Apply for recognition as a midwife with a professional qualification that is automatically recognized

The profession of midwife is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a midwife in Germany, you need a state license. With this permit, you can use the professional title "midwife" and work in the profession.

You can also obtain a state permit from the competent authority in Germany if you have a professional qualification from abroad. In order to obtain the permit, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized.

In the recognition procedure, the competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and checks its equivalence. In some cases, your professional qualification can be recognized automatically. This means that no equivalence check is carried out. It is assumed that the training is equivalent.

As a rule, your professional qualification is automatically recognized if you obtained your professional qualification in a country of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. However, there may be exceptions to this rule. This depends on the country in which you completed your training and when.

There may be other cases in which your professional qualification is automatically recognized. The competent authority will inform you. If your professional qualification is not automatically recognized, other regulations apply.

You must also meet other requirements for the permit to be issued. Further requirements include, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability.
You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

Requirements

• You have a professional qualification as a midwife, which is automatically recognized.
• You want to work as a midwife in Germany.
• Personal suitability: You are reliable to work as a midwife and have no criminal record.
• Health suitability: You are mentally and physically fit to work as a midwife.
• You have German language skills at the required level. This is normally language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

What documents do I need?

• The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit as a simple copy, a certified copy or the original.
• The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are generally
  
  • Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
  • Marriage certificate (if your name has changed due to marriage)
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Proof of your professional qualifications (e.g. certificates, professional certificate)
  • Proof of training
  • Proof of your relevant professional experience as a midwife
  • Proof of other relevant knowledge for working as a midwife
  • Perhaps: You do not yet live or work in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland? Then you must provide proof: You want to work in the profession in Germany. Proof can be, for example, applications for a job, invitations to interviews or personal statements
• You only need to submit the following documents if your professional qualification originates from the EU or the EEA and was completed before a certain date (cut-off date). The competent authority will inform you:
  

  Certificate of conformity
  

  • If no certificate of conformity is available:
  • Proof of the content and duration of your training (e.g. list of subjects and grades, study book, diploma supplement, transcript of records)
  • Certificate: You must have worked legally and continuously as a midwife for at least three years during the last five years before the certificate is issued. In some cases, you only need to provide evidence of two years. This depends on your training. The competent authority will inform you.
• You usually hand in these documents later. The responsible office will inform you when you should hand in the documents:
  
  • Proof of your personal suitability: criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin. The certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application.
  • Proof of your health suitability: Medical certificate. The certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application.
  • Proof of your German language skills: Language certificate