Source: BUS Sachsen-Anhalt (Linie6Plus)

Applying for a license to practice as a veterinarian from the EU/EEA/Switzerland

Description

In order to work as a veterinarian in Germany without restriction, you need a license to practice.

Approbation is the state license to practice the profession. The license is necessary because the profession is regulated in Germany. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a veterinarian without a license to practice.

You will be granted a license to practice by the competent authority if your veterinary training is equivalent to German training. Equivalence is checked in the recognition procedure. You must also meet other requirements to be granted a license to practice medicine.

You can also obtain a license to practice in Germany with a professional qualification from a country in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

A professional qualification from these countries is usually automatically recognized when you apply for a licence to practise. However, there may also be deviations from this rule.

It depends on the country in which you completed your training and when. If you began your professional training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA, your professional qualification will be recognized automatically. The recognition procedure is then shortened.

If your professional qualification does not originate from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, it cannot be recognized automatically. Other regulations apply.

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

Prerequisites

You have a professional qualification as a veterinarian from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
You are medically fit to work as a veterinarian.
You are reliable and worthy of working as a veterinarian and have no criminal record.
You have the necessary knowledge of German for the job. These are general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

As an alternative to proof of German language skills, a specialist interview examination can be conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry.

Required documents

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are

Proof of identity (officially certified copy of identity card or passport)
A copy of your training certificate
Proof of the content of your training:
List of subjects studied and hours of training you have completed
Proof of your relevant professional experience as a veterinarian
Criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin as proof of your worthiness and reliability (this proof must not be more than 3 months old at the time of application)
Medical certificate of your health suitability (This certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application. The certificate can be from an authority in your country of training).
Declaration that you have not yet submitted an application for a license to practice in Germany

The competent authority will inform you which documents you must submit in the original or as a copy.

If your documents are not in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. The translations must be made by translators who are publicly appointed or authorized.

Fees (costs)

The procedure costs money. The responsible office will inform you of the costs. The costs often depend on the time and effort required for processing.

Additional costs may also be incurred (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from person to person.

The costs for the license to practise vary between 120 euros and 401 euros.

Deadlines

None.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you must submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

Processing time

The responsible office will confirm that your application and documents have been received after a maximum of one month. The competent office will inform you if any documents are missing.

If the documents are complete, the procedure will take a maximum of 4 months.

Responsible body

Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt

Procedure

Application

You submit an application for a license to practice as a veterinarian to the competent authority. The competent authority will check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements have been met.

Automatic recognition

As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure applies if you began your professional training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA. This means that if you also meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognized without an individual equivalence check.

Certificate of conformity

Vocational training that you began before your country of training joined the EU/EEA (or that does not correspond to the legal designations) can also be recognized automatically. To do so, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority in your country of training stating that your professional qualification meets the minimum EU standards ("certificate of conformity"). If your professional qualification does not meet the minimum standards, you must provide proof of your professional experience. You must have worked continuously as a veterinarian in your country of origin for 3 years in the 5 years prior to submitting your application. This must be confirmed by the competent authority in your country of origin. This confirmation is generally sufficient.

Examination of equivalence

If you cannot present a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The competent authority will compare your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification as a veterinarian. The competent authority will check whether your professional qualification is equivalent. The professional qualification is equivalent if there are no significant differences between your foreign professional qualification and the German professional qualification.

Possible results of the examination

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognized. The authority can confirm the result in writing. You must still meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice as a veterinarian.

If the competent authority identifies significant differences, you can compensate for the differences with your professional experience and other knowledge and skills as a veterinarian. You must provide evidence of your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in your country of origin.

However, this knowledge may not be sufficient. You will then not be able to compensate for the significant differences. Your foreign professional qualification will then not be recognized.

The competent authority will inform you in writing of the significant differences and why you cannot compensate for the significant differences through your professional experience. The decision of the competent authority will also state the level of your training and the level required in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a veterinarian. However, the competent authority will offer you the opportunity to take an aptitude test.

Aptitude test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, you can take an aptitude test. The aptitude test examines the main differences between your professional qualifications. If you pass the aptitude test, you will be granted a license to practice as a veterinarian. You must also meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills.

Legal remedy

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority. The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on legal remedies at the end of your decision. We recommend that you first speak to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

Further information

All veterinarians practicing their profession in Saxony-Anhalt are members of the Saxony-Anhalt Chamber of Veterinarians.

Every member of the chamber must register with the Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons within one month of commencing their professional activity.

The following points must also be observed:

Proof of language skills: General German language skills at level B2 are a prerequisite for licensure. You can also submit the required language certificate during the licensing procedure.
Professional license: In exceptional cases, you can also apply for a temporary professional license if there is a special interest. This could be, for example, a temporary position at a veterinary university. In principle, you can work as a veterinarian for 4 years without a license to practice medicine. You must provide proof of language skills at level B2. You may only work to a limited extent with a professional license. The professional permit is not a license to practice.
Freedom to provide services: If you only want to work temporarily and occasionally as a self-employed service provider in Germany, you do not need a license to practice medicine. However, special requirements then apply. You must register your work with the competent authority before your first activity. After a certain period of time, you must register your activity again. The competent authority will inform you in detail about the procedure.
Notification of equivalence: In the licensing procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notification for the result of the examination. You must have a legitimate interest in the separate decision.
Electronic application: You can also submit your application electronically. The application can be submitted directly to the responsible office. You can also submit the application to the Single Point of Contact. The Single Point of Contact will help you and forward the application to the competent body that will carry out the recognition procedure.
Procedure for ethnic German repatriates: As an ethnic German repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either according to the law mentioned here or according to the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. Your responsible office will advise you on this.