Evaluation of Foreign Academic Degrees

If you hold a foreign academic degree and wish to work in a regulated profession (e.g. as a physician or architect) in Germany, recognition of your foreign academic degree is essential. You will find detailed information in the sections “Who needs recognition?” and “Recognition procedure”.
If you come from a country outside the EU or EFTA (third country) and wish to apply for an EU Blue Card or a work visa for qualified professionals, you must prove that your foreign academic degree is comparable to a German one.  You will also need proof of your qualifications for the opportunity card.
If you wish to work in an unregulated profession (e.g. as a computer scientist or mathematician), you can provide evidence of your qualifications via the anabin information portal or through a Statement of Comparability.

You can use the anabin information portal to prove that your foreign academic degree is comparable to a German academic degree. The proof consists of two key entries:

• Higher education institution: your higher education institution should be rated “H+” in anabin. This means that the institution is recognised in Germany. If the institution is rated “H+/-”, the academic degree must also be listed in the database under that institution.
• Academic degree: in addition, your academic degree itself must be classified in the database as “corresponding” ("entspricht") or “equivalent” ("gleichwertig") to a German academic degree.

If you find both results to be positive, your foreign academic degree is considered comparable to a German academic degree. You can use the printouts as proof of equivalence for your visa application.

The anabin information portal (External link) , operated by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB), provides comprehensive information on the assessment of foreign educational qualifications and higher education institutions. It is currently only available in German.

Is your higher education institution or your academic degree not listed on the anabin information portal, or has it not been assessed accordingly? If so, you can have your foreign academic degree assessed on a case-by-case basis. The Statement of Comparability is an official document that describes your foreign higher education qualifications and specifies the German qualification to which your foreign qualification is comparable. You can apply for a Statement of Comparability for foreign academic degrees at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). The entire process, from application to issuance, is carried out digitally.
A Statement of Comparability for foreign academic degrees is required, for example, if your higher education institution is rated “H+” on the anabin information portal but your specific academic degree is not listed.

Important: You will only receive a Statement of Comparability if you have successfully completed your degree programme. The ZAB does not issue Statements of Comparability for individual academic achievements or for studies that have not been completed.
Detailed information on the evaluation procedure, the required documents, the costs and who is eligible to apply for a Statement of Comparability can be found on the ZAB website (External link) .

Statement of Comparability: how is my qualification classified?

The ZAB classifies foreign qualifications at a level within the German system: Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate. The Bachelor’s degree is the first level and generally takes three to four years to complete in Germany.
Foreign academic degrees at the first cycle usually correspond to a German Bachelor’s degree. In some countries, however, this first cycle is shorter or less comprehensive than in Germany. The ZAB classifies such degrees as “partial German Bachelor’s degree programme”.

Important: the classification “partial German Bachelor’s degree programme” is not the same as “partial recognition”. “Partial recognition” can only be established as part of a recognition procedure with a recognition notice.