Bundesportal | Applying for recognition as a veterinarian with a professional qualification from a third country

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Publisher

Thuringia

Last update or date of publication

November 15, 2024

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The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

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In order to work as a veterinarian in Germany without any restrictions, you need a license to practice.

Approbation is the state license to practice the profession. The license to practice is necessary because the profession is regulated in Germany. This means that you are not allowed to work 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.

You will be granted a license to practice by the competent authority if your veterinary training is equivalent to German training. Equivalence is checked in the recognition procedure.

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

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are

Proof of identity (officially certified copy of identity card or passport)
Curriculum vitae
Proof of your professional qualification (e.g. certificates, professional certificate)
Proof of the content and duration of your training (e.g. Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records):
Certificate that you are authorized to work as a veterinarian in your country of training
Proof of your relevant professional experience as a veterinarian (e.g. work references)
Declaration that you have not yet applied for a license to practice in Germany
You must prove that you want to work in the profession in Germany. Proof of this can be, for example, applications for a job, invitations to job interviews or a location note from the Central Service Center for Professional Recognition (ZSBA).

You will then submit the following documents:

Proof of your personal suitability: criminal record extract or official certificate of good conduct. 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.

If your documents are not in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. The translations must be made by translators who are publicly appointed or authorized.

Label

Preconditions

You have a professional qualification as a veterinarian from a third country.
You are medically fit to work as a veterinarian.
You are reliable to work as a veterinarian and have no criminal record.
You have the German language skills required for the job. These are general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Hints

Proof of language skills
General German language skills at level B2 are a prerequisite for licensure. You can also submit the required language certificate during the licensing procedure.
Professional license
The license is revocable, usually issued for a period oftwoyearsandonly for the duration of employment in a non-self-employedcapacity under theresponsibility ofa veterinarianwith aGerman license to practice medicine. It islimitedtoa specific employment position anddoes notentitle the holder tocarry out certain tasks(e.g. ante-mortemand post-mortem inspections, officialveterinary tasks). An extension of the professionallicense is usuallypossible for a further two years and must be applied for by you. The total duration of four years should not be exceeded.
Equivalency decision
In the licensing procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notification for the result of the examination. You must have a legitimate interest in the separate decision.
Electronic application
You can also submit your application electronically.
Procedure for ethnic German repatriates
As a late repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either in accordance with the law mentioned here or in accordance with the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. Your competent authority will advise you on this.

All veterinarians who practise their profession in Thuringia or, if they do not practise their profession, have their habitual residence there, are members of the Thuringia State Chamber of Veterinarians (with the exception of veterinarians working in the supervisory authority and veterinarians who exercise the profession only temporarily and occasionally within the framework of the movement of services under European law). Every member of the Chamber must register with the State Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons and the competent Veterinary and Food Inspection Office within one month of commencing professional activity.

The procedure costs money. The responsible office will inform you of the costs. The costs often depend on the time and effort required for processing. Additional costs may also be incurred (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from person to person.
Fee
190.00 to 350.00 EUR
Advance payment
no

Basis for legal action

§ 2 ff. Federal Veterinary Code (BTÄO)

§ 63 f. Ordinance on the Licensing of Veterinarians (TAppV)

§ Section 10 of the Federal Expellees Act (BVFG)

Legal Remedies

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority. The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on legal remedies at the end of your decision. If necessary, speak to the responsible office first before taking legal action against the decision.

Procedure

Application

You submit an application for a license to practice as a veterinarian to the competent authority. The competent authority will check whether your training is equivalent to German training and whether all other requirements have been met. Approval can only be granted if your training from a third country is equivalent to German training.

Examination of equivalence

The competent authority will compare your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification as a veterinarian. The competent authority will check whether your professional qualification is equivalent. The professional qualification is equivalent if there are no significant differences between your foreign professional qualification and the German professional qualification.

Possible results of the examination:

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognized. The authority can confirm the result in writing upon request. You must still fulfill the other requirements and prove your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice as a veterinarian.

If the competent authority identifies significant differences, you can compensate for the differences with your professional experience and other knowledge and skills as a veterinarian. You must provide evidence of your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by the competent authority in your country of origin. This confirmation is generally sufficient.

However, this knowledge may not be sufficient. You will then not be able to compensate for the significant differences. Your foreign professional qualification will then not be recognized.

The competent authority will inform you in writing of the main differences and why you cannot compensate for the main differences with your professional experience. The decision of the competent authority will also state the level of your training and the level required in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a veterinarian. However, the competent authority will offer you the opportunity to take a knowledge test.

Knowledge test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent and you cannot compensate for the differences, you can take a knowledge test. The knowledge test is based on the final examination as a veterinarian in Germany. If you pass the knowledge test, the competent authority will grant you a license to practice as a veterinarian. You must also meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills.

Deadlines

There is no deadline for submitting the application.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you must submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

Processing time

1 month until 4 months
The responsible office will confirm that your application and documents have been received after a maximum of one month. The competent office will inform you if any documents are missing. If the documents are complete, the procedure will take a maximum of 4 months.