The recognition of foreign professional qualifications in Germany is not only of great importance for individuals coming from a country outside Germany or the European Union, but also for employers and the German economy. International professional qualifications are gaining increasing importance in the context of ongoing globalization and the growing mobility of skilled workers.
For many migrants who come to Germany to live and work, the recognition of their professional qualifications obtained abroad is therefore a crucial step toward entering the country, settling here, gaining a foothold in the job market, and ultimately integrating. At the same time, the recognition of foreign qualifications represents a valuable opportunity to address the shortage of skilled workers in Germany and to strengthen the diversity and potential of foreign employees.
The recognition procedure or equivalency assessment is shaped by legal regulations and institutional processes. In this context, considerable challenges often arise, which are particularly relevant for applicants, the responsible authorities, and potential employers alike. This article aims to present the fundamental aspects, the significance, and the current challenges of recognizing foreign professional qualifications in Germany.
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In order to find a qualified job on the German labor market, the recognition of your foreign professional qualifications is essential. We provide you with prompt information and support you throughout the recognition process as specialist lawyers for migration law. Contact us anytime for an initial consultation!
Anyone coming to Germany from abroad and wishing to work here usually needs, in addition to the appropriate residence permit that allows employment, recognition of their foreign professional qualification.
During the recognition procedure or equivalency assessment, it can – or in some cases must – be determined whether a professional qualification or degree obtained abroad is equivalent to the corresponding German qualification, or what components are missing. In certain professions, such an assessment is mandatory; in others, recognition of a foreign professional qualification can occur even without a formal recognition process.
The legal basis for the recognition procedure is the Federal Recognition Act, which came into effect on April 1, 2012. The Recognition Act includes the Professional Qualifications Assessment Act (Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz – BQFG), which regulates the general process for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications. Through the changes introduced by the Recognition Act, recognition regulations have been incorporated into numerous professional and industry-specific laws (e.g., the Crafts Code, the Trade Regulation Act, etc.).
Even if formal recognition is not required for your profession in Germany, you can still apply for it. Since the recognition of a foreign qualification is always assessed in comparison to a German profession, and equivalency is evaluated accordingly, foreign professional qualifications with official recognition are considered fully equivalent to German qualifications.
This formal equivalence with someone who completed their vocational training in Germany can also be beneficial when applying for jobs, particularly when competing as a foreign applicant against German candidates. Moreover, recognition allows a domestic employer to easily determine whether your skills and qualifications meet the requirements for performing the job or holding a specific position.
After completing the recognition process, the full or partial equivalency of your foreign qualification with a German reference profession (i.e., the corresponding German profession) is officially determined. Such a decision is important for assessing your own qualification and its comparability with that of a German employee. If your professional qualification does not fully match the German reference profession, there is the option to complete an adaptation qualification (Anpassungsqualifizierung – APQ) to make up for any missing skills or knowledge and thereby achieve full equivalency.
Here is an example: You trained as a roofer abroad. The corresponding reference profession in Germany is also the roofer. In this profession, formal recognition is not required, but you can still apply for it. If you live in Cologne and the surrounding area, the Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer) in Cologne is responsible for recognition and conducting the recognition process. In other cities and regions, different institutions are responsible. Upon written application, the Chamber of Crafts will assess whether your profession and qualification obtained abroad are equivalent to the German qualification for a roofer.
The Chamber of Crafts has two possible outcomes for its decision: If your qualification is equivalent, you will receive full recognition by official notice and be regarded as equal to a roofer who completed training in Germany. If you lack certain professional knowledge and your qualification is therefore not equivalent, you will only be granted partial equivalence. The missing knowledge—whether practical or theoretical—is usually listed in the official notice (so-called “deficiency notice” or Defizitbescheid).
If recognition is not mandatory and you have been granted partial equivalence, you are still allowed to work as a roofer (a so-called “non-regulated profession”). However, with only partial equivalence, your chances on the job market are likely to be worse, as you may not be able to perform all duties of the profession due to the missing qualifications.
To compensate for these differences, you can complete an adaptation qualification (Anpassungsqualifizierung). This allows for a personalized approach to closing the theoretical and/or practical knowledge gaps. The missing knowledge is acquired so that full equivalence can be achieved. After completing the adaptation qualification, you may submit another application for full recognition to the relevant authority—e.g., the Chamber of Crafts in Cologne.
If you are a master roofer (Dachdeckermeister) who trained abroad and wish to work in that capacity in Germany, the situation is somewhat different. Without an equivalency assessment, you are not allowed to work as a master roofer in Germany, because this profession requires formal recognition. If your qualification is deemed equivalent, you may work in Germany as a master roofer. If your qualification is only partially equivalent to the German reference profession, you must complete an adaptation qualification. In this case, you are only allowed to work as a master roofer in Germany after completing the qualification process.
When it comes to the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, two types of professions are distinguished: regulated and non-regulated professions. Regulated professions are subject to legal provisions regarding professional practice and access to the profession. If you wish to work in a regulated profession, you are required to go through the recognition process or an equivalency assessment of your foreign qualification. Without recognition, you are not allowed to work in that profession.
Examples of regulated professions include:
In non-regulated professions, recognition of a foreign professional qualification is not mandatory. Although you are allowed to work in such a profession without recognition, an equivalency procedure is still possible and generally advantageous.
The recognition procedure is independent of your residence status. You can apply for recognition even if you have not yet entered Germany or have not received a visa. Refugees can also submit an application for recognition of their professional qualifications while their asylum application is still being processed.
In some cases, the recognition of a foreign professional qualification is also a prerequisite for being granted a visa or residence permit—regardless of whether you plan to work in a regulated or non-regulated profession. For example, a visa can be issued for the purpose of having a foreign professional qualification recognized.
If the foreign professional qualification does not correspond to the German reference profession and an adaptation qualification is required, it is possible, for example, to apply for an "recognition partnership" as a visa/residence permit.
Problems may arise when recognizing foreign professional qualifications. We are happy to support you in having your foreign qualification recognized in Germany or in legally enforcing recognition if it has been denied.
As a rule, the recognition procedure should not take longer than 3 to 4 months. However, since different authorities are responsible depending on the profession and region, it may take longer in individual cases.
While the recognition procedure has traditionally focused heavily on the verification of knowledge and training content “on paper,” changes in residence law effective from March 1, 2024—especially the amendments to Section 6 of the Employment Regulation—could lead to a decline in the importance of the recognition procedure. Instead, extensive practical professional experience alone may suffice to obtain a residence permit for qualified employment (see Section 19c (2) of the Residence Act). We welcome this step toward a more liberal labor migration policy.
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