Doctor with training from EU/EEA/Switzerland, recognition of professional qualification

Prerequisites

• You have a professional qualification as a doctor from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
• You want to work as a doctor in Germany.
• Personal suitability: You are reliable to work as a doctor and have no criminal record.
• Medical suitability: You can work as a doctor both mentally and physically.
• You have German language skills at the required language level. As a rule, these are general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and medical language skills at level C1.

Documents required

The responsible authority will inform you about 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)
• CV
• Proof of training
• Evidence of the content of your training:
  List of subjects studied and hours of training you have completed
• Evidence of your relevant professional experience as a doctor
• Information on whether you have already applied for a license to practice medicine in Germany
• You do not yet live or work in Germany? Then you may have to prove that you want to work in Germany in this profession. Evidence can include applications for a job, invitations to interviews, personal statements

You only need to submit the following documents if your professional qualification was completed before a certain date (deadline). The responsible authority will inform you:

• Certificate of conformity
  If there is no certificate of conformity: evidence of the content and duration of your training (e.g. list of subjects and grades, study book, diploma supplement, transcript of records)
• Certificate pursuant to Section 14b of the Federal Medical Code that the applicant has actually and lawfully practiced the medical profession for at least three years continuously during the last five years prior to the issue of the certificate.

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

• Proof of your personal suitability: Criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin. The proof must be no more than 3 months old when the application is submitted.
• Proof of your health suitability: Medical certificate. The proof must be no more than 3 months old when you submit your application.
• Proof of your German language skills: language certificate.
  The prerequisite for approval is general German language skills at level B2. You can also submit the required language certificate during the approval process. You must also take a medical language test at level C1 during the approval process.

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

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

Please note

The licensing procedure involves checking the equivalence of your training (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notice of the result of the examination.

Do you only want to offer services in Germany occasionally and for a short period of time? In this case, you usually do not need a state permit. You must meet the following requirements:

• You must be established in another EU, EEA or Switzerland country.
• You must provide proof of your professional qualifications.
• You must report your activity in writing to the responsible authority.

The responsible authority will inform you.

As a late repatriate, you can choose to go through the recognition process according to the laws mentioned here or according to the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. The responsible authority will advise you on which process is right for you.

Deadlines

No

Procedure

• You submit an application for a license to practice medicine to the responsible authority. You can hand in the application and the documents to the responsible authority or send them by post. Do not send originals. Sometimes you can also send the application electronically. The responsible authority will inform you. The responsible authority will then check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements are met.
• As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure applies if you began your vocational training after your training country joined the EU/EEA. This means that if you also meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognized without an individual equivalence assessment.
• 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 automatically recognized. To do this, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority in your country of training that your professional qualifications correspond to the EU's minimum standards ("certificate of conformity"). If your professional qualifications do not correspond to 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 years without interruption in the last 5 years before submitting your application. The competent authority in your country of origin must confirm this to you.
• If you cannot provide a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The responsible body will compare your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification. The responsible 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.
• 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 prove your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice as a doctor.
  • Are there significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? Perhaps you can compensate for the differences through your professional experience, other knowledge or skills (lifelong learning). You must provide evidence of your professional experience. 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 responsible body will tell you the essential differences and why you cannot compensate for the essential differences through your professional experience. The decision from the responsible body will also state what level of training you have and what level is required in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a doctor in Germany.
  • 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 essential differences in your professional qualifications. The aptitude test is an oral and practical test.
  • If you pass the aptitude test and meet all other requirements, you will be licensed to practice medicine.

Processing time

Individual case dependent

Fees

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

Additional costs may also arise (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from individual to individual.

Legal remedies

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

Legal basis

§ 2 ff. Federal Medical Code (BÄO)

www.gesetze-im-internet.de/b_o/__2.html


§ 36 ff. Licensing Regulations for Doctors (ÄApprO

www.gesetze-im-internet.de/_appro_2002/__36.html