Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training (HIBB)

Recognition of a foreign professional qualification as a home and family carer or home and family carer

Prerequisites

• You live and work in Hamburg
• You have completed training as a household assistant or in the field of family care.
• Your qualification must be recognized in the country where you received your education. Informal qualifications cannot be officially recognized in Germany.

Documents required

• All documents not in German or English must also be submitted in a German translation. This translation must be issued by a sworn translator.
• The documents submitted must not be the originals; submit only copies. If you no longer have some documents, please provide a written explanation.
• Documents to be submitted:
  • Application form - fully completed and signed
  • CV
  • Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
  • Proof of residence in Hamburg (for example, by confirmation of registration) or of employment in Hamburg
  • If you don’t live in Hamburg yet:
    • Proof that you intend to live or work in Hamburg. For example, through applications, an entry visa for employment, a personal statement, or similar.
  • If your name has changed:
    • Name change certificate or marriage certificate
  • School leaving certificate (not required for academic qualifications)
  • Proof of your qualification: diploma, training certificate or degree
  • Evidence of your professional qualifications (e.g. certificates, professional certificates)
  • Training certificates
  • Evidence of professional experience in housekeeping or family care (e.g. employment reference or work record)
  • Evidence of further relevant knowledge
• If you have already applied for equivalence assessment in the past:
  • Please state where you submitted your application.

Deadlines

No.

Procedure

You can apply for professional recognition in writing or online.

• If you wish to apply for professional recognition in writing:
  • You fill out the application form and send it to the responsible authority along with a copy of all required documents.
  • The responsible authority will examine your application and documents.
  • If necessary, she will request further documents.
  • You will receive notification of the decision on your application.
  • If your qualification is equivalent:
    • You will receive state recognition in your chosen profession.
    • They are allowed to use the professional title and have the same rights as a person with a German professional qualification.
  • If your qualifications are partly equivalent:
    • Your professional qualifications are partially recognized. You can then take a compensatory measure to compensate for the identified differences.
    • There are various compensatory measures; if you successfully complete the compensatory measures, you will receive full recognition.
  • If your qualifications are not equivalent:
    • You will not receive any recognition
• If you want to apply for professional recognition online:
  • You fill out the application form and send it by email with all required documents to the responsible office.
  • The remaining steps correspond to those for the written application.

Processing time

The statutory processing period is usually up to 4 months.

Fees

There are no costs involved.

Legal remedies

Contradiction

Legal basis

Title: Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications


URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32005L0036


Title: Hamburg Law on the Determination of the Equivalence of Foreign Professional Qualifications (Hamburg Professional Qualifications Determination Act - HmbBQFG) of 19 June 2012


URL: https://www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/bsha/document/jlr-BQFGHApG1/part/G


Title: Training and Examination Regulations of the Vocational School for Nursing Assistants with a Focus on Home and Family Care (APO-PA-HuF) of 14 July 1998


URL: https://www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/bsha/document/jlr-HFPBerFSchulAPOHFRAME/part/X