of which was decided no later than 30 September 2026". EPSO's eligibility FAQ also asks you to upload the post-secondary diploma "along with the list of courses you followed", so your transcript belongs inside the file, not outside it. If your diploma is in a language other than English, French, or German, EPSO accepts the document in the original language but will require a clear translation of the title and the awarding institution. If the degree was awarded outside the EU, Annex I, point 2.4(5)(b) requires a statement of equivalency issued by a competent authority of a member state. Check the Notice for the recognised list.

Also mandatory: written evidence of the programme's standard duration. Annex I, point 2.4(5)(c) requires "a letter, certificate, or equivalent evidence from the educational institution attesting to the standard duration of the completed study programme. This evidence must indicate the number of years required to complete the programme". Eligibility here is measured in years, "at least three", and a diploma on its own very often does not say how many years the programme took. A file that contains the diploma and nothing evidencing duration is the configuration most likely to fail the eligibility check. Ask the registrar or student office for a letter or certificate stating the number of years, and upload it together with the diploma and the list of courses you followed: the transcript is welcome here, not forbidden.

3. Proof of Languages

You declared Language 1 and Language 2 in the application form. By 7 October you must upload evidence supporting the levels declared:

• Language 1: native or full proficiency. Usually evidenced by your nationality combined with the language of your degree.
• Language 2: minimum B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and it must be one of the 24 official EU languages and different from Language 1.

Acceptable evidence includes Cambridge, DELF/DALF, Goethe, CILS, DELE, official university transcripts indicating the language of instruction, or other certificates explicitly stating the CEFR level. A school-leaving certificate from a country where the language is official will typically be accepted at C-level for Language 1.

4. Equivalence Documents for Non-EU Degrees

If your highest degree was awarded by an institution outside the European Union, you almost certainly need an equivalence statement from a competent recognition body (ENIC-NARIC in most member states). Turnaround times of 6 to 12 weeks are not unusual. Two specifics from EPSO's eligibility FAQ: UK diplomas issued after 1 January 2021 need a recognition document, and the statement of equivalency from the NARIC Ireland database is not valid for this purpose.

5. Anything Else Declared in the Application Form

This is the most overlooked category. If you listed extracurricular activities, traineeships, internships or any other experience to support your candidacy, you may be asked to substantiate it. Re-read your own application form and prepare evidence for every claim you made. Volunteer work, Erasmus mobility periods, and language certificates referenced in the form all count.

Format and Upload Rules

Documents are uploaded to your EPSO account. The platform accepts PNG, JPG and PDF, up to 20 MB per document, and after the application deadline they go into the application itself rather than the CV section of your account. Three practical points:

• Scan in colour. Black-and-white scans of identity documents and diplomas are sometimes flagged as unverifiable.
• Name the files clearly. EPSO does not require a specific convention, but a file named "Diploma_FullName_University.pdf" is much faster to verify than "scan_001.pdf".
• Translations. If you need an official translation, allow 1–2 weeks. Sworn translators are busiest in September.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Exclusion

• Uploading the wrong diploma. A high-school certificate, or a bachelor's diploma when you claimed a master's.
• Uploading the diploma with nothing evidencing duration. Point 2.4(5)(c) asks for a letter or certificate from the institution indicating the number of years required to complete the programme. Without it, nothing in your file shows that the degree meets the three-year minimum.
• Language certificates that don't state CEFR. A score on TOEFL or IELTS is fine, but make sure the upload includes the official conversion table to CEFR. EPSO will not infer.
• Forgetting non-EU degree recognition. If you studied outside the EU and skip the equivalence step, your file will be rejected at this stage.
• Leaving the upload to the last hours. The deadline is 7 October 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time, under point 4.3.1(e) of the Notice. There are no late uploads and EPSO accepts no supporting documents by email, so whatever is not in the application at midday is not in it at all.

What Happens After 7 October

EU Careers has now amended the AD5 testing procedure. Part 1 covers verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning and takes place during the week of 9 to 13 November 2026. Candidates who reach the Part 1 pass marks move to Part 2: EU Knowledge, Digital Skills and EUFTE, which EU Careers says will take place in 2027 on dates to be announced later. Supporting documents were due by 7 October 2026.

If your eligibility is rejected, you can ask the Selection Board to review that decision, and the window is shorter than most candidates expect. Under Annex I, point 7.2.2(6)(a) of the Notice, the request must reach EPSO "via their candidate account within 5 calendar days counting from (and including) the day following the publication of the contested decision in the candidate account"; a request received after that "will be considered inadmissible and will not be examined" (point 7.2.2(8)), except in a proven case of force majeure. The Board reviews its own assessment and can confirm or revise it, but point 7.2.2(4) is explicit that disagreeing with its judgement of your qualifications "does not mean that the Selection Board made an error of assessment", so the preparation effort goes into the upload itself. Legal arguments belong in an administrative complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations (point 7.3.1), not in the review request.

What You Can Still Do Today and Tomorrow Morning

The window closes at 12.00 (midday) Brussels time on 7 October 2026, so the only useful question left is what can be finished in the hours that remain:

• Open the application itself and check every file is in it. Documents added to the CV section of your account after the application deadline do not transfer to the submitted application and are not visible to EPSO or the Selection Board.
• If the diploma has not been issued, upload the statement of award. A statement of award or an equivalent document confirming the successful completion of the programme and the conferral of the title is accepted as sufficient evidence, provided the award was decided no later than 30 September 2026.
• Email your registrar today for the duration letter. You need written evidence from the institution indicating the number of years required to complete the programme. Many student offices answer the same day, and a PDF that arrives tomorrow morning can still go up before midday.
• Add the list of courses you followed. EPSO's eligibility FAQ asks for the post-secondary diploma together with it.
• Non-EU degree: upload the statement of equivalency issued by a competent authority of a member state.
• Finish before midday, not at midday. Scans go up as PNG, JPG or PDF, up to 20 MB each. There are no late uploads and no documents by email.

Eligibility is decided by paperwork, not by exam preparation. The candidates who treat the document phase as seriously as the test phase are the ones who actually reach the reserve list.

Sources

• Notice of competition EPSO/AD/427/26: Official Journal C/2026/711, Annex I, General rules, points 2.4(5)(a), 2.4(5)(b) and 2.4(5)(c); point 3.3(a); point 4.3.1(e).
• EPSO: eligibility FAQ.
• EPSO: how to upload supporting documents.

PassEPSO is an independent preparation platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to EPSO, EU Careers or any European Union institution. Official information about EPSO/AD/427/26 is published only by EPSO, on eu-careers.europa.eu and in the notice of competition.