What is professional recognition?

A distinction is made between regulated and non-regulated professions:

Most professions belong to the non-regulated profess ions. These include, for example, dual training occupations, but also many occupations that require a university degree. In principle, recognition of a foreign qualification is not necessary in order to work in such an occupation. The employer decides whether to accept your qualification. For people from a third country, however, recognition is usually a prerequisite for obtaining a permit for employment (e.g. visa for skilled workers, EU Blue Card). Only a few groups of people are exempt from this, such as IT specialists or professional drivers.

In contrast, only people who have a permit to do so may work in a regulated profession. This can be a state examination, for example. Typical regulated professions are teachers, doctors, pharmacists or lawyers, but also certain master craftsmen who run a business. Nationality plays a subordinate role in regulated professions. Whether you are an EU citizen or a third-country national, recognition of the foreign qualification is almost always necessary. The result of the recognition procedure must be that the qualification is equivalent to the German qualification. This is the key requirement for obtaining a professional license . Without this, employment in a regulated profession is not permitted.

There is only a special regulation for persons from the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland if they only wish to exercise their regulated profession in Germany occasionally and it is not in the health or safety sector. They do not have to go through a recognition procedure. However, proof must be provided that the profession has been practiced in the home country for at least 1 year in the last 10 years. You can find more information on regulated professions at European level online here.

NOTE: You can find out whether a profession is regulated or not using the online recognition finder . You can find it here.

In order to determine the equivalence of a foreign qualification, a so-called recognition procedure must be completed. You do not have to be in Germany to apply for this.

The recognition procedure is particularly relevant for two groups:

• Skilled workers from third countries with vocational training, as they require recognition in order to be considered a skilled worker .

• Foreign nationals who wish to work in a regulated profession .

NOTE: Nationals of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland who exercise a regulated profession and wish to settle permanently also require recognition of their professional qualification. Some professions are automatically recognized because there are uniform European training standards for them. These are currently: doctor, specialist doctor, dentist, specialist dentist, veterinary surgeon, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, architect. An application for recognition must also be submitted to the competent authority for automatic recognition. However, no equivalence check is carried out during the recognition procedure.

As part of the recognition procedure, the competent authority checks whether your foreign professional qualification is equivalent to the German training. For this purpose, your foreign training documents are compared with the German training content of the reference occupation. Typical documents to be submitted are certificates, examination certificates, curricula, internship certificates, references, proof of professional experience, etc. In the case of regulated professions, further requirements are checked that are necessary for admission to the profession in addition to recognition of the professional qualification. These include, for example, personal aptitude or German language skills.

NOTE: If you are unable to submit all the necessary documents for the competent authority to check the recognition, a qualification analysis may be possible.

Once the competent body has completed the equivalence assessment, you will receive a decision which may have the following results:

• Full recognition: There are no significant differences to the German reference occupation and equivalence is therefore given.

• Partial recognition: Only parts of the foreign professional qualification are classified as equivalent. There are significant differences, but these can be compensated for. In the case of non-regulated professions, the deficits can be compensated for by means of an adaptation qualification . In the case of regulated professions, the competent body determines the compensatory measure .

• No recognition: The deficits are deemed to be too great and cannot be compensated for. In the case of regulated professions, this means that the professional qualification is equivalent, but other requirements for admission to the profession are not met.

You must apply to the competent authority for the recognition procedure . The authority responsible for you depends on your profession and place of work. It can be found online via the recognition finder here.

Experience has shown that processing times are long and vary depending on the profession. The costs of the procedure also vary. Certified translations of documents are often required. It is highly recommended that you seek advice on the recognition procedure in advance in order to prepare your application in the best possible way.

NOTE: If you are abroad, the recognition procedure can also be carried out after entry with the support of an employer. This is possible within the framework of a recognition partnership , which enables simultaneous employment.

For professional recognition, you must submit documents such as certificates and references to the competent authority. However, if your documents are incomplete or even missing, a decision on recognition cannot be made. However, it may be possible to carry out a qualification analysis. In the skills analysis , you should provide practical evidence of your professional skills so that the competent authority can decide on professional recognition. This may involve a technical interview, a work sample or trial work in a company. The competent authority will decide whether a skills analysis is possible and what form this will take. There are fees for the skills analysis, which can vary greatly. If you successfully complete the skills analysis, you will receive full or partial recognition.

If you require a visa and are still abroad, you can obtain a special visa to carry out the skills analysis. You will need

• an invitation from the competent authority to carry out a skills analysis,

• proof of German language skills of at least level A2,

• proof that your livelihood is secured for the duration of your stay.

At least €1,091 per month (as of 2025) is required.

The visa is usually issued for 6 months and entitles you to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week. If you are working in the professional field in which you are seeking recognition, you may even do so for an unlimited period of time. In this case, approval from the Federal Employment Agency is required.

You can find further general information on the qualification analysis here. The Network Qualifications Analysis (NetQA) has also compiled a brochure that answers many questions on the subject. It can be downloaded here.

If you have been told in the recognition procedure that your qualification will only be partially recognized, there are significant differences to training in Germany. These can be compensated for with a qualification.

If it is a non-regulated profession, this is referred to as an adaptation qualification. You must register with a training company or business yourself and have a training plan drawn up. This should be agreed with the competent authority. Once you have successfully completed the adaptation qualification, you can submit a follow-up application for recognition in order to receive full professional recognition.

In the case of a regulated profession , the competent body will specify how the main differences can be compensated for. This is called a compensatory measure. These can be examinations or courses. If you have successfully completed the compensation measure, you will be granted equivalence.

If you require a visa and are still abroad, you can obtain a visa for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications. You will need

• a notice of recognition confirming partial recognition,

• registration for a qualification course,

• proof of German language skills of at least level A2,

• proof that your livelihood is secured.

At least €1,091 per month (as of 2025) is required.

The residence permit is issued for up to 24 months and can be extended by 12 months, e.g. if you have to retake an exam. Secondary employment is possible for up to 20 hours per week. If the activity is related to the occupational field for which you are seeking a recognized qualification, you can pursue this employment without any time limit. The Federal Employment Agency must approve the employment.

Further information on qualification measures can be found here.