If you would like to work as a veterinarian in Germany on a permanent basis, you will need a license (Approbation) for this activity.
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Publisher
Rhineland-Palatinate
Contact
The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.
Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).
Call 115 nowGovernment service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.
- Completed application form
- Proof of specialist knowledge:
- Certificates (e.g. diplomas) of the veterinary examination or
- Proof of training from the respective EU/EEA country or Switzerland or
- Proof of training and certificate of equivalence from the competent authority of the respective country
- Copy of identity card or comparable identification document
- Declaration that no criminal proceedings or investigations by the public prosecutor's office are pending against you
- Proof that you have no criminal record by submitting an official certificate of good conduct document type ”O”. This must be applied for at the registration office in your place of residence. The certificate of good conduct must not be older than one month at the time of application. If the official certificate of good conduct cannot be submitted, a certificate of freedom from criminal conviction from the home member state (extract from the criminal record or, if no such extract is issued, a certificate of a declaration in lieu of an oath) can be submitted in its place. Foreign evidence of criminal convictions must not be older than 3 months at the time of application.
- Medical certificate (not older than one month) stating that there are no indications that you are unfit in terms of health to properly exercise the profession
- Curriculum vitae with the focus of your previous professional activity
- birth certificate
- Marriage certificate, if applicable; if your name differs from your birth certificate, you must submit the relevant proof, e.g. marriage certificate stating that you have changed your name or official certificate of a change of name
- Confirmation of registration from the respective city/municipality
- Proof of personal reliability:
- for residence in Germany:
- Certificate of good conduct, not older than 1 month
- for residence abroad:
- Documents from your home country that prove your personal reliability
- for residence in Germany:
- if applicable, proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language.
- Written declaration stating that you have only applied to the Rhineland-Palatinate State Examination Office for a license to practice medicine
The competent authority may request further documents to verify your personal reliability.
In addition, further evidence (e.g. proof of employment) may be required. Please inquire directly at the responsible office.
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Preconditions
- Specialist knowledge:
- You have passed the veterinary examination in Germany.
- You have a degree in veterinary medicine or
- You have completed German or equivalent foreign training in the EU or another signatory state to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or
- You can provide evidence of an equivalent level of knowledge. This is done on the basis of the diplomas or certificates submitted or a certificate of conformity.
- You are not guilty of any behavior that makes you unworthy or unreliable to practice the veterinary profession.
- You are medically fit to practise the veterinary profession,
You have the German language skills required for practicing the profession.
Hints
You must enclose a German translation of documents in a foreign language. The translation must be carried out by an officially sworn document interpreter. Diplomas, certificates of veterinary training and certificates of employment must be submitted as certified translations.
The granting of a license to practice as a veterinarian is subject to a fee. The fees are determined in accordance with the applicable state ordinance on fees in conjunction with the special fee schedule (framework rate: EUR 63.00 to EUR 350.00).
The subject matter of the fee falls within the scope of Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 12, 2006 on services in the internal market (OJ EU No. L 376 p. 36). According to Article 13 (2) sentence 2 of the Directive, the fee to be set may not exceed the costs of the proceedings; significance, economic value and other benefits are therefore not taken into account when setting the fee.
- No. 1.4.1 State ordinance on fees of the authorities of the public veterinary service of official food monitoring and the health administration within the framework of drinking water law and environmental hygiene (special fee schedule of 29.09.2008 in the version of 22.10.2010 (GVBl. p.244))
- Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 12, 2006 on services in the internal market (OJ EU No. L 376 p. 36)
Procedure
You must submit the application for licensure in writing to the competent authority. You must sign it by hand or provide it with a qualified electronic signature. You can obtain the necessary forms from the relevant office.
You will be informed within four weeks whether your application is complete or whether you need to submit further documents.
Once your license has been granted, you will receive a license certificate.
Processing time
Max. 3 months after receipt of the complete application documents.