Recognition of Foreign Vocational and Professional Qualifications

Recognition of vocational and professional qualifications is the evaluation of equivalence of foreign professional and vocational quali-fications to German qualifications. A formal procedure takes place to consider whether training was equivalent to comparable training in Germany and whether the qualifications can be recognized or qualification measures are necessary.

In some occupations, recognition is required to access the profession (regulated professions). »Regulated« means that you are not permitted to practice the profession or use the professional title without state license and recognition of your professional qualification. Regulated professions in Germany include but are not limited to profession in the health and educational sector (e. g. doctor or teacher). Furthermore, there are specific regulations for some professions if you would like to work self-employed (e. g. as a baker or hairdresser).

list of regulated occupations in the anabin database (please note: category ›Suche nach Stellen für Berufe‹ / Reglementierung) (only in German)

For non-regulated occupations (e. g. sales assistant for retail services or computer scientist) access to the profession or professional practice are not based on a state license. To obtain a residence permit with permission to practice a non-regulated profession in Germany you need a certificate of equivalence of your vocational or professional qualification.

There is no recognition procedure associated with non-regulated academic professions (e. g. mathematician, chemist, economist). In these cases you can apply for an individual assessment of your qualifications with the Central Office for Foreign Education. This assessment of your qualifications is an official document that describes a foreign academic degree and is certification of how it can be applied in a professional and academic context. It can also be presented when you seek employment on the labour market and it may be helpful for your chances on the labour market.

Information about the assessment of your qualifications (only in German)

An evaluation of equivalence is carried out during the recognition procedure, comparing the foreign qualification with the corresponding German qualification (reference profession). You must contact the competent authority responsible for your occupation. It is possible to apply whilst you are still in another country. On the basis of the submitted certificates and evidence, the competent authority evaluates whether there are any significant differences between the professional qualification obtained in another country and the German professional qualification.

Is your profession regulated in Germany? By which laws? And who to refer to for certification of equivalence of your qualification? See the information portal “Recognition of qualifications in Germany”. There you will find all necessary information.

information portal Recognition in Germany

You can also use the central information hotline »Working and living in Germany«. Please consider that your qualification cannot be evaluated via telephone. This is done when applying for certification with the authority responsible for recognising your foreign professional qualification. The hotline is available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CET, Monday through Friday, call +49 30 1815-1111.

Counselling-Hotline

Information centres of the IQ network also provide detailed information and counselling on site. The Labour Market Saxony Information and Counselling Centre (IBAS) may be reached by telephone, call +49 3 51/ 43 70 70 40 or email to anerkennung@exis.de.

IBAS

The responsible authority will issue an official evaluation notice stating the result. If the procedure establishes that there are no significant differences between the foreign and the corresponding German professional qualification (full recognition), a certificate of full equivalence will be issued. The certificate of equivalence makes the foreign qualification equal to the German qualification.

If significant differences have been determined (partial recognition), there are formalized qualification measures for regulated professions that can be taken to correct these differences. In case of non-regulated professions significant differences, which can be corrected by qualification measures, are documented.

If the differences between the foreign and the German professional qualification are essential or cannot be corrected, the application may be rejected. If your professional qualification fails to gain recognition, you have the option of registering for an examination as an "external". You also have the option of repeating your vocational education in Germany.

Vocational School Students

In order to work in a regulated profession or to obtain a residence permit including a work permit in a vocational training profession in Germany, you will need to complete the qualification measures stipulated by the competent authority such as adaptation programmes or examinations to correct the differences identified in order to work in your profession.

The following qualification measures for recognition of vocational and professional qualifications are possible:

• adaptation programme (including theoretical training and practical work parts),
• examination (aptitude test or knowledge test),
• training course for an examination,
• language course or
• qualification measure with with practical work constituting the major part.

The granting of a residence permit for a professional regocnition requires that:

• the competent authority to have determined deficits in professional knowledge and skills or command of language and in case of regulated occupations the necessity of completion of qualification measures,
• the qualification measure is appropriate to allow full recognition of the vocational or professional qualification and/or to correct deficits,,

PLEASE NOTE: Appropriateness can be assumed in case of state educational institutions, a state-recognized educational institution or an educational institution certified for further training according to the recognition and licensing regulation as well as with qualification measures in the scope of Federal or State support programmes. In case of a vocational training course with practical work constituting the major part the Federal Employment Agency will check appropriateness based on the training plan presented.

• there is a specific job offer for later employment in the profession to be recognized, if unrestricted employment is intended during qualification measures or immigration is done solely for taking an ex-amination for recognition of a professional qualification,
• the foreigner's means of subsistence in Germany are ensured and
• the stay does neither affect nor endanger the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany for any other reason.

