Recognition process in Germany

You must go through the qualification recognition process to immigrate to Germany. During this process, it will be determined whether your qualifications are comparable to professional standards in Germany or not. In this article from Wise Business Group, we will explain what you need to know about the foreign qualification recognition process in Germany.

The foreign qualification recognition process in Germany

In the qualification recognition process in Germany, the responsible institutions check the comparability or compatibility of your foreign professional qualifications with the corresponding German ones. During this process called the Equivalence Test, they will determine whether your qualifications are equivalent to the German qualifications or whether there are differences. Usually, the recognition process takes three to four months after the complete submission of documents by the applicant.

The result of the qualification recognition process in Germany

Your professional qualifications obtained outside of Germany are only recognized in Germany if they are equivalent to the corresponding German qualifications. If there are significant differences in the equivalence test, different situations arise according to your profession.

Occupations that are not regulated!

In non-regulated occupations, professional qualifications will be partially recognized if parts of the training completed are equivalent to German training and other parts are different. Then, the main differences in the qualifications required for the respective job in Germany will be announced to you in a notification. You can usually compensate for significant differences with so-called Adjustment Qualification. After receiving this qualification, you must send a follow-up request for full recognition of your qualifications in Germany.

Regulated occupations

In the case of regulated occupations, if there are significant differences between your foreign qualifications and the corresponding German ones, the responsible body will determine a compensatory measure through which you can resolve the differences. They will confirm the equivalency of your qualifications with German ones when you complete this compensatory measure. Then, the reveiw further criteria for professional verification. The result of the recognition process will also be announced in an official notification titled Recognition Notice.

Therefore, if you intend to work in a regulated profession in Germany, the result of your professional qualifications recognition should illustrates equivalency.

Qualification recognition process for non-EU nationals

In addition to the mentioned cases, if you have the following conditions, you must go through the qualification recognition process, completely:

• You intend to enter Germany from a third country,
• You have a professional qualification (vocational training),
• You are willing to work in non-regulated professions.

Note that receiving a German residence permit as a skilled worker is only possible after completing the qualification recognition process.

Obtaining a residence permit in Germany for qualification recognition

Also, if the following conditions apply to you, you can receive a residence permit to recognize your professional qualifications in Germany:

• You are a citizen of a country outside the European Union.
• Significant differences between your qualifications and German ones have been observed during the equivalence test.

It is possible regardless of whether you want to work in a regulated profession in Germany or work in a non-regulated profession. In this way, you can enter Germany to carry out a compensatory measure or to obtain an adjustment qualification.

Adjustment qualification in Germany

If there are deficiencies in your qualifications to complete the recognition process, you can continue your education in Germany through the so-called Adjustment Qualification. The content of this training may be different according to your profession and knowledge level. For example, you can participate in German language training courses related to your desired job or deepen your theoretical and technical knowledge in your profession. After completing the relevant course, responsible bodies recognize your professional qualifications as equivalence with the German ones. As a result, you can work in your chosen profession in Germany. You can also use the guidelines on our website to check possible options for Germany residency.

Qualification recognition costs in Germany

The foreign qualifications recognizing process in Germany can cost 600 euros and, in some cases, more. In addition, some additional costs may arise during a recognition process. For example, we can refer to the costs of the following actions:

• Preparation of documents
• Preparation of translations
• Obtaining certificates
• Traveling
• Compensatory measures or adjustment qualifications

However, it is possible to receive financial aid to cover the above costs. You can find more information about this in the “Recognition in Germany” portal.

Introduction of the portal Recognition in Germany

To get more detailed information about the foreign professional qualification recognition process in Germany, you can refer to the information portal of the federal state entitled Recognition in Germany (Anerkennung in Deutschland). For example, you will find the following information on this portal:

• The steps of the recognition process
• Required documents
• Communication ways with counseling centers
• How to finance the recognition process

With the help of Recognition Finder (Anerkennungs-Finder), you can access the office responsible for reviewing your recognition request in Germany with just a few simple clicks. In addition, all the specific information you may need to apply is available on this portal.

This portal supports languages such as German, English, Arabic, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Turkish. You can access to it through the address www.ancognition-in-deutschland.de.

More information about the process of foreign qualification recognition in Germany

Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)

Also, you can get help from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge) to receive telephone advice regarding the recognition of qualifications in Germany. You can call this office Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can get basic information about the foreign professional qualification recognition process in German or English by calling the phone number, +49 30-1815-1111.

Center for Professional Recognition Services in Germany (ZSBA)

German Federal Employment Agency will direct you to the Professional Recognition Service Center (Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung) for advice and support during the qualification recognition process. Direct contact with this center is also possible through the email address: recognition@arbeitsagentur.de.    

ZSBA specialists and consultants can support you in the following matters:

• Gathering the required documents
• Correct completion of the necessary documents to submit the application
• Communication with responsible institutions

Therefore, if it is necessary for you to complete the qualification recognition process in Germany, with the help of ZSBA consulting services, you can plan your projects in a targeted manner, avoid mistakes during implementation, and save time. The counseling services of this center are also often free.

In-site consultation about the recognition process

The ProRecognition project has established free consultation and contact centers in ten foreign chambers of commerce, where you can get more detailed advice on-site. These ten foreign chambers of commerce are in Egypt, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, India, Iran, Italy, Colombia, Poland, and Vietnam. In this way, recognition consultants abroad are available to applicants to answer all their questions about the recognition process, language requirements, obtaining a visa and job search, and smooth the way for them to enter Germany. ProRecognition consultants can speak easily in the languages of the ten countries in addition to German and English.

More information on the web

For more information about the process of recognizing professional qualifications in Germany, in addition to the portals mentioned above, you can refer to the following websites:

• European Commission: A website for searching regulated professions in Germany.
• IHK FOSA (Foreign Skills Approval): National Competence Center for checking and recognizing foreign professional qualifications.
• BQ-Portal: Provides information on foreign professional qualifications and vocational training systems.
• IQ funding program: finding a counseling center for recognizing foreign professional qualifications in your area.

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An overview of the recognition process in Germany

The recognition process involves the comparison of foreign qualifications with professional standards in Germany by responsible institutions. The authorities recognize foreign professional qualifications only if they are equivalent to German qualifications. If there are significant differences between them, two cases will occur:

In non-regulated occupations, the institutions recognize qualifications if parts of the training are equivalent to German training. Then, the differences are announced to the applicant in a notification. They can compensate for these differences by completing a training course and receiving an adjustment qualification.

In regulated occupations, the responsible bodies determine a compensatory measure to resolve the differences. By doing so, responsible bodies recognize the applicant’s qualifications as equivalent qualifications. After checking other criteria, the process result will be announced to the applicant in a notification.

In both cases, citizens of non-EU countries must go through the recognition process thoroughly to receive a German residence permit.

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