OBJECTIVES: To test the comprehension of the FMBA© in France, Germany and Spain  METHODS: The FMBA© was tested to assess ease of comprehension, cultural equivalence, clarity, wording and acceptability of the structure and content to patients. The test version contained 79 items grouped into 7 sections measuring burden of fibromyalgia on patients’ daily lives, developed simultaneously in French, German, Spanish and UK English. These sections evaluate Pain, Physical Impact, Impact on daily activities, Social Impact, Work Impact, Psychological Impact, Relationship to doctors and treatment, and One general item. Sixteen fibromyalgia patients were interviewed in France, Germany and Spain. UK comprehension tests are currently under way. Based on test results and deliberation with fibromyalgia experts, changes were made to the French, German, Spanish and UK English versions of the questionnaire during an international harmonisation meeting.   RESULTS: Patients’ overall comprehension of the questionnaire was good. The comprehension tests identified problematic items, and suggestions for deletions or rewording. Seventeen items were deleted for reasons such as; lack of conceptual clarity e.g. “I have pain that changes from one moment to the next” not clear between location and intensity; items considered conceptually too close e.g. “I get tired for no reason” deleted because too close to “I lack energy” and “I get tired easily”; and wording too strong” e.g. “I feel handicapped”. The answer choices were also modified to ensure cultural acceptance. The pilot version of the FMBA© contains 62 items divided into 7 sections. CONCLUSIONS: The FMBA© is a questionnaire that assesses the functional impact and burden of fibromyalgia on patients’ daily lives. The FMBA© will allow the consequences of FM on patients to be more widely recognised. A validation study is to be undertaken to validate psychometric properties and scoring of the questionnaire.