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Apply for recognition as a veterinarian with a professional qualification from the EU/EEA/Switzerland

Service Description

In order to work as a veterinarian in Germany without restriction, you need a license to practice.

Approbation is the state license to practice the profession. The license to practice is necessary because the profession is regulated in Germany. This means that you are not allowed to work as a veterinarian without a license to practice.

If you have a professional qualification from a country in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you can obtain a license to practice in Germany.

A professional qualification from these countries is usually automatically recognized when you apply for a licence to practise. However, there may also be deviations from this rule.

You will be granted a license to practice by the competent authority if your veterinary training is equivalent to the German training. Equivalence is checked in the recognition procedure.

This depends on the country in which you completed your training and when. If you began your vocational training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA, your professional qualification will be recognized automatically. The recognition procedure is then shortened.

If your professional qualification does not originate from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, it cannot be automatically recognized. Other regulations apply.

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

Process flow

Application

You submit an application for a license to practice as a veterinarian to the competent authority. The competent authority will check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements have been met.

Automatic recognition

As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure can be carried out if you began your professional training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA and meet the following requirements:.

Certificate of conformity

Vocational training that you began before the EU/EEA accession of your country of training (or that does not correspond to the legal designations) can also be automatically recognized. To do so, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority in your country of training stating that your professional qualification meets the minimum EU standards ("certificate of conformity"). If your professional qualification does not meet the minimum standards, you must provide proof of your professional experience. You must have worked continuously as a veterinarian in your country of origin for at least 3 years in the 5 years prior to submitting your application. This must be confirmed by the competent authority in your country of origin. This confirmation is generally sufficient.

Examination of equivalence

If you cannot present a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The competent authority will compare your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification as a veterinarian. The competent authority 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.

Possible results of the examination

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognized. The authority can confirm the result in writing upon request. You must still meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice as a veterinarian.

If the competent authority identifies significant differences, you can compensate for the differences with your professional experience and other knowledge and skills as a veterinarian. You must provide evidence of your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in your country of origin.

However, this knowledge may not be sufficient. You will then not be able to compensate for the major differences. Your foreign professional qualification will then not be recognized.

The competent authority will inform you in writing of the significant differences and why you cannot compensate for the significant differences through your professional experience. The decision of the competent authority will also state the level of your training and the level required in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a veterinarian. However, the competent authority will offer you the opportunity to take an aptitude test.

Aptitude test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, you can take an aptitude test. The aptitude test will examine the main differences in your professional qualifications. If you pass the aptitude test, the competent authority will grant you a license to practice as a veterinarian. You must also meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills.

Competent authority

Thuringian State Office for Consumer Protection

Requirements

  • You have a professional qualification as a veterinarian from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
  • You are medically fit to work as a veterinarian.
  • You are reliable to work as a veterinarian and have no criminal record.
  • You have the necessary knowledge of German for the job. These are general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
  • If you are applying from abroad, you will need a postal address.

Which documents are required?

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are

  • Proof of identity (officially certified copy of identity card or passport)
  • A copy of your training certificate
  • Proof of the content of your training:
  • List of subjects studied and hours of training you have completed
  • Proof of your relevant professional experience as a veterinarian
  • Criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin as proof of your worthiness and reliability (this proof must not be more than 3 months old at the time of application)
  • Medical certificate of your health suitability (This certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application. The certificate can be from an authority in your country of training).
  • Declaration that you have not yet applied for a license to practice medicine in Germany

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.

What are the fees?

Administration Fee: 90,00 - 240,00 EUR
Payment in advance: no
Additional costs may also be incurred (for example, for translations or notarizations). These costs vary from case to case.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

There is no deadline for submitting the application.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you must submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

Processing duration

Processing Time: 1 - 4 Months
The responsible office will confirm that your application and documents have been received after a maximum of one month. The competent office will inform you if any documents are missing. If the documents are complete, the procedure will take a maximum of 4 months.

Legal basis

Applications / forms

You have the right to appeal against the decision on your application or against a decision that was not made on time in accordance with the Administrative Court Regulations (objection, if necessary, legal action before the Administrative Court).

What else should I know?

  • Proof of language skills

General German language skills at level B2 are a prerequisite for licensure. You can also submit the required language certificate during the licensing procedure.

  • Professional license

In exceptional cases, you can also apply for a temporary professional license if there is a special interest. This could be, for example, a temporary position at a veterinary university. In principle, you can work as a veterinarian for 4 years with a work permit, even without a license. You must provide proof of language skills at level B2. You may only work to a limited extent with a professional license. The professional license is not a license to practice.

  • Freedom to provide services

If you only want to work temporarily and occasionally as a self-employed service provider in Germany, you do not need a license to practice medicine. However, special requirements then apply. You must register your work with the competent authority before your first activity. After a certain period of time, you must register your activity again. The competent authority will inform you in detail about the procedure.

  • Notification of equivalence

In the licensing procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notification for the result of the examination. You must have a legitimate interest in the separate decision.

  • Electronic application

You can also submit your application electronically. The application can be submitted directly to the competent authority. You can also submit the application to the Single Point of Contact. The Single Point of Contact will help you and forward the application to the competent office that will carry out the recognition procedure.

  • Procedure for ethnic German repatriates

As an ethnic German repatriate, you can choose to go through the recognition procedure either in accordance with the law mentioned here or in accordance with the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. Your competent office will advise you on this.

  • Partial access to a profession

If you not have a license or permit to to practise the veterinary profession on a temporary basis, the competent authority will check whether the exercise of certain veterinary activities can be authorized. The authority will in this case contact you in contact in this case.

All veterinarians who practise their profession in Thuringia or, if they do not practise their profession, have their usual place of residence there, are members of the Thuringia State Chamber of Veterinarians. This does not apply to veterinarians working in the supervisory authorityand veterinarians who exercise the profession only temporarily and occasionally within the framework of the movement of services under European law. Every member of the Chamber must register with the State Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons and the competent Veterinary and Food Inspection Office within one month of commencing professional activity.

Further Information

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Thuringian Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family (TMASGFF)

Professionally released on

15.11.2024

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)

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