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Source: BUS Sachsen-Anhalt (Linie6PLus)

Apply for a licence to practise a veterinarian from the EU/EEA/Switzerland

Description

In order for you to be able to work as a veterinarian in Germany without restriction, you need the license to practice medicine.

The approbation is the state admission to the profession. The approbation 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 medicine.

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

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

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

It depends on the state in which they completed their training and at what time. If you started your vocational training after the EU/EEA accession of your training country, your professional qualification will be automatically recognised. Then the recognition procedure is shortened.

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

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

Process flow

Application

You shall submit an application for a licence to practise as a veterinarian to the competent authority. The competent authority checks whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements are met.

Automatic recognition

As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure applies if you have started your vocational training after the EU/EEA accession of your training state. This means that if you also meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognised without an individual examination of equivalence.

Certificate

Vocational training that you started before the EU/EEA accession of your training country (or that does not correspond to the legal designations) can also be automatically recognised. 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 veterinarian in the country of origin for 3 consecutive years in the last 5 years before the application. This must be confirmed by the competent authority of your country of origin. This confirmation is generally sufficient.

Equivalence test

If you are unable to provide a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training will need to be reviewed individually. The competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification as a veterinarian. The competent body 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 test

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognised. The authority can confirm the result in writing. You still have to meet the other requirements and prove your language skills. Then you will be granted the license to practice medicine as a veterinarian.

If the competent body detects significant differences, you can compensate for the differences through your professional practice and other knowledge and skills as a veterinarian. You must prove your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in your country of origin.

However, it may be that this knowledge is not sufficient. You will then not be able to compensate for the essential differences. Your foreign professional qualification will then not be recognised.

The competent authority will tell you in writing the essential differences and why you cannot compensate for the essential differences through your professional practice. The decision of the competent authority also states the level of your training and the level that is necessary in Germany. You are then not allowed to work as a veterinarian. However, the competent authority offers you to take an aptitude test.

Suitability test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, you can take an aptitude test. In the aptitude test, the essential differences in your professional qualification are examined. If you pass the aptitude test, you will be granted the license to practice medicine as a veterinarian. You must also meet the other requirements and prove your language skills.

Remedy

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority. 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.

Who should I contact?

Ministry of Economic Affairs, Science and Digitalization of the State of Saxony-Anhalt

Requirements

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

Which documents are required?

The competent authority will inform you which documents you have to submit. Important documents are often:

Proof of identity (identity card or passport in officially certified copy)
a copy of your evidence of formal qualifications
Proof of the contents of your training:
List of subjects and training hours that you have completed
Proof of your relevant professional practice as a veterinarian
Extract from criminal records or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin as proof of your worthiness and reliability (This proof may not be more than 3 months old when applying.)
Medical certificate of your health suitability (This certificate may not be more than 3 months old when applying. The proof can be from an authority in your training state.)
Declaration that you have not yet submitted an application for a licence to practise medicine 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 available in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. Translations must be carried out by translators who have been publicly appointed or authorised.

Proof of language skills
Prerequisite for the approbation are general German language skills at level B2. You can also submit the required proof of language proficiency during the approbation procedure.
Professional license
In exceptional cases, you can also apply for a temporary professional permit if there is a special interest. This can be, for example.B a temporary job at a veterinary university. With the professional license, you may in principle work as a veterinarian for 4 years without a license to practice medicine. To do so, you must prove language skills at level B2. With the professional permit, you may only work to a limited extent. The professional license is not a license to practice medicine.
Freedom to provide services
If you only want to work temporarily and occasionally independently as a service provider in Germany, you do not need a license to practice medicine. However, special requirements apply. You must report your work to the competent authority before the first activity. After a certain period of time, you must report the activity again. The competent authority will inform you exactly about the procedure.
Equivalence notice
In the approbation procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can request a separate decision 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 competent authority. You can also submit the application to the Point of Single Contact. The Point of Single Contact will help you and forward the application to the competent body that carries out the recognition procedure.
Procedure for ethnic German repatriates
As a ethnic German repatriate, you can either go through the recognition procedure according to the law mentioned here or according to the Federal Displaced Persons Act. You can decide for yourself. Your competent authority will advise you on this.