Procedure
application
You submit an application for a license to practice dentistry to the competent authority. You can submit the application with the documents to the responsible office or send it by post. Do not send originals. Sometimes you can also send the application electronically. The responsible body will inform you. The competent authority then 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 started your vocational training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA. This means: If you also meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognized without an individual equivalence test.
Certificate of Conformity
Vocational training that you started before your country of training joined the EU/EEA (or that do not correspond to the legal designations) can also be recognized automatically. To do this, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority in your country of training 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 provide evidence of your professional experience. You must have worked as a doctor in your country of origin for 3 consecutive years in the last 5 years before submitting the application. The competent authority in your country of origin must confirm this for you.
equivalence test
If you cannot provide a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The competent authority compares your professional qualifications from abroad with the German professional qualifications. The competent authority checks 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 dentistry.
Are there significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? You may be able to compensate for the differences through your work experience, other knowledge or skills (lifelong learning). You must provide evidence of professional practice. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in the state in which you acquired the knowledge or skills.
However, it may be that the essential differences cannot be compensated for by this knowledge. The competent body will tell you the main differences and why you cannot compensate for the main differences through your professional practice.
The notice from the competent authority also states the level of your training and what level is required in Germany. You are then not allowed to work as a dentist in Germany.
Qualifying Examination
If your professional qualifications are not equivalent and you cannot compensate for the differences, you can take an aptitude test. The aptitude test examines the main differences in your professional qualifications. The aptitude test is an oral-practical test.
If you pass the aptitude test and meet all other requirements, you will be licensed to practice as a dentist.
Processing time
Individual case dependent
Fees
The costs depend on the effort involved in processing.
Additional costs may also arise (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from person to person.
