Apply for recognition as a veterinarian with professional qualifications from third countries

Prerequisites

• You have a professional qualification as a veterinarian from a third country.
• You want to work as a veterinarian in Germany.
• Personal suitability: You are reliable for working as a veterinarian and have no criminal record.
• Health suitability: You are mentally and physically able to work as a veterinarian.
• You have German language skills at the required language level. These are usually 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

• Application
  • Proof of identity (e.g. passport or ID card)
  • Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate (if your name changed through marriage)
• CV
• Proof of your professional qualifications (e.g. certificates, professional certificate)
• Evidence of the content and duration of your training (e.g. Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records)
• Evidence of your relevant professional experience as a veterinarian (e.g. employment references)
• Declaration that you have not yet submitted an application for a license to practice medicine in Germany
• Declaration that no criminal proceedings or public prosecutor's investigations are pending
• Declaration of previous judicial or professional convictions

Submit the following documents at a later date:

• Proof of your personal suitability: extract from your criminal record or official certificate of good conduct. The proof may be a maximum of 3 months old when the application is submitted.
• Proof of your health suitability: medical certificate. The proof may be a maximum of 3 months old when the application is submitted.
• You must submit the documents in the form of copies. In certain cases, the relevant authority may request certified copies of the documents. If your documents are not in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. The translations must be made by translators who are publicly appointed or authorized.

Please note

Temporary professional license

You can apply for a temporary professional license if there is a particular interest. With the temporary professional permit you can usually work for up to 4 years without a license to practice medicine. The professional license only entitles you to carry out limited activities. You must meet the following requirements for the temporary professional license:

• Proof of your professional qualifications
• health aptitude
• Personal suitability
• Knowledge of German is not required for the professional license
• You can apply for the professional license at the responsible office.

Certificate of equivalence
During the approval process, the equivalence of your training can also be checked. If you have a legitimate interest, you can request a separate decision regarding the results of the examination.

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

Deadlines

The application must be submitted before starting veterinary work.

Procedure

application

You submit an application for a license to practice as a veterinarian to the responsible body. The responsible body will then check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements are met. Approval can only be granted if your training from a third country is equivalent to your German training.

Testing equivalence
The responsible body compares your professional qualifications with the German professional qualifications. The responsible body checks whether your professional qualifications are 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 recognized. The authority can confirm the result to you in writing. You still have to meet the additional requirements and prove your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice medicine as a veterinarian.
Are there any significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? Perhaps you can compensate for the differences through your professional experience, other veterinary knowledge or skills. You must provide proof of professional experience (for example through appropriate employment references). 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 main differences and why you cannot compensate for the main differences through your professional practice. The notice from the responsible authority also states what level of training you have and what level is necessary in Germany.

Knowledge test
If your professional qualifications are not equivalent, you can take a compensatory measure. You can take a knowledge test to compensate for the significant differences. The knowledge test is based on the final exam as a veterinarian in Germany. If you pass the knowledge test and meet all other requirements, you will receive a license to practice as a veterinarian.

Processing time

The responsible office will confirm to you after a maximum of one month that your application and documents have been received. The responsible office will inform you if documents are missing.


If the documents are complete, the process will take a maximum of 3 to 4 months.

Fees

The costs generally depend on the effort required for processing. These costs vary from person to person and range between 125-360 euros.


Additional costs may arise (for example for translations or certifications).

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 is then reviewed. Details can be found in the legal remedies information at the end of your notice. We recommend that you first speak to the responsible authority before taking legal action against the decision.

Legal basis

§ 2 paragraph 1, § 3, § 4 Federal Veterinary Regulations

§ 63 Ordinance on the licensing of veterinarians (TAppV)

Fees according to the fee schedule for public consumer protection (GebOöV)

The profession of veterinarian is regulated in Germany. This means: In order to be able to work as a veterinarian in Germany without restrictions, you need a license to practice medicine. The approbation is the state approval for the profession. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a veterinarian without a license to practice medicine. You can also receive a license to practice medicine in Germany with a professional qualification from a so-called third country. Third countries are all countries that do not belong to the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. In order to receive the license to practice medicine, you must have your foreign professional qualifications recognized. In the recognition process, the responsible body compares your professional qualification with the German professional qualification and checks the equivalence. The equivalence of professional qualifications is an important prerequisite for the granting of the license to practice medicine. In addition to the equivalence of professional qualifications, you must also meet other requirements for the permit to be granted. Other requirements include, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability. If your professional qualification comes from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, different regulations apply. You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.