Recognition of qualifications in Germany

Do you work permanently in a profession in a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland?

You want to work in Germany temporarily and occasionally for a limited period of time? services in this profession in Germany?

• Depending on your profession, you may need to have the following checked before providing services in Germany for the first time: Are your planned services really temporary?
• Do you need recognition of your professional qualification or is a simple registration sufficient?

The check is carried out by the office responsible for your place of work in Germany.

You can find the contact details of the competent authority on the website " Recognition in Germany ".

If you only provide your services in Germany for a limited time time, then even when working in so-called regulated professions, it is usually only necessary to prior registration necessary. You may also need proof of your qualifications.

However, there are exceptions Some regulated professions are related to public safety or health in Germany. Not all of these professions are subject to certain standards in all EU member states, as is the case for professions with "automatic recognition": for example, doctor and nurse.

It may therefore be necessary to have your professional qualification recognized before you are allowed to offer services in these regulated professions on a temporary and occasional basis.

Examples include the following professions: Emergency paramedic and driving instructor.

Recognition of qualifications for permanent residence in Germany

If you permanently in Germany in a regulated profession you always need the recognition .

For recognition, the competent authority in Germany checks whether your foreign qualification corresponds to a German qualification.

This verification is based on the documents relating to your training and is carried out according to fixed formal criteria . Criteria include, for example, the content and duration of your training. Your professional experience is also taken into account.

The recognition procedure differs depending on the profession. For different professions therefore require different procedures and different applications necessary.

You can submit the application for the procedure directly to the responsible office or from a single point of contact contact person. The single point of contact will forward your documents to the competent body and support you in the procedure.

Please note: Before you submit an application for recognition, you must first determine your so-called reference profession in Germany. In the recognition procedure, your professional qualification is compared with the reference profession.

There are many advisory services in Germany. For example, you can get advice from a IQ advice center (Integration through Qualification) to find out which reference occupation is suitable for your qualification.

You can find all the information you need on the website " Recognition in Germany " . There you will find quick and easy answers in 11 languages to your questions about recognition:

• Do I need to have my professional qualification recognized?
• Is recognition worthwhile for me?
• Can I submit the application? Am I entitled to it?
• Which office do I need to contact?
• What does the procedure look like?
• What documents are required?
• What form must the documents take?
• How long does the procedure take?
• What does the procedure cost?
• Which laws are relevant to my case?

• Recognition in Germany
• IQ advice center
• Recognition in Germany