There has been a great demand of doctors in Germany and its increasing. Many doctors are going to retire in coming years and finding their successor is sometime is very challenging. As more and more foreign doctors have explored this opportunity of working as doctor in Germany and as a result of their positive experience, their number has doubled in the last 10 – 12 years. More than 8000 international doctors have applied for the recognition of their qualification alone in 2020. More than half of the foreign doctors currently working in Germany come from non-EU countries. If you are a foreign doctor and would like to work as doctor in Germany, you must acquire a license to work as doctor in Germany. This license is called Approbation. This license is unlimited and in order to get this license foreign doctors have to apply for the recognition of their qualification in Germany. Every state in Germany has an independent authority that is responsible for the recognition of foreign qualification of international doctors. Therefore, it is important to get familiar with the recognition process and requirements of every state and then apply in a state of your choice. The whole process consists of 1 – 2 years. There are following possible outcome of the recognition process.
o Foreign medicine degree is considered equivalent with the German medicine degree
o Foreign medicine degree is not considered equivalent with the German medicine degree In case the foreign medicine degree is not recognized, an exam called “Kenntnisprüfung” can be taken to make the foreign medicine degree equivalent to that of German medicine degree. This exam can be taken before or after taking the “Fachsprachenprüfung”, mentioned below. It is important to register for “Kenntnisprüfung” as early as possible. The examination fee for this exam varies from state to state and has a range of around 300 Euros to more than 1000 Euro. The exam can be repeated only twice. During the approbation process the responsible authority may require you to take another exam called “Fachsprachenprüfung”. The certificate of passing this exam proofs that you as a foreign doctor are able to practice this profession in Germany. This exam is conducted at C1 level of German language. Applicant must pay a fee of around 500 Euros to take the exam. They amount may vary from one state to another. The result of exam is announced soon after the exam (on the same date). If applicant fails the exam, he/she has option to take the exam again. There is no limit on the number of tries. Since every state in Germany has its own specific requirements, we have only mentioned the general information to provide an idea of how the process works and what exams you may have to take. If you would like to know the process, requirements, cost and list of required documents of your favorite state, book our consultation hour . If you would like to start the application process for the recognition of your medicine degree, it is possible to apply for a visa for the recognition of foreign qualification. This visa is issued for a period of 18 months and can be extended further up to 6 months. It is also possible to work up to 10 hours per week during this time. Since the whole process is time taking an excellent plan is necessary to make sure that all the requirements are fulfilled within specified time and an approbation is received within time. So that you can focus on your learning, let us do your administrative tasks. Book a consultation hour here .