Getting a foreign professional qualification recognised in Germany

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Recognition (Anerkennung) means that a German authority compares your training from abroad with the German training for the same profession. If the two match, your qualification counts the same as a German one. Which office is responsible depends on the profession and on the federal state where you want to work.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, speak to an advice centre.

Step by step

1. Find out whether your profession is regulated

   Regulated professions require recognition by law. They include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers, lawyers and master craftspeople who run their own business. Working in them without recognition is not allowed. Non-regulated professions, such as cook, salesperson or graphic designer, can be practised without it.

   Done

2. Get free advice

   The portal anerkennung-in-deutschland.de, run by the federal government, has a recognition finder that names the German reference profession and the responsible office. The advice centres of the IQ network, and the hotline Working and Living in Germany, guide you through the application for free.

   Done

3. Collect the documents

   Your certificate or diploma as an original or certified copy, proof of what the training covered, proof of work experience such as references and contracts, a CV, your ID, and the application form of the office. Documents usually need a translation by a sworn translator. Some professions also need a language certificate and a medical certificate.

   Done

4. Apply

   Send the application to the responsible office. You can apply from abroad, before you move. The office confirms receipt within about a month and says whether anything is missing.

   Done

5. Wait for the decision

   Once the documents are complete, the decision takes about three months.

   Done

6. Understand the result

   Full recognition: your qualification is equal to the German one. Partial recognition: the office found substantial differences and names what is missing. No recognition: the training differs too much, and retraining may be the way.

   Done

7. Close the gaps

   With partial recognition in a regulated profession, you complete a compensation measure (Ausgleichsmaßnahme): an adaptation period of supervised work, or a knowledge test. In non-regulated professions you can take further training and apply again.

   Done

Good to know

The fees depend on the profession and the office and can come to several hundred euros, plus translations. The employment agency or Jobcenter can pay them if you are registered there. For people with low income there is the recognition grant (Anerkennungszuschuss).

Since 2025 there is another route for non-regulated professions: people aged 25 or over with several years of work experience but no formal certificate can have their skills officially validated.

There is a visa for people who still need a compensation measure in Germany. University degrees in non-regulated fields are assessed differently: is your Pakistani degree valid in Germany.

For nurses: nurse in Germany from Pakistan. Then: how to apply for a job in Germany.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source named at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

In short: Check whether the profession is regulated, get free advice at anerkennung-in-deutschland.de, send certificates with translations to the responsible office, decision in about three months, close gaps with a compensation measure.