Do I need a recognition? Depending on your country of origin and occupational field, a recognition of your professional qualification may be required. Find more detailed information down below.
You may only work in regulated professions in Germany if you have certain qualifications. This applies to many professions in the health service, legal advice, teaching in state schools and engineering. There are also regulations for certain master craftworkers who run a business.
If you want to work in one of these regulated professions, then you will always need the certificate of official recognition of your foreign professional qualifications – regardless of your country of origin. In the case of regulated professions, the decision on official recognition is generally taken during the procedure required for the granting of a licence to practise the profession.
You can find out whether your profession is regulated in the Recognition Finder on the “Recognition in Germany” portal.
Most professions in Germany are not regulated. These include occupations requiring qualifications earned in the dual system of vocational training and many professions requiring a university degree. In order to be allowed to work in Germany as a business economist, computer scientist or baker, for example, you do not need to have your foreign qualifications recognised. The recognition of foreign professional qualifications or the comparability of a university degree is usually a prerequisite for the issuance of a visa to citizens of third countries (i.e. countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland).
There is no recognition procedure for higher education qualifications which do not lead to a regulated profession – such as biologist, physicist or linguist – as there is for regulated professions or qualifications earned in the dual system of vocational training. People from a third country with higher education qualifications of that kind are required to prove that their foreign academic qualifications are recognised as equivalent in Germany in order to be granted a residence title. The anabin database provided by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) has more information on this matter. Detailed information is can also be found on our website in the “Academic qualifications” section.
Good to know: even for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, recognition can still be helpful. It can be advantageous when applying for a job, when changing jobs, or even when negotiating salaries. The recognition certificate in German allows employers to recognise the skills and knowledge of international qualified professionals immediately.
You would like to come to Germany to work and live here but you do not know if you need your professional qualifications to be recognised? This graphic explains in what cases you will need a recognition and which proofs you need for it.
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