Recognition of foreign professional qualifications

Information on professional qualifications attained abroad

Statutory right to an equivalence assessment procedure

Since 01/04/2012, the Vocational Qualifications Assessment Law (BQFG) has guaranteed all persons who have attained a professional qualification in an officially recognised profession abroad a legal right to a determination procedure to assess the equivalence of this qualification with the corresponding profession in Germany. Nationality and residence status are irrelevant for the application for this equivalence assessment, i.e. applications can also be made from abroad. This law makes it easier for skilled workers who have learned a profession abroad to gain access to the German labour market. It also helps them to find employment that corresponds to their individual qualifications.

Jurisdiction of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK)

The IHK has jurisdiction solely over dual training professions, as well as professional training qualifications in the industrial, trade, catering and service provision sectors. The IHK FOSA (Foreign Skills Approval), located in Nuremberg, is the central office responsible for assessing equivalence for the above professions and for processing the entire procedure.

The procedure

After receipt of the application, the IHK FOSA will confirm receipt and review the completeness of the documents; other documents may need to be subsequently submitted.
You can find the necessary documents in the download area under ‘IHK FOSA – applications, forms, information’.
The IHK FOSA will only start the equivalence assessment procedure after receiving payment, and will use the documents provided to evaluate whether there are significant differences between the foreign professional qualification and the corresponding German profession. If this is the case, the IHK FOSA will determine whether these can be compensated for with proven work experience or evidence of further formal qualifications (e.g. advanced training courses). The IHK FOSA will issue an official and legally compliant notification on the result of the review, in which the qualifications provided and any missing qualifications will be listed.

Advantages of the equivalence assessment

If you have your professional qualifications assessed, this has numerous advantages:
  • A notification issued by the IHK FOSA gives applicants an official and legally reliable document that certifies the extent to which the foreign qualifications comply with the comparable German profession.
  • The notification makes it easier for employers to assess the qualifications of an application and improves the odds of success when looking for jobs
  • Should the assessment reveal full equivalence between the foreign professional qualification and the corresponding German profession, legal equivalence will be made with a holder of the German reference qualification.
  • The detailed list of provided or missing qualifications in the notification allows for targeted professional training and post-qualifications.

Required documents for applications

  • Completed application form
  • Tabular listing, in German, of completed training courses and professional activities undertaken
  • Proof of identity (identity card or passport), single copy
  • Proof of professional qualification attained abroad, certified and translated by an officially authorised or sworn translator in Germany or abroad.
  • Proof of relevant professional experience/practice (e.g. work record cards, reports), generally single copies and translated by an officially authorised or sworn translator in Germany or abroad.
  • Other proof of skills (e.g. certificates for professional training, retraining), generally single copies and translated by an officially authorised or sworn translator in Germany or abroad.
  • Proof of employment or business intention (e.g. copy of entry visa, correspondence with potential employers, business concept) – NOT for EU/EEA/Swiss nationals or persons resident in Germany/EU/EEA/Switzerland, provided there are no special reasons against employment

Fees

The fee scale is between €100 and 600. The actual fees are based on procedure costs arising in individual cases, which can vary greatly depending on profession and country. The expected costs for most cases will be between approximately €350.00 and 450.00. Should documents be missing and if it can be credibly ascertained that they cannot be produced through no fault of the applicant, it is possible under § 14 BQFG to make use of other procedures such as technical discussions, work samples, theoretical examinations or expert opinions in addition to the documents provided. Should the applicant take advantage of such a procedure, additional costs will be charged for it.

Duration of the procedure

From 01/12/2012, the procedure must be completed within three months in accordance with § 6 para. 3 BQFG. Currently, however, longer processing times may be experienced until all steps within the procedure have been implemented.

Contact for advice

The local IHK is available to provide initial advice to individuals. The local advisers will go through all the documentation with the applicants and help to identify the appropriate German professional qualification to be used as a comparator in the equivalence assessment.