Recognition of foreign professional qualifications
Description
Have you acquired your professional qualification abroad and want to work in your profession in Germany? Depending on your profession, you may or may have your foreign degree recognized.
As a rule, you will need the following documents:
- Tabular list of the training courses you have completed and the gainful employment you have carried out
- Indication of your current place of residence
- Proof of identity
- Evidence of formal qualifications acquired abroad
- evidence of relevant professional experience or other evidence of formal qualifications, where necessary to establish equivalence
- Explanation of whether and to which body you have already submitted an application for a determination of equivalence
- If applicable, a decision on the determination of equivalence
Depending on the profession, further documents may be required. Please contact the competent authority.As a rule, you must submit all documents in the original or as a certified copy. As a rule, you must submit all documents in German. If the documents are written in another language, you may also need a translation by a publicly appointed translator. Please contact the competent authority.
There are no deadlines to be observed. The deadline for submitting the application begins with the confirmation of the competent authority that the required documents are complete.
Telephone advice on recognition in German and English can be found at the
Hotline "Working and living in Germany"
Phone: +49 30 1815-1111
Reachability:
Mon 09:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Tue 09:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Wed 09:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Thu 09:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Fri 09:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Point of Single Contact (currently within the scope of the EU Services Directive, from 18 January 2016 also within the full scope of the EU Professional Recognition Directive)
https://www.bmwi-wegweiser.de/start/
Authority number 115
Tel.: 115
Mon 08:00 a.m. - 06:00 p.m.
Tue 08:00 a.m. - 06:00 p.m.
Wed 08:00 a.m. - 06:00 p.m.
Thu 08:00 am - 06:00 pm
Fri 08:00 a.m. - 06:00 p.m.
Applications and forms can be found on the website of the competent authority.
For recognition, the competent authority checks on the basis of your certificates whether or to what extent your foreign qualification corresponds to a German qualification for the profession you have chosen. This review is based on defined formal criteria, such as the content and duration of the training. Your relevant professional experience will be taken into account as well as other relevant qualifications. For academic qualifications, you can apply for an assessment by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
Further information on the German professions, the recognition procedures and also on the competent authorities can also be found on the "Recognition-in-Germany" portal. This internet portal provides quick and easy answers to questions about recognition, for example:
- Do I have to have my professional qualification recognised?
- Is the recognition worth it for me?
- May I submit the application? Do I have a formal right to it?
- Which authority should I contact?
- What does the procedure look like?
- What documents are required? What form do the documents have to have?
- How long does the procedure take?
- How much does the procedure cost?
- Which laws are relevant to my case?
- In professions for which a licence is required, the recognition procedure can also be carried out via the Point of Single Contact (currently within the scope of the EU Services Directive, from 18 January 2016 also within the full scope of the EU Professional Recognition Directive). NOTE: The deadline for submitting the application begins with the confirmation by the competent authority that the required documents are complete
The service centres of the network "Integration through Qualification" (IQ Network) will be happy to advise and accompany you before, during and after the recognition procedure.
The federal or state law regulating the exercise of the respective profession applies. Information on this can also be found in the "Recognition in Germany" portal.
In addition, depending on the profession, other laws may apply. Please contact the competent authority.
MW LSA, Unit 44I, Dieckmann
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
