Academic qualifications

If you have a foreign academic qualification and want to work in a regulated profession (e.g. as a doctor or lawyer) in Germany, you need to have your foreign academic qualification recognised. In our sections “Who needs recognition” and “Recognition procedure”, you will find detailed information on this matter.

You do not need the recognition certificate if you want to work in an academic, non-regulated profession, such as computer scientist, mathematician or economist. If you wish to immigrate from a third country in order to work in Germany, and you require a work visa, such as the EU Blue Card, you must provide proof of your foreign higher education qualification being comparable to a German higher education qualification. To provide such proof, you can choose one of the following options.

Positive results in the anabin database

The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) operates the anabin database, which provides information on the evaluation of foreign educational qualifications and universities. The database is currently available in German. 

The Statement of Comparability is an official document which describes your foreign academic qualifications and indicates the level of the German academic qualification to which your foreign qualification is comparable. The individual statement can be requested from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) in Bonn. You must request an individual Statement of Comparability if your university is listed in the anabin database as " H + ", but your degree in particular is not listed.

An individual Statement of Comparability can be helpful. It is advantageous when applying for a job, changing jobs, or negotiating salary. With a statement in the German language, employers can better classify the foreign university degree. The Statement of Comparability can also be used when applying for a visa.

Information concerning the evaluation procedure, including a list of required documents and costs, can be found here. For further questions concerning the evaluation please contact the Central Office of Foreign Education (ZAB) (e-mail: zabservice@kmk.org).