Foreign doctors need a licence to practise medicine if they want to work in Germany. But what do they need to bear in mind? In this article, we provide tips to ensure that the recognition process runs as smoothly as possible.
More than 68,000 doctors from abroad are currently working in Germany. And this number is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. In times of demographic change and a shortage of doctors, our healthcare system is dependent on skilled workers from abroad.
However, anyone who wants to work in Germany must first overcome a number of bureaucratic hurdles. This is because you need a licence to practise medicine in order to work as a doctor. And for many, this is a major bureaucratic hurdle. We provide seven practical tips to make the recognition process easier.
7 tips: How to get your licence to practise
1. Find and use advisory services
First things first: you don't need to know everything yourself. There are reputable advisory services throughout Germany. To help everyone find an advisory centre near them, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung – BIBB) has set up a recognition finder. If you enter your region and some information about yourself, you will receive addresses and contact details for advisory centres in your area. Here you can ask any questions you may have about the recognition process and receive professional advice.
2. Compile all documents
When applying for recognition of your medical training, it is important to have all documents together if possible. It is helpful to have the documents ready for a possible consultation appointment:
- Proof of identity (e.g. passport or identity card) and a German translation
- Curriculum vitae in German
- Proof of professional qualifications (e.g. university certificate) and a German translation
- Proof of the content and duration of your training (e.g. diploma supplement, transcript of records) and a German translation
- Proof of your professional experience in your profession (e.g. employment references) and a German translation
- Proof of your other qualifications (e.g. further training) and a German translation
You will also need the following during the recognition process:
- Certificate of good conduct (see tip 4)
- Proof of medical fitness (see tip 5)
- Proof of German language skills (see tip 6)
Depending on the federal state, additional documents may also be required. For the online application, the documents must be available as PDF files (photographed or scanned).
3. Have official documents translated and certified
Translations of official documents must be carried out by authorised translators. This means that they need an official permission to translate important documents. A list of these translators is available from the authorities. Documents that have been translated using artificial intelligence or by other persons are generally not recognised.
Most documents must also be submitted later in paper form as certified copies. Certification confirms that the copies and the originals are identical. This is confirmed with a special note or stamp. Certifications can be carried out by authorities or notaries.
4. Apply for a certificate of good conduct
A certificate of good conduct confirms that you have not committed any criminal offences that are incompatible with working as a doctor. The certificate of good conduct must not be older than three months when the application for a licence to practise medicine is submitted.
Where you can obtain this document depends on your residence status:
- If you are registered in Germany, you can apply for the certificate of good conduct directly from the registration office.
- If you still live abroad or have only recently arrived in Germany, you must usually apply for the certificate of good conduct in your home country and then have it translated and certified (see above).
5. Proving medical fitness
To ensure that doctors do not pose a risk to their patients for health reasons (e.g. mental illness), they must prove that they are medically fit for the profession. To do so, they need a medical certificate. The certificate must not be more than three months old when the application for a licence to practise medicine is submitted.
As a rule, the certificate of medical fitness must be issued by a doctor practising in Germany. An informal certificate is sufficient. It is important that it contains the essential information. This could be, for example, a statement that the person is ‘medically fit to practise medicine from a medical point of view’.
6. Proving the necessary language skills
Anyone who wants to work as a doctor in Germany must prove that they have sufficient German language skills. This means:
- General language: Proof of German language skills at least at level B2
- Medical terminology: Level C1, verifiable through the specialist language examination
In the specialist language examination, doctors must demonstrate that they can communicate in German on medical topics – for example, with colleagues, nursing staff and patients. The examination itself consists of three parts:
- Doctor-patient consultation
- Documentation
- Doctor-doctor consultation
Special language courses are available to help candidates prepare. Among other things, these courses teach participants how to conduct anamnesis interviews and write doctor's letters. The examination is also simulated under realistic conditions.
7. Proving medical knowledge
Not all doctors are required to take a medical knowledge test: degrees from other EU countries, for example, are considered equivalent and are automatically recognised. It is more difficult for degrees from third countries: in this case, the licensing authority checks the submitted documents in detail to determine whether the duration, content, practical components, etc. correspond to a German degree.
If this cannot be proven or if the documents are insufficient, medical knowledge can be demonstrated in an examination. This examination is based on the oral-practical examination of the German state examination (M3). The focus is on the specific diagnosis and correct treatment of patients. In principle, all content of the state examination can also be tested in the knowledge examination. Those who fail have the opportunity to repeat the examination twice.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB), Anerkennungs-Finder
Übersetzt mit KI / DeepL Translate
