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Doctors with training from third countries, recognition of professional qualifications

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Would you like to work as a doctor in Germany? Then you need a state license, the Approbation. You can also obtain a license to practice medicine with a foreign professional qualification. To do so, you must have your professional qualification recognized.

		    


                					    

						    

							    Competent Department
						    

						    
					    

                        
					    

						    

							    Basic information
						    

						    

							    

								    
The medical profession is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a doctor in Germany without any restrictions, you need a license to practice medicine. Approbation is the state license to practice the profession. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a doctor without a license to practice medicine. 

You can also obtain a license to practice in Germany with a professional qualification from a so-called third country. Third countries are all countries that do not belong to the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. 

In order to obtain a license to practice medicine, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized. 

In the recognition procedure, the competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and checks the equivalence. The equivalence of the professional qualification is an important prerequisite for the granting of a license to practice. 

In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must also meet other requirements for the license to be issued. Further requirements include, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability. 

If your professional qualification comes from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, other regulations apply. 

In principle, you can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

								    

									    Requirements
  • You have a professional qualification as a doctor from a third country.
  • You want to work as a doctor in Germany.
  • You can provide proof of competence in the federal state of Bremen.
  • Personal suitability: You are reliable to work as a doctor and have no criminal record.
  • Health suitability: You are mentally and physically fit to work as a doctor.
  • You have German language skills at the required level. This is usually general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and medical language skills at level C1.