Advice on recognition of my qualifications

The recognition of foreign qualifications can help to give people with foreign qualifications better opportunities in the German education system and labour market. The content, form and duration of foreign training and qualifications are verified in a recognition procedure.

To work in a regulated profession in Germany, you need formal recognition. You do not need recognition to apply for a job in a non-regulated profession, but recognition will enable employers in Germany to better assess your professional skills. Recognition can therefore also improve your employment opportunities in a non-regulated profession.

For third-country nationals who are still living abroad, the recognition of a foreign professional qualification or the comparability of a university degree is usually a prerequisite for the issuing of a visa.

Please seek individual advice from an IQ advisory centre.

The following documentation is generally required when applying to a competent body to obtain recognition:

• Proof of identity (e.g. ID card or passport)
• Certified copies of original certificates
• Certified translations of original certificates
• A CV in German (set out in table format) including documents about relevant professional experience, professional activities and training
• A completed application form for the relevant competent body
• A declaration as to whether an application has already been submitted (including in a different German state)
• For regulated professions: written confirmation of the right to practise the profession in the country of origin

Please note: The documents required may vary according to the recognition authority / procedure in question (e.g. BVFG – The Federal Displaced Persons Act, BQFG – The Professional Qualifications Assessment Act, or underlying legal principles governing a regulated profession).

Following submission of an application, the competent body will acknowledge receipt of the application no later than one month after submission and will inform the applicant of any further documentation that may be required. Once all documentation is complete, the recognition procedure will take no longer than three months.

If, for good reason, the required evidence cannot be submitted or can only be submitted in part, the competent body will use other appropriate methods for assessing equivalence for unregulated professions, such as work samples, technical discussions, practical and theoretical tests or the opinion of experts.

The equivalence assessment will result in one of the following outcomes:

 1. No significant differences

Full equivalence will be certified (notice of equivalence). This confirms legal equivalence to the corresponding German professional qualification.

 2. Significant differences

In this case, professional experience or additional training is not sufficient to offset the differences identified.
For unregulated professions, this will result in a notice of partial equivalence. This outlines the existing qualifications and how they differ from the German qualifications. When seeking employment, the notice provides greater clarity about the qualifications already acquired and enables the applicant to pursue further appropriate qualifications.

For regulated professions, this will result in the granting of a conditional professional licence, i.e. the applicant needs to take further action in order to meet the requirements for practising the profession in question (such as a proficiency test, a theoretical examination or a training course designed to bring skills and knowledge in line with German standards, in accordance with the laws governing the profession in question).

3. No equivalence

Recognition will not be granted if there is no equivalence between a foreign and a German qualification.
In the case of unregulated professions, the applicant may need to obtain further qualifications before working in the profession in question. In the case of regulated professions, further qualifications will be mandatory.

• Recognition of academic qualifications

The purpose of academic recognition is to align foreign school examination certificates with the German education system. For example, it may be necessary to obtain recognition in order to gain admission onto a course of studies or vocational training. The recognition authority in Brandenburg is the State Education Authority in Cottbus.
Further information can be found here.

If you have already studied abroad and would like to continue your studies in Germany, credits can be recognised. The individual universities are responsible for recognising academic achievements from abroad.

• Recognition of professional qualifications

In recognising professional qualifications, a distinction is made between regulated and non-regulated professions. The application for recognition of professional qualifications in the non-regulated area must be submitted to the relevant chambers (Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Skilled Crafts, Chamber of Agriculture, etc.). In the case of regulated professions, the application is submitted to the authority responsible for granting authorisation to enter or practise a profession.

Regulated means that you need certain professional qualifications to work in the profession. Recognition of the relevant professional qualifications is essential for practising a regulated profession. Regulated professions include healthcare occupations, such as doctors, and educational occupations, such as teachers, for example.

The non-regulated professions include around 350 training occupations and 180 continuing VET qualifications in the dual system. Recognition is not required for these professions, but it can still be useful as it creates more transparency about the professional qualifications you hold. For third-country nationals who are still living abroad, the recognition of a foreign professional qualification or the comparability of a university degree is usually a prerequisite for the issuing of a visa.

There is no formal recognition procedure for non-regulated university degrees such as economics, biology, linguistics, computer science, etc. Persons with university degrees of this kind who are still living abroad must prove that their foreign university degrees are recognised as comparable in Germany in order to obtain a residence permit. Information on this is provided by the anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html.

To make it easier for employers to categorise foreign qualifications, you may apply to the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) for a certificate evaluation. This provides a comparison rather than a formal recognition of the qualification. The ZAB certificate evaluation describes the foreign higher education qualification and certifies its possible uses in professional and academic contexts. Further information can be found here.

• Act to improve the assessment and recognition of foreign professional qualifications (Federal Recognition Act): http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bqfg/
• Act governing the assessment of equivalence of foreign professional qualifications in Brandenburg (The Brandenburg Professional Qualifications Assessment Act – BbgBQFG): http://bravors.brandenburg.de/gesetze/bbgbqfg
• EU Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32005L0036&from=EN

You can get individual advice from IQ Network Brandenburg recognition advisory centres.

There is no overarching recognition authority for all professions.
The chambers are usually responsible for recognising skilled occupations in the dual system:

• Industrial, technical and commercial professions: IHK-FOSA Nuremberg (Chamber of Industry and Commerce), point of contact for the whole of Germany
• Skilled trades and crafts: HWK (Chambers of Skilled Crafts) in Frankfurt (Oder), Cottbus, Potsdam

Regulated professions: In Brandenburg, the state authorities are responsible for granting authorisation to enter or practise a profession:

• Healthcare professions (including nurses, nursing auxiliaries, occupational health nurses, midwives, physiotherapists): State Office for Occupational Safety, Consumer Protection and Health (LAVG)
• Medical professions (doctors, dentists, pharmacists, psychotherapists): State Office for Occupational Safety, Consumer Protection and Health (LAVG)
• Geriatric nurses: Brandenburg State Office for Social Affairs and Patient Care (LASV)
• Teachers: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MBJS)
• Engineers: Brandenburg Chamber of Engineers (BBIK)
• Childcare professionals: State Education Authority Cottbus
• Social education workers and social workers: Brandenburg State Office for Social Affairs and Patient Care (LASV)

You usually have to pay a fee for recognition procedures. Fees are determined according to the competent body’s charging system and are dependent on the specific costs incurred when carrying out the procedure.

Current fees range from € 25 to € 1,000, depending on the type of qualification and the competent body.

IHK FOSA and the Chambers of Crafts and Trades charge between € 100 and € 600, depending on the requirements of the procedure. The fee payable for a notice of rejection is between € 100 and € 200.

The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB), which assesses unregulated academic professions, charges € 200 for an individual certificate assessment.

Further costs may be incurred for authentication, translation or copying services.

The applicant must initially pay all costs resulting from the recognition procedure. However, financial help may be available:

• For employment agency and Job Centre clients, if it can be demonstrated that obtaining recognition will assist the applicant to enter the labour market. You can access further information about this from employment service specialists at Job Centres and employment agencies. There is also further information at: https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/de/pro/finanzielle-foerderung.php
• People with limited financial resources, especially those who are employed in occupations below their qualification level, can take advantage of financial assistance for the recognition procedure. Advisory centres that advise applicants seeking recognition of their qualifications and/or which verify the recognition procedure can forward the application for financial assistance to the central funding agency. For further information, go to: https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/de/pro/anerkennungszuschuss.php

You can get individual advice from IQ Network Brandenburg recognition advisory centres.

You can get individual advice from IQ Network Brandenburg recognition advisory centres.