If you want to apply for recognition or a statement of comparability and are on a low income, you can receive financial assistance through the recognition grant. Financial support for training is also available.
Answers to the following questions are provided here:
The is a federal government funding instrument. It is aimed at employed people whose income falls below a certain level. Costs from €100 to a maximum of €600 can be reimbursed for the or a . Costs of can also be funded.
It is also possible to fund costs of job training schemes which lead to full Equivalence as part of . compared to the German which can be compensated for with the help of training, must have been established beforehand in the Recognition procedure. The job training scheme should have a certification under the Accreditation and Approval for Employment Promotion (AZAV) or a comparable external confirmation of quality assurance. The maximum funding amount is €3,000 per person.
The recognition grant is awarded by the Research Institute for Vocational education and training (f-bb). The funding is provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Important
Those interested in recognition should apply for financial support before they apply for recognition. Costs cannot be covered retrospectively.
Who can receive support?
Interested parties can apply for the if they meet the following requirements:
They have gained a professional or abroad and want to start the in Germany.
Or, they have a foreign higher education qualification and would like to apply for a statement of comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
Eligible persons are those who have their habitual residence or main residence in Germany, regardless of their nationality, residence status or the state in which their education was completed.
Their financial means are limited: Single persons must not earn more than €32,000 gross, married couples and civil partnerships must not earn more than €50,000 gross (total of positive incomes minus allowances for children).
Only in case of training costs funding: Persons with a notice of partial equivalence or a notice with a requirement in a recognition procedure
What can be funded?
Costs of fees and expenses relating to the recognition procedure.
Costs of a statement of comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)
Costs of translations, verification of certificates and qualifications, and reports.
Costs of (under Section 14 of the s Assessment Act, BQFG and Section 50b of the Crafts and Trades Regulation Code, HwO).
Inter-company apprentice training
Preparation courses for and and examination fees
Travel expenses and accommodation costs of training measures according to the sections 85, 86, number 1, Book III of the German Social Code (SGB III)
Costs of advice and support concerning training measures (e.g. professional support on your path to full recognition)
What cannot be funded?
Learning materials, costs of living and support costs
Language courses and relevant examination fees and preparation courses for language tests
Costs and fees for authorisation to practise an occupation or profession (: licence to practise medicine in Germany, use of an occupational title), such as the issuing of a or a medical certificate
Services already provided as part of active promotion under Book III of the German Social Code (SGB III) or for integration in employment under Book II of the German Social Code (SGB II).
Services already provided by other funding instruments relating to professional recognition such as federal state funding programmes.
Costs of sourcing required evidence
Travel expenses and accommodation costs which are not related to training measures.
Frequently asked questions - the recognition grant
The recognition grant can be applied for at the central funding authority—the Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (f-bb). You can get advice and support from authorities which provide advice on recognition. These include Chambers, federations, associations, migrant organisations, IQ counselling centres and competent authorities supporting the recognition procedure.
The following outcomes are possible:
Funding is confirmed: The funding requirements are met. The application for recognition can now be submitted to the competent authority, or a statement of comparability can be applied for from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
Procedure suspended. The basic funding requirements are met at the time of verification (stay, income limit, reference occupation), Confirmation, however, cannot be issued because funding is being provided by other authorities (in most cases employment agency or the job centre) The application for the recognition grant can be restarted once the other funding finishes.
Funding application rejected: The funding requirements are not met. It may be possible to apply again for the recognition grant depending on which conditions are not met. If, for example, residency does not meet the requirement when making the application, the funding application will be rejected. In this case, submitting the application again at a later point is recommended.
Those in receipt of social benefits under Book II or III of the German Social Code can apply for the recognition grant. In this case Annex B must be completed in addition to the general form. It also applies to individuals registered as unemployed or seeking work who do not receive benefits or are in marginal employment.
Financial funding from the employment agency or the job centre takes precedence over the recognition grant. This means that if the recognition procedure is already being funded by the employment agency or the job centre, then funding is not normally possible through the recognition grant.
The recognition grant is awarded independently of the residence permit. However, applicants must have been resident in Germany for at least three months on a regular and not just on a temporary basis. The most appropriate form of evidence is the certificate of registration from the Residents’ Registration Office (Einwohnermelderamt). It is not possible to apply from abroad.
Share this page:
By sharing this content, you agree that your information will be transferred to the respective service and that you have read the Privacy Policy
Vocational education and training is training in a specific regulated profession. In vocational education and training, trainees learn all of the vocational knowledge and skills required. There are 2 types of vocational education and training:
The school-based vocational education and training takes place in a full-time vocational school or an alternative type of vocational school. School-based training occupations exist in the areas of technology, health and nursery education. Such occupations include, for example:
Registered general nurse
Nursery teacher
State-certified IT technical engineer
Vocational education and training in Germany takes 2 to 3.5 years. This depends on the occupation but also on the school leaving certificate. The duration of training is often shorter in the case of the upper secondary school-leaving certificate.
