Professional recognition

If you have already acquired your professional qualification in Germany by completing a vocational or university course or by passing an external examination, no professional recognition is required.

In Germany, a distinction is made between regulated and non-regulated professions. Regulated professions are those that are regulated by law and protected by certain qualifications or licensing requirements. There are no legal restrictions for non-regulated professions.

A list of all professions that are regulated in Germany can also be found at the Federal Employment Agency.

Please note: For regulated professions, recognition of your professional qualifications is always mandatory!

For non-regulated professions, recognition of your professional qualifications is not mandatory. However, in some cases it may still be necessary for entry from a country outside the EU, for example if you have little professional experience or your salary is below a certain limit.

Recognition of your qualification can also be useful to give potential employers a more accurate assessment of your qualifications. It is also likely to set you apart from a large number of competitors.

In these cases, an assessment recommendation from the Central Office for Foreign Education or Anabin database can be helpful.

1. Find out more
   You can take the first steps from your home country. On the multilingual information portal Recognition in Germany, you can find out whether you need to have your qualification recognized, which recognition body is responsible for you and your professional group and which further steps are necessary for recognition.
   
2. Contact
   Get in touch with the body responsible for you and find out which documents you need for the recognition procedure.
   
3. Submit an application
   If all documents are complete, submit an application for recognition of the equivalence of a foreign professional qualification. The competent authority will check your documents. This may take some time.
   
4. Receive notification
   Once the assessment has been completed, the competent body will inform you of the result in a notification.

If there are no significant differences between your professional qualification and the German training, a so-called full equivalence will be established. This allows you to work directly in your profession in Saxony.

If your qualification can only be partially recognized, partial equivalence will be determined. You will then receive a so-called notice of deficit. You can make up for the missing requirements through training courses, internships and examinations in order to achieve full equivalence of your foreign professional qualification.

In the Anabin database, you can check for yourself whether your university degree is classified as equivalent. If your university is rated "H+" and your degree is equivalent to a German university degree, then your degree is considered comparable.

If your university degree is not listed in the database or you would like written proof, you have the option of an individual certificate assessment by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).

The ZAB also issues a certificate for non-university professional qualifications, the Digital Information on Professional Qualifications (DAB).

With the so-called recognition partnership, you can enter Germany directly, start working and go through the recognition procedure at the same time. To do this, you conclude a written agreement with your employer in which you undertake to carry out the recognition procedure.

You can find more information on the requirements in the section Visa for recognition partnership.

If you do not have vocational training that can be recognized in Germany, a recognition procedure cannot be carried out. In this case, a so-called qualification analysis could be an alternative. The qualification analysis is practical proof of your professional knowledge and skills. You can prove and have these assessed with work samples, in specialist interviews or through trial work. The competent recognition body in Germany will decide whether this analysis is necessary. You can find more information on this on the Recognition in Germany portal.

The IBAS advice centers provide advice on all aspects of the recognition of foreign professional qualifications even before an application is submitted.

The Coordination Office for the Professional Recognition of Foreign Healthcare Professionals: supports you in the recognition of foreign qualifications specifically in non-academic healthcare professions.

The Chambers of Industry and Commerce and Chambers of Crafts can also advise you on the recognition of your foreign professional qualification: IHK Dresden, IHK Chemnitz, IHK Leipzig, Handwerkskammer Dresden, Handwerkskammer Chemnitz, Handwerkskammer Leipzig.

You can find additional information on the Amt24 service portal.

Additional information can be obtained from the Certificate Recognition Office of the State Office for Schools and Education in Saxony.