FAQ Health Professions | Recognition of foreign educational qualificationsGeneral information

Have you completed your training abroad and would like to work in a healthcare profession in Germany? Then you must submit an application to us for a professional certificate.

Application documents and informations to nursing healthcare professions / social professions

When submitting the application, a distinction is made as to whether you completed your training in the EU, an EEA state or Switzerland or in another country (third country).

As soon as you have submitted the complete application to us, we will check whether the legal requirements have been met. The equivalence of your foreign training with the current German training in this profession is required. Among other things, the following will also be checked

• a fully completed apprenticeship
• health suitability
• absence of criminal record
• sufficient German language skills

If you have completed a university or college degree and would like to work in an academic healthcare profession, you will find further information and documents here.

 

The professional certificate is issued by the Stuttgart Regional Council if you wish to work in a healthcare profession in Baden-Württemberg.

The Stuttgart Regional Council must be responsible at all times during the entire procedure. If, for example, you change your place of work during the procedure and this place is in another federal state, the procedure cannot be continued with us.

You must provide evidence of this responsibility in the form of a confirmation of employment or other plausible information.

Only if we receive this proof from you are we the authority responsible for you and can check the content of your documents.  

Note if you change federal state: If you have previously applied for a professional certificate in another federal state or are/were resident in another federal state, you must prove by means of a specific job offer that you will practice your profession in Baden-Württemberg after receiving the professional certificate. You must submit a single copy of the complete application documents. We will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to request the procedural file of the previously responsible federal state.

• Determining the equivalence of the training
  
  As soon as you have submitted the complete application to us, we will check whether the legal requirements have been met. The equivalence of your foreign training with the current German training in this profession is required for this.
  
  Some training completed abroad (EU/EEA/Switzerland) can be directly recognized as equivalent. The decisive factors here are the proven job title and the date on which the training began. In this case, you do not need an aptitude or knowledge test or an adaptation period. You will then receive the professional certificate in the relevant healthcare profession after submitting proof of health suitability, exemption from criminal prosecution and sufficient German language skills.
  
  For all other foreign training courses, proof of equivalence with German training must be provided. To do this, you can either successfully take a knowledge test or complete an adaptation period.
   
• Identification of significant differences in training
  
  If there are significant differences between the training courses, you will receive a so-called deficiency notice.
  
  You can then choose to what extent you would like to take an aptitude or knowledge test or alternatively take part in an adaptation period.
  
  If you have successfully completed the course or examination, you will receive the professional certificate in the relevant healthcare profession after submitting proof of health suitability, exemption from criminal prosecution and sufficient German language skills.
   
• Can I obtain recognition as a nursing assistant?
  
  Once you have received the deficiency notice in the recognition procedure as a nurse or nursing specialist or healthcare and pediatric nurse, you can apply for the certificate as a healthcare and nursing assistant.
  
  You will receive this certificate without further examination of the equivalence of your training. However, you must have sufficient German language skills at level B2 (see Language skills).
  
  If you have completed training in nursing assistance abroad, you can apply for recognition as a healthcare and nursing assistant. The equivalence of your training may be checked in this case.

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 generally processed in the order in which they are received.

We 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 make sure that your application documents are complete.

The costs of recognition are individual. Below you will find a rough overview.

The costs for the decision on the equivalence of your training (deficiency notice) usually amount to 100 euros. An additional 200 euros (EU) or 250 euros (EEA, Switzerland, third country) will be charged for issuing the professional certificate.

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.

To withdraw your application, please send us an informal letter by post stating that you wish to withdraw your application for recognition. The letter must contain the current date and your signature. You will then receive a confirmation letter with a fee assessment. Withdrawing the application usually costs 50 euros.

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.

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 make sure to always put your name on your front door and letterbox so that our notices can be delivered.

 

Due to the large number of applications, we are unfortunately unable to offer advice. However, the following advice centers will be happy to help you:

Are you abroad and do not yet have a job offer or are not resident in Baden-Württemberg?
Then please contact the Central Service Center for Professional Recognition (ZSBA)
Website|Register now

Do you have any questions about the application or the documents to be submitted? 
Please contact the Advisory centers for recognition in Baden-Württemberg (pdf).

Do you have questions about entering and working in Baden-Württemberg?
Please contact the IQ Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg.