Admission competition for the judicial internship: registrations open until October 30, 2026

The High Council of Justice has opened registrations for the admission competition for the judicial internship for the 2026-2027 judicial year. The call for candidates is published in the Belgian Official Gazette of September 30, 2026, under reference C − 2026/006911, page 52479. Applications must be submitted no later than October 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., exclusively by electronic means.

The competition is organized in application of Articles 259bis-9 and 259bis-10 of the Judicial Code by the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking nomination and appointment commissions of the High Council of Justice. It aims to evaluate the maturity and capacity necessary for the exercise of the function of magistrate. The current programs were ratified by the ministerial decree of August 3, 2026, published in the Belgian Official Gazette of August 24, 2026.

Procedure Calendar

• Closing of applications: October 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (noon).
• Written part: Sunday, December 13, 2026, for French-speaking candidates; Saturday, December 12, 2026, for Dutch-speaking candidates.
• Oral part: Spring 2027.
• Digital information session: Friday, October 16, 2026, for the French-speaking commission; Thursday, October 15, 2026, for the Dutch-speaking commission, upon registration via www.csj.be.

Three Subjects to Choose From

Candidates must indicate the chosen subject during registration; this choice applies to both the written and oral parts of the competition. Three options are offered:

• law of obligations, special contracts and property law, including judicial law;
• criminal law, including criminal procedure;
• social law, including judicial law.

Documents to be Attached Under Penalty of Inadmissibility

• the standard curriculum vitae established by the High Council of Justice;
• a copy of the graduate or master’s degree in law issued by a Belgian university after at least five years of study, or an equivalence decision for a degree obtained abroad;
• the national register number and the candidate’s email address;
• the chosen subject;
• a certificate proving that the candidate has practiced, during the four years preceding the registration and as a primary professional activity, either a bar internship or other legal functions for at least two years; bar experience is established by a certificate from the dean of the Bar Association.

German-speaking candidates who wish to take the written part in German must expressly mention this and attach a secondary school diploma obtained in the German-speaking region, or a certificate of residence, or an employer’s certificate establishing a five-year connection to this region.

Participation limit and admissibility

In accordance with Article 259bis-9, § 1/1, paragraph 4, of the Judicial Code, candidates may participate in the admission competition for the judicial internship a maximum of five times; a registration not followed by participation is not counted. Any incomplete application or application submitted outside of the electronic procedure shall be declared inadmissible, without any reminder being sent. Candidates are summoned to the competition by e-mail.

For lawyers aiming for the judiciary, the notice therefore sets a tight schedule: less than a month to compile a complete file, including a master’s degree in law, two years of primary legal activity, and a certificate from the Bâtonnier where applicable. The digital information session on October 16, 2026, constitutes the final point of support before the closing date of October 30, and the written exam in December 2026 marks the first step of a process that will extend until the spring of 2027.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette of September 30, 2026, notice of the High Council of Justice, ref. C − 2026/006911, p. 52479.