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Applying for recognition as a veterinarian with professional qualifications from third countries

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Would you like to work permanently as a veterinarian in Germany? Then you need a state license, the Approbation. You can also obtain a license to practice with a foreign professional qualification. You must have your professional qualification recognized.

		    


                					    

						    

							    Competent Department
						    

						    
					    

                        
					    

						    

							    Basic information
						    

						    

							    

								    
The profession of veterinarian is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a veterinarian in Germany without any restrictions, you need a license to practice. The license to practice is the state approval for the profession. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a veterinarian without a license to practice. You can also obtain a license to practice in Germany with a professional qualification from a so-called third country. Third countries are all countries that do not belong to the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. 

In order to obtain a license to practice medicine, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized. In the recognition procedure, the competent authority compares your professional qualification with the German professional qualification and checks the equivalence. The equivalence of the professional qualification is an important prerequisite for obtaining a license to practice. 

In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must also meet other requirements for the license to be issued. Further requirements include, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability. 

If your professional qualification comes from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, other regulations apply. 

In principle, you can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

								    

									    Requirements
  • You have a professional qualification as a veterinarian from a third country.
  • You want to work as a veterinarian in Germany.
  • You can provide proof of competence in the federal state of Bremen.
  • Personal suitability: You are reliable to work as a veterinarian and have no criminal record.
  • Health suitability: You are mentally and physically fit to work as a veterinarian.
  • You have German language skills at the required level. This is usually language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and medical language skills at level C1.