German: Anerkennung
Also: Anerkennung der Berufsqualifikation, Gleichwertigkeitsfeststellung, Gleichwertigkeit
In this case recognition means that a foreign professional qualification is legally equivalent to a German professional qualification. This means that the foreign professional qualification is recognised in Germany. The equivalence is valid for a specific German reference occupation.
A foreign professional qualification is only partially equivalent to the German reference occupation. The reason for this is that there are substantial differences between the foreign professional qualification and the German professional qualification.
In this case, there are two options in order to still achieve full recognition:
A foreign professional qualification is not equivalent to the German reference occupation. The reason for this is that the differences between the foreign professional qualification and the German reference occupation are too great.
An statement of comparability for foreign higher education qualifications is a document from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). The document describes a higher-education qualification from abroad.
The recognition procedures are only for higher-education qualifications which lead to a regulated profession. For those higher-education qualifications which lead to a non-regulated profession there is the statement of comparability. An statement of comparability compares the foreign qualifications with the German qualification following a degree. The assessment of higher education certificates gives information about the vocational and academic opportunities provided by the qualification.
The statement of comparability is requested from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
For the recognition procedure, the competent authority requires certificates and other documents relating to the content and duration of the professional qualification. Certificates and other documents relating to professional experience are also important.
Professional qualifications are qualifications for which evidence of training is provided by means of evidence of formal qualifications or qualification certificates These lead to a clearly defined profession. Evidence of a professional qualification may also be provided by professional experience gained in Germany or abroad.
These are examples of professional qualifications:
The recognition procedure exists for professional qualifications from abroad. This checks the equivalence of the vocational qualification.
Recognition procedures for higher education qualifications exist only for higher education qualifications leading to a regulated profession. For example: Dentist
There is no recognition procedure for higher education qualifications which do not lead to a regulated profession. The statement of comparability exists for these higher education qualifications. This is the case, for example, for geologists.
For those individuals who do not receive full recognition, these differences are specified in the recognition notice. They are called substantial differences.
A skills analysis is a particular way of providing evidence of a professional qualification. This evidence is provided subject to the following conditions:
Practical evidence of vocational knowledge and skills is provided in a skills analysis. For example: Work sample, professional discussion or trial work in a company.
The individual must not be at fault themselves for the loss of their documents. The competent authority may require the individual to take an oath on this. The skills analysis is in the Professional Qualifications Assessment Act and in the Crafts and Trades Regulation Code.
The competent authority conducts the knowledge test.
The knowledge test relates to the content of a German state final examination. All the content of such a final examination may be tested. However it is not essential that all content is examined.
The following is examined in an aptitude test: Knowledge and skills which are important in the German reference occupation and for which no evidence is provided by documents.
The aptitude test takes into account the professional qualification. An aptitude test is not a new final examination. In an aptitude test, only those areas are tested in which substantial differences have been established.
An adaptation period is a compensation measure for regulated professions. An individual trains in the areas they are lacking for recognition of a foreign professional qualification. Successful participation enables the individual to compensate for the substantial differences compared to the German reference occupation. The individual is then still able to receive full recognition of their foreign professional qualification.
During an adaptation period, the individual works in the relevant regulated profession. They are supervised by a person qualified in this profession. For example by someone who is a registered general nurse in a hospital.
The adaptation period is sometimes also additional training. An adaptation period lasts for a maximum of three years. The duration depends on which differences are specified in the recognition notice and on what the individual still has to learn.
The professional title is the name of a profession. Some professional title may only be used with state authorisation for use of the professional title. These professions include for example:
Engineer
Physiotherapist
and other professions in the healthcare sector.
Approbation (licence to practise medicine in Germany)
Approbation is official state authorisation to practice. With an approbation, individuals are permitted to work permanently and without restrictionsin an academic medical profession in Germany. For example:
Authorisation to practice a profession is permission from one of the official competent authorities to work in a profession. Or authorisation from an official competent authority permitting use of a specific designation of occupation.
Authorisation to practice must be applied for from the competent authority. The individual is only permitted to work in the profession if they have been granted the authorisation to practice.
An authorisation to practice a profession includes for example:
This applies to professions in the trades or crafts which require a license. Only then is the individual permitted to refer to themselves as a master craftsperson or to start to trade or establish a business themselves.
The competent authority provides information regarding professions within their area of jurisdiction involving authorisation to practice.
User data is collected from you whenever you visit this site. To find out how the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) handles your data and the purpose of processing your data please refer to our statement on data protection.
By sharing this content, you agree that your information will be transferred to the respective service and that you have read the Privacy Policy