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FAQ Academic healthcare professions | Education AbroadGeneral Information
How can I work in Baden-Württemberg with a foreign degree in human medicine / dentistry / pharmacy / psychotherapy?
Who is responsible for recognition?
What does credible evidence mean and how can you provide this evidence?
How long does the processing take?
What are the costs oft the recognition procedure?
Can I submit an application in different federal states at the same time?
I would like to withdraw my application, what should I do?
I am moving, what should I do?
Where can I get advice?
How can I work in Baden-Württemberg with a foreign degree in human medicine / dentistry / pharmacy / psychotherapy?
How can I work in Baden-Württemberg with a foreign degree in human medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or psychotherapy? Have you completed your training abroad and would like to work permanently and without restriction in an academic healthcare profession in Germany? Then you will definitely need a special licence to practise - a licence to practise. You can apply for a licence to practise in Baden-Württemberg at the Stuttgart Regional Council.
As soon as you have submitted the complete application for a licence to practise to us, we will check whether the legal requirements have been met. These include, among other things
- a fully completed medical training programme
- health suitability
- absence of criminal record
- sufficient German language skills
As soon as you have submitted the complete application for a licence to practise medicine, we will check whether the legal requirements have been met. Among other things, this includes checking
- the extent to which the foreign degree programme is equivalent to the German degree programme
- whether a medical training programme has been fully completed
- health suitability
- the absence of criminal offences
- whether the German language skills are sufficient
It is also possible to apply for a work permit. This only allows you to work on a temporary and restricted basis. The professional licence is issued for a maximum period of two years and only permits non-independent and non-managerial work under supervision.
In the field of medicine, a professional license is generally only granted if anapplication for full licensure (Approbation) is submitted at the same time.
Antragsunterlagen und Informationen
Flyer "Academic healthcare professions from abroad" (pdf / german)
Who is responsible for recognition?
The licence to practise medicine is issued by the Stuttgart Regional Council if you wish to work as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or psychotherapist in Baden-Württemberg. The Stuttgart Regional Council must be responsible at all times during the entire licensing procedure. You must provide evidence of this responsibility in the form of a so-called prima facie case.
What does credible evidence mean and how can you provide this evidence?
You must submit proof that you intend to work in a healthcare profession in Baden-Württemberg, e.g. as a doctor. We call this proof "prima facie evidence".
Only if we receive this proof from you we will be the responsible authority and can check the content of your documents.
- Letter of interest from an employer
A letter from a potential employer in Baden-Württemberg stating that they have a serious interest in employing you after you have been granted a licence to practise medicine. OR
- Personal circumstances
Examples: Family reunification, spouse already works in Baden-Württemberg, has residence in Baden-Württemberg, children go to school/daycare in Baden-Württemberg, refugee ID card with residence in Baden-Württemberg, registration certificate in Baden-Württemberg OR
- You will receive a prima facie evidence (proof of advice/location note) after consultation and advice from BafA or the IQ network.
The consultation can also take place online. Therefore advice is also possible while you are still abroad.
Recognition counselling - IQ Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg
Recognition counselling - Bundesagentur für Arbeit OR
- Registration certificate for your main residence in Baden-Württemberg.
For other healthcare professions, informal proof (e.g. specific job confirmation or employment contract) is sufficient.
Please note: Your application for a professional licence cannot be processed without this proof (job confirmation).
Please send us the required proof in the original by post.
If you have already submitted an application for Approbation or a professional license in another federal state, you must provide proof of a confirmed job offer in Baden-Württemberg.
Please use only Annex 3 (pdf / german) for this purpose.
How long does the processing take?
You will receive confirmation of receipt within one month. As soon as you have submitted all the documents in full, a decision can be made on the application. Applications are always processed in the order in which they are received.
We kindly ask for your understanding that longer processing times must be expected due to the large number of applications. To ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible, please ensure that your application documents are complete.
What are the costs of the recognition procedure?
The costs of recognition are always individual. Below you will find a rough estimatation:
Training in a third country: usually 450 euros
Training EU / EEA / Switzerland: usually 300 euros
Separate costs may be incurred for the preparation of an expert opinion to determine the reference qualification, the equivalence of the training and the authenticity of documents.
Separate fees are charged for taking the specialised language examinations and the aptitude and knowledge tests.
Can I submit an application in different federal states at the same time?
No, this is not possible. You may only submit one application for a licence to practise within Germany. If you wish to submit an application in another federal state, you must first withdraw the current application.
You can find the corresponding forms for the respective profession here.
The new authority must also be informed about previous licence to practise in other federal states.
I would like to withdraw my application, what should I do?
You can find the application to withdraw your licence to practise or professional licence on our website. Sign this application and send it to us by post. You will then receive a confirmation letter stating the fee. The cost of withdrawing the application will be determined individually depending on the administrative effort involved, but is usually around 200 euros.
All documents in german language.
Applications withdrawal | doctors
Approbation (pdf) / Berufserlaubnis (pdf)
Applications withdrawal | dentists
Approbation (pdf) / Berufserlaubnis (pdf)
The documents you have already submitted will remain with us. As soon as another authority (another federal state) requests the documents and the costs have been paid by you, we will send the documents to the other authority.
I am moving, what should I do?
Please always state your current address (postal address / email address). If you change your address, please report the new address directly to your responsible administrative department so that we can continue to contact you. Please also remember to always put your name on your front door and letterbox so that our notifications can be delivered.
Where can I get advice?
Flyer “Advice on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications” (pdf / german)
Due to the large number of applications, we are unfortunately unable to offer counselling. However, the following advice centres will be happy to help you:
Do you have any questions about the application or the documents required?
Please contact the IQ Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg.
Are you abroad and do not yet have a job offer or are not resident in Baden-Württemberg?
Please contact the Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung (ZSBA) | recognition@arbeitsagentur.de.
Do you have questions about entry and employment in Baden-Württemberg?
Please contact the IQ Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg