Source: BUS Sachsen-Anhalt (Linie6PLus)

Apply for recognition as a midwife with a professional qualification that is automatically recognised

Description

The profession of midwife is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a midwife in Germany, you need a state permit. With the permission, you may use the professional title "midwife" and work in the profession.

Even with a professional qualification from abroad, you can obtain state permission from the competent authority in Germany. In order to obtain the permit, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognised.

In the recognition procedure, the competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and checks its equivalence. In some cases, your professional qualification may be recognised automatically. This means that no equivalence test is carried out. It is assumed that the training is equivalent.

As a rule, your professional qualification is automatically recognised if you have acquired your professional qualification in a country of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland. However, there may also be exceptions to this rule. That depends on which state they completed their education in and when.

There may be other cases where your professional qualification is automatically recognised. The competent authority will inform you. If your professional qualification is not automatically recognised, other rules will apply.

You must also meet other requirements for granting the permit. Further requirements are, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability.
You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

Prerequisites

You have a professional qualification as a midwife, which is automatically recognised.
You want to work as a midwife in Germany.
Personal suitability: You are reliable for working as a midwife and have no criminal record.
Health suitability: You can work psychologically and physically as a midwife.
You have german language skills at the required language level. This is usually the language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Required documents

The competent authority will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are generally:

Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
Marriage certificate (if your name has changed due to marriage)
Curriculum vitae
Proof of your professional qualification (e.g. certificates, professional certificate)
Evidence of formal qualifications
Proof of your relevant professional experience as a midwife
Proof of further relevant knowledge for working as a midwife
Perhaps: You do not yet live or work in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland? Then you have to prove that you want to work in the profession in Germany. Proof includes, for example, applications for a job, invitations to job interviews or a personal statement

You only need to submit the following documents if your professional qualification comes from the EU or EEA and was completed before a certain date (deadline). The competent authority will inform you:

Certificate
If there is no certificate of conformity:
Proof of content and duration of your education (e.g. list of subjects and grades, study book, Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records)
Certificate: You must have worked as a midwife continuously and lawfully for at least three years during the last five years prior to the issue of the certificate. In some cases, you only need to prove two years. That depends on your education. The competent authority will inform you.

You usually hand in these documents later. The competent authority will inform you when you should hand in the documents:

Proof of your personal suitability: Extract from criminal record or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin. The proof may not be more than 3 months old when the application is submitted.
Proof of your fitness for health: Medical certificate. The proof may not be more than 3 months old when the application is submitted.
Proof of your German language skills: Language certificate

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

Fees (costs)

The competent authority will inform you about the costs. The costs generally depend on the effort required for processing.

In addition, additional costs may arise (for example, for translations or certifications). These costs vary from person to person.

Deadlines

There is no deadline.

Sometimes documents are still missing in the procedure. The competent authority will then inform you by when you have to submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

Legal remedy

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority within a certain period of time (for example, lodge an objection). The decision is then reviewed. Details can be found in the notice of appeal at the end of your decision. We recommend that you first talk to the competent authority before taking legal action against the decision.

Responsible body

Permission is granted by the State Administration Office in Halle (Saale).

Applications / Forms

Forms: Forms can be obtained from the competent authority.
Online procedure possible: Ask the competent authority whether you can submit the application online.
Personal appearance required: no

Procedure

Application

They submit an application for authorisation to use the professional title "midwife" to the competent authority.
You can submit the application with the documents to the competent authority or send it by post. Do not send originals. Sometimes you can also send the application electronically. The competent authority will inform you.

Examination of the application by the competent body

The competent authority checks whether you meet all the requirements for granting permission to use the professional title "midwife". A prerequisite is that your professional qualification is recognised.

Automatic recognition

There are different cases in which a professional qualification can be automatically recognised. This usually applies if your vocational training was acquired in a member state of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. The competent authority will inform you about the possibilities for automatic recognition. With automatic recognition, the equivalence of your professional qualification is not checked individually. This means that if you also meet all other requirements (reliability, health suitability, German language skills), you will receive permission to use the professional title "midwife".

Certificate of conformity for professional qualifications acquired before the eu/EEA accession of the training country:

Vocational training from the EU or EEA can also be automatically recognised if it was started before the EU/EEA accession of your training country (or does not comply with the legal designations). To do so, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority of your training state that your professional qualification meets the minimum standards of the EU ("Certificate of Conformity"). If your professional qualification does not meet the minimum standards, you must prove your professional experience. You must have worked as a midwife in the country of origin for 3 consecutive years in the last 5 years before the application. This must be confirmed by the authority of your country of origin.

If your professional qualification is automatically recognised, you must also meet the other requirements. Then you will receive permission to use the professional title "midwife".

Further information

Freedom to provide services
You only want to offer services in Germany sometimes and for a short time? Then you usually do not need the state permission. You must meet these requirements:

You must be established in another EU, EEA or Swiss country.
You must prove your professional qualification.
You must report your activity in writing to the competent authority.

The competent authority will inform you.

Equivalence notice
In the permit procedure, the examination of equivalence (recognition procedure) is also carried out. You can request a separate decision for the result of the examination.

Procedure for ethnic German repatriates
As a ethnic German repatriate, you can either go through the recognition procedure according to the laws mentioned here or according to the Federal Displaced Persons Act. You can decide for yourself. The responsible body will advise you on which procedure is right for you.