Recognition of Qualifications within Germany

You possess a foreign school leaving certificate or university degree? You have learnt a profession in your native country? In such cases you may apply to have your qualifications recognised in Germany.

Finden Sie heraus, welche Stelle für die Anerkennung zuständig ist

Various authorities assess and recognise foreign school, vocational or university qualifications.

For school certificates (secondary school certificates, general or subject-specific university entrance qualifications), please contact the certificate recognition offices of the federal states or the universities.

Find out which authority is responsible for recognising your qualification.

The ‘Recognition Finder’ on the Anerkennung in Deutschland portal will help you with this.

Find recognition authorities

Check whether you need recognition

In Germany, there are so-called regulated professions. You must meet certain requirements for these professions. If your profession is regulated in Germany, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognised. Your foreign qualification will be compared with the German qualification.

Check regulation

Prepare your documents

In order that your qualifications might be recognised you require your testimonials and certificates. Whether the recognition of your qualifications is indeed necessary or not depends upon your choice of profession.

In Germany there are professions for which you must fulfil certain preconditions – and ones that are not governed by any regulations. Here you will find the list of regulated professions in Europe.

  • positiv:Documents required for recognition:
  • positiv:Application for the recognition of your qualifications (cf. "Recognition in Germany")
  • positiv:Identification documents and proof of any name changes
  • positiv:Residence permit (for refugees/asylum seekers: “Bescheinigung über die Meldung als Asylsuchender/Certificate of Registration as an Asylum Seeker”)
  • positiv:Testimonials and a CV in tabular form

In some cases further proofs are necessary. You may also contact the advice centres of the Support Programme IQ.

Have your certificates translated and, if necessary, certified

You need to have your documents translated. In some cases, you will need confirmation that the documents have been translated correctly and in full. Ask your employment agency or job centre whether you need confirmation.

In this case, hire a translator who has legal authorisation to do so. You can find contact details in the database of translators and interpreters, for example.

You would like to copy certified translations and have the copies certified. To do this, contact one of the following offices:

  • District Administrators’ Offices (Landratsämter)
  • City and municipal administrations (Rathaus)
  • Courts or notaries

Submit your documents for recognition.

There are a number of different contacts for the recognition of your foreign qualifications. You may use the Recognition Finder to help you find the right party.

Adjust your qualifications if necessary

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a notification. This letter will inform you to what extent your qualification corresponds to a German qualification.

If your qualification is only partially equivalent to a German qualification, you can obtain a qualification under certain conditions. With such an adaptation qualification, you can bring your knowledge and skills up to the German standard.

Discover your possibilities

After your application has been processed you may receive notification of the equivalence of your qualifications. You will then have the possibility of working in your profession. Discover the professional paths you may follow in Germany.