Costs and financial support
How much does the recognition process cost and what funding is available for the assessment process?
Costs for the recognition process
The assessment process is subject to a fee based on schedules established by the relevant assessment authorities and different states. The fee varies greatly depending on the amount of work involved in completing the assessment process, the individual situation, and the reference profession.
For your guidance, a number of examples are given below, showing the rates for applications submitted to:
- a chamber of crafts: €100 EUR - €600
- Hanover and Braunschweig Chambers of Commerce and Industry: € 300
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foreign Skills Approval (IHK FOSA) or Wuppertal-Solingen-Remscheid Chamber of Industry and Commerce: ca. € 550
- Westfalen-Lippe Medical Chamber: € 125
In addition to the application fee, applicants must meet the costs for translations and certified copies. Should it prove necessary to provide additional documents evidencing the contents or duration of foreign professional training programs, the overall cost will be higher. If these documents are not available, other processes incurring additional costs for the applicant, such as technical discussions, work samples, theory examinations or expert surveys, may be used instead. Depending on the assessment authority, an applicant will be required to pay the fees at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the recognition procedure.
Those who are granted only partial equivalence and would like to obtain full equivalence should bear in mind the costs for the additional training necessary (compensation measures).
Financial support at the federal level
Here you can find out what funding is available at the federal level for the recognition process and additional training.
Recognition grant
In December 2016 a new funding directive for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications came into force. Those who lack sufficient financial resources and especially those employed to do jobs below their level of qualification can benefit from this new financial aid. Thereby the costs for translations, authentication of credentials as well as costs for the recognition procedures, qualification analyses, costs for obtaining the sufficient documents and travel costs can be covered. The new funding guideline, which is in force since 1 October 2019, provides additionally funding for certificate evaluations from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). More information on this financial aid you will find at Recognition in Germany.
A pilot project within the framework of the recognition grant funds qualification of those who received a recognition notification about partial equivalence or imposing a compensatory measure if they are seeking full equivalence. The pilot project started on 1.1.2020 with a duration of two years. Funding for the qualification measures to get full equivalence is limited to a maximum of € 3,000 gross per person. The number of funding cases is capped by a limited budget. The qualification funding will be tested primarily in selected occupations and occupational areas.
Federal Employment Agency
The Federal Employment Agency covers the costs of a recognition procedure under certain conditions for applicants with foreign professional qualifications who already live in Germany.
WeGebAU (Weiterbildung Geringqualifizierter und -beschäftigter älterer Arbeitnehmer in Unternehmen) is a program for funding training measures targeting low-qualified and older employees. Your company may be able to apply such funding to the needs of staff with qualifications obtained abroad. Refugees can profit from the programm "Kooperationsmodell mit berufsanschlussfähiger Weiterbildung" Kommit.
Companies may apply to the Federal Employment Agency for funding for additional training measures. Applications from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly welcome.
German language courses
Work-related German language courses may also be eligible for funding from the European Social Fund (ESF). The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) provides comprehensive information on this issue [in German].
The qualification analyses performed in case the submitted documents are not sufficient for the recognition process can be also subsidised provided it is a case of hardship: Project "Prototyping Transfer"
Financial aid of the association "Gewerkschaften helfen"
Refugees can also profit from the individual funding of the association "Gewerkschaften helfen", in case other funding options are not available. The application schould be made to local counselling by IQ.