If the qualification measure mainly constitutes of practical training in a company, the Federal Employment Agency has to give its approval. This is obtained by the the resposible municipal or district immigration office in an internal process at the competent team of the Federal Employment Agency.

Approval is given without proof of precedence. It is given if

• the qualification measure is appropriate based on the training plan,
• the employment of the foreigner causes no disadvantageous effects for the labour market,
• that the foreigner is not employed on working conditions that are less favourable than those for comparable German employees.

The approval can be restricted as regards the activity, the employer, distribution of working time etc, and is basically granted for the duration of the qualification measure. If documents are complete, approval is deemed granted two weeks after the documents were received by the labour administration (fiction of approval).

Leaflet employment during the recognition procedure
(only in German)

Attending a qualification measure you may work for up to ten hours a week in a job which is independent from your qualification measure without approval by the labour administration.

Timely unrestricted employment is only permitted if the job corresponds to the profession to be recognized. Example: There is specific job-offer for later employment as a geriatric nurse, once the full recognition of the vocational or professional qualification is granted. During the qualification measure you may work as a geriatric nurse assistant.) A specific job-offer for later employment is also required. In addition, it is necessary that a job may be filled with a foreign worker, which means the job can be practised without approval by the labour administration or there is an approval option according to the German Regulation on the Employment of Foreigners (Beschäftigungsverordnung) or the non-academic profession is listed in the currently valid Whitelist.

PLEASE NOTE: Professions lacking qualified workers according to the assessment of the Federal Employment Agency and which may be filled with foreign workers on labour market and integration political grounds are stated in the current Whitelist.

Whitelist of the Federal Employment Agency

A work permit for timely unrestricted employment during the qualification measure usually requires approval by the labour administration. Approval is given without proof of precedence.

PLEASE NOTE: There are also occupations that can be practised without the approval of the labour administration. The responsible municipal or district immigration office checks whether the occupation requires approval or not.

If only an examination for recognition of vocational or professional qualification is taken in Germany, the residence permit does not entitle to work. A job offer for later employment usually requires approval by the labour administration. In general it is required that a job may be filled with a foreign worker, that means the job can be practised without approval by the labour administration or there is an approval option according to the German Regulation on the Employment of Foreigners (Beschäftigungsverordnung) or the non-academic profession is listed in the currently valid Whitelist.

As the employer, you should check early with the responsible municipal or district immigration office if the approval of the competent team of the Federal Employment Agency is required. If the Federal Employment Agency has to give approval, you can considerably shorten the decision-making process if you submit the job description form of the Federal Employment Agency well in advance. This may be done before starting the visa procedure.

Job description form of the Federal Employment Office [Download,*.pdf, 0,64 MB]
(only in German)

If you want to fill an employment vacancy with a foreign employee, however, you have not yet decided which person to employ; it is possible to apply for a general certificate at the Federal Employment Agency. This certificate has to be presented at the municipal or district immigration office in the process of granting an entry visa and/or a residence permit.

PLEASE NOTE: For information on the labour market licensing procedure please call 0228 / 713 2000.

Apart from the usual documents[HC(1]  several further documents are necessary:

• official evaluation notice by the authority responsible for recognition of professional qualifications [original and a copy],
• registration confirmation of the educational institution stating type and duration of the qualification measure or confirmation of the company including training plan and stating salary [original and a copy],
• if nec., proof of a specific job offer for the later employment [original and a copy],
• if nec., completed job description form of the Federal Employment Agency,
• if nec., certificate of entitlement to German unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) in case of job-seeking after successful vocational and professional recognition [original and a copy].

Job description form of the Federal Employment Agency
(only in Gernan)
Checklist required documents for the residence permit for professional recognition
Questionnaire for the declaration of commitment
Statement by the signer of the declaration of commitment

After certification of the equivalence of your foreign vocational or professional qualification you may stay in Germany for up to one year seeking employment corresponding to your recognized professional or vocational qualification. The residence permit for job-seeking after recognition of vocational and pro-fessional qualifications entitles to work.

As soon as you have found an appropriate job, you can be granted a corresponding residence permit for the occupation.

Qualified Employees
Highly Qualified Employees
EU Blue Card
Researchers

If you want to become self-employed or to work as a freelancer in your profession, yon can be granted a residence permit for your self-employed / freelance activity:

Self-employed Persons / Freelancers

If you have already exercised timely unrestricted employment during the recognition procedure, you may be granted a residence permit after certification of full equivalence of your vocational or professional qualification based on persisting job offers for later employment. This applies to if only an examination for recognition of vocational or professional qualification is taken in Germany.

Your residence permit can be extended for job-seeking afterwards, if the job offer is no longer applicable, unless if only an examination for recognition of vocational or professional qualification is taken in Germany.

• Application Form for a Residence Permit
• Job description form of the Federal Employment Agency