You can submit the application to the responsible office. You must submit copies of all the necessary documents to the competent body. The competent authority will then check:

Is your professional qualification equivalent to the professional qualification in your federal state?

For example, the content of the training and the duration of the training are important for the comparison. The competent body will also take into account your professional experience, other certificates of competence and qualifications.

The competent body will then check the other requirements. If your professional qualification is equivalent and you meet all other requirements, you will receive state recognition. You may then use the professional title "state-recognized social worker".

If the competent authority is unable to determine equivalence, you will receive a notification with an explanation of the significant differences. To compensate for significant differences, you can take a compensation measure.

If you successfully complete the compensation measure and meet the other requirements, you will receive state recognition.

There are no deadlines.

As a rule, the equivalence check takes a maximum of 3 months after receipt of all complete documents. Delays are possible due to special circumstances or complexity.