What to bear in mind with foreign university degrees
You can work in Germany with a foreign university degree if you hold a certificate of recognition for your medical qualification. You will find detailed information on this in our sections “Professions requiring recognition” and “Recognition procedure”.
For academics or members of non-regulated professions, recognition of a foreign qualification is as a rule not required. If you wish to work in Germany as a non-EU citizen, however, you have to show an equivalent university degree in order to acquire German citizenship or obtain a Blue Card. There are various ways of having that equivalence confirmed:
Assessment through the Anabin database
The Anabin database is an official database of the German education system, run by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). The abbreviation “Anabin” stands for “Anerkennung und Bewertung ausländischer Bildungsnachweise” — the recognition and assessment of foreign educational credentials.
The Anabin database holds information on education systems and educational institutions from more than 180 countries worldwide. It serves as a reference tool for assessing foreign educational qualifications in Germany and so supports the recognition of foreign qualifications in Germany.
The database contains information on academic degrees, higher education entrance qualifications, school-leaving qualifications and professional qualifications. On the basis of this information, employers, higher education institutions, authorities and individuals can judge the equivalence of foreign educational qualifications with German ones and set the necessary steps towards recognition in motion.
Individual assessment of certificates
The assessment of your certificate is an important document: it evaluates your foreign university degrees and determines the level of German qualification to which your foreign degree is equivalent for the purposes of German recognition. You can apply for an individual certificate assessment at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) in Bonn. If your higher education institution is listed in the Anabin database with an “H+” but your certificate itself is not recorded, you should apply for an individual certificate assessment.
An individual assessment of your certificate can be to your advantage when applying for a post, changing jobs or negotiating salary. Employers in Germany can place your foreign university degree more easily if you present a certificate assessment for the recognition of your foreign qualification. The certificate assessment can also be useful when applying for a visa.
Information on the assessment procedure, including a list of the documents required and the costs, can be found on the ZAB website. Or do get in touch with CareLend for free advice on the assessment procedure and on the equivalence assessment. You will find all our contacts here.
Please note that the processing time for the assessment is three months, provided all the required documents — such as certificates of recognition for medical qualifications — have been submitted. If you apply for an individual certificate assessment in order to obtain an EU Blue Card, the processing time is 14 days, provided you submit a copy of your employment contract.