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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?

Do you want to provide servicesin this profession in Germany temporarily and occasionally for a limited period of time?

• Depending on the 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 want to provide your services in Germany for a limited period of time, then it is usually only necessary to register in advance, even when working in so-called regulated professions. You may also need proof of your qualifications.

However, there are exceptions: some regulated professionsare 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 want to work permanentlyin Germanyin a regulated profession, you always need recognition.

For recognition, the competent authorityin Germany will check whether your foreign qualification is equivalent to a German qualification.

This checkis 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 procedurediffers depending on the profession. Differentprocedures and different applicationsare therefore required for different professions.

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

Note: Before you submit an application for recognition, you must first identify your so-called reference professionin Germany. In the recognition procedure, your professional qualification is compared with the reference occupation.

There are many advisory services in Germany. For example, ask an IQ advice center( Integration through Qualification) for personal advice on which reference occupation is suitable for your qualification.

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

• 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 authority should I 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 (integration through qualification)