Germany
The Approbation for a doctor trained outside the EU: a state-level equivalence check, the knowledge test if gaps remain, and German at B2 with medical German at C1.
✓ Last verified 17 September 2026
- Regulator
- The health authority of each German state (Land) — for example LAGeSo in Berlin or the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe in Hamburg — official site
- Route for an Indian MBBS graduate
- Apply to the competent authority of the state where you intend to work for the Approbation, the full licence to practise. The authority checks whether your training is equivalent to German medical training. If substantial differences cannot be made up, you can take a knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) instead.
- Examinations
- Knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung): an oral-practical examination based on the German final medical examination, taken where equivalence cannot be established
- Specialist medical language test at level C1 (in Berlin, run by the Berlin Medical Association)
- English requirement
- Not English: German at level B2, plus medical German at level C1.
- Credential verification
- The state authority assesses the equivalence of the training as part of the Approbation procedure.
- Documents named by the regulator
- Application form and CV
- Proof of identity and birth certificate
- Criminal record certificates, from Germany and from the home country or country of study
- Certificate of good standing
- Medical certificate of fitness
- Evidence of medical education
- German language certificate (B2) and specialist language test (C1)
- Officially certified copies of documents
Apply in the state where you will work
The Approbation, Germany’s full licence to practise medicine, is granted by the competent authority of a German state (Land), not by one national body. The two sources on this page describe two of those authorities: the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo) in Berlin, and the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe in Hamburg. Both cite the same federal law: the Federal Medical Code (Bundesärzteordnung, from § 2) and the Licensing Regulations for Doctors (Approbationsordnung für Ärzte).
Equivalence first, then the knowledge test
The authority first checks whether your training is equivalent to German medical training. The Hamburg entry on the federal portal says that if you cannot make up the substantial differences, you can take a knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung). Berlin describes it as an oral-practical examination based on the German final medical examination. Passing it, with the other requirements met, leads to the licence.
Language
Both authorities require:
- general German at level B2
- medical German at level C1, shown through a specialist language test. In Berlin this test is run by the Berlin Medical Association.
Berlin notes that the language certificates need not accompany the first application, but are required before the licence is granted.
Fees and time — Berlin
- Fee: EUR 430.00
- Processing time: about three to four months, once all documents are complete
The Hamburg entry states only that the authority informs applicants of costs, and that processing time depends on the individual case.
Not yet recorded here: fees and procedures in the other states, and the rules on a temporary permission to practise while the Approbation is pending.
Changes to this page
- Page published
Sources
- Apply for an approbation to practise as a doctor (third country) government portal
- Approbation Ärztin oder Arzt mit Berufsqualifikation aus Drittstaat beantragen government portal
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