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An offer from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

Information portal of the German government
for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications

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What happens after the notice

You have received your recognition notice. This states that your professional qualification is not equivalent or is only partially equivalent? Find out here what happens next.

What does the notice mean for me?

Has the competent authority informed you that your professional qualification is not equivalent or is only partially equivalent? If so, the competent authority has identified substantial differences between your professional qualification and the German reference occupation. The substantial differences are stated in the notice, which will help you identify the qualifications you are missing for full recognition. The notice also contains information about your training and about professional experience which has been taken into account. This might make it easier for you to find work in the occupation in which you trained.

How can I compensate for substantial differences?

Substantial differences between your professional qualification and the German reference occupation can usually be compensated for with a training measure. How the identified differences can be best compensated for varies from case to case. Possibilities include attending a teaching course, completing an examination, or taking part in company-based refresher training.

Get advice on the training!

Important: The training must be the right training for your profession and your qualification. Only then can you use it to achieve full recognition. Please seek advice regarding this. You may be able to get professional support with your training.

Training: advice and support

In regulated professions, such as general nurse or nursery school teacher, the necessary compensation measure is often stated in the notice. In this case you can generally choose between an adaptation period and a knowledge test or an aptitude test. You can find out what applies in your case in the notice. Sometimes the notice also includes details about the providers of the training measure. You can get advice on the options available to you. Next, you have to tell the competent authority which compensation measure you have opted for.

If you take part in a refresher course, you may already be able to carry out specific work and auxiliary activities in your profession. This means you are already able to earn money and gain experience in the professional environment.

Following successful completion of the compensation measure, you receive a certificate which you must submit to the competent authority. Our tip: Ask them in advance about the next steps. The procedure varies depending on occupation and federal state. The further requirements for authorisation to practise are then assessed. If you then receive authorisation to practise, you are able to practise your profession to its fullest extent.

In the case of non-regulated professions such as motor vehicle mechatronics technician or office manager, you can complete refresher training. This can be professional further training (course or seminar) or even company-based refresher training (placement or guided work). You can also work in your profession at the same time. After training is completed, you must submit a follow-up application to the competent authority in order to receive full recognition.

Our tip: Are you still abroad? If so, under certain conditions, you are able to come to Germany for training to support recognition and also work here at the same time. Further information is available on the immigration page.

Am I also able to work without professional recognition?

In most professions you are also able to work in Germany without recognition or with partial recognition. This also depends on your residency status. You can obtain specific information about your reference occupation in the Recognition Finder using the guide below:

  1. Enter your reference occupation in the Recognition Finder.
  2. Click through all the steps and answer all the questions.
  3. At the end you will arrive at the page containing information about your recognition procedure.
  4. Specific information about your profession is provided under the headings of My steps to recognition and My other options.
  5. Tip: Save the page as a PDF or copy the link.
  6. Do you have other questions? Seek advice from an advisory centre.

Please note: While it is possible to work in many professions with partial recognition, full recognition can be an advantage for you in terms of your professional future in Germany.

How can I gain full recognition?

The way in which you achieve full recognition depends on your profession. Using the guide below, you can obtain initial information in the Recognition Finder about the next steps to take for recognition.

  1. Enter your reference occupation in the Recognition Finder.
  2. Click through all the steps and answer all the questions.
  3. At the end you will arrive at the page containing information about your recognition procedure.
  4. At the bottom of the page you will find the heading My steps to recognition.
  5. Expand this menu item: I receive no recognition. What can I do?
  6. Tip: Save the page as a PDF or copy the link.
  7. Do you have other questions? Please seek advice! You may be able to get professional support with your training: advice and support
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My steps to recognition

What can I do if I do not receive full recognition? For example, as a teacher

My steps to recognition

What is the notice actually called?

There is no standard name for the notice relating to “partial” recognition. It does go by various names, however, such as “Feststellungsbescheid” (notice of assessment), “Bescheid mit Auflage” (notice with a requirement), “Bescheid über die teilweise Gleichwertigkeit”(notice of partial equivalence) or even “Defizitbescheid” (notification of a deficit).

The term “deficit” sounds very negative and is not used here on the Recognition in Germany portal. This is because the notice relates only to differences that have been identified in comparison with the German training. A notice does not dispute your professional qualification. It's clear that even without full professional recognition, you are already arriving with important competencies and qualifications.

“Notice with a requirement” means that you are able to achieve recognition if you use training to compensate for differences. In many cases the notice also confirms “partial equivalence”, as is the case for all non-regulated professions, for example.

What can my notice look like?

Recognition notices can look very different. Here you can find some examples:

Sample notices for the profession nursery school teacher