Search results

New Destatis figures show that last year, more foreign vocational qualifications were recognised than in previous years,. Especially against the backdrop of demographic change and the corona crisis, Germany is dependent on skilled workers from abroad.

On this page, companies can find information about the Skilled Workers Immigration Act (FEG), the recognition potentials of vocational diplomas from selected focus countries, practical examples of successful recruitment from abroad as well as contact points for companies.

In this section, you can get an overview of the qualifications of refugees in Germany. Our compact country overviews provide you with information on education and vocational training in the main countries of origin and contact points for all aspects of integration of refugees in companies.

With the help of adaptation qualification, the significant differences leading to only partial equivalence can be compensated in cases of non-regulated professions. This section shows the adaptation qualification in greater detail.

More than 70 percent of the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications obtained in EU member states end with a full equivalence. The positive recognition rate for the Netherlands is the highest as it reaches 94 percent. It is followed by Austria, Latvia, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

The share of applicants granted full equivalence in Germany varies widely by individual professions and by professional groups. The proportion of applicants who received full equivalence is especially high in the sales and healthcare sectors.

More than 65 percent of the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications obtained in EU member states end with a full equivalence. The positive recognition rate for Austria and the Czech Republic is the highest as it reaches 93 percent. It is followed by the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia.

In 2023, as in previous years, the regulated medical professions dominated in the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications in Germany. For the regulated professions, the rate of positive recognition ranged between 25 and 66 percent. The highest rate of decisions on full equivalence for the non-regulated professions was issued for kitchen specialists, at 89 percent.

As in 2021, the highest number of applications came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by the Philippines, Serbia, and Syria. The Netherlands has the highest positive recognition rate in 2022 with at 94 percent, closely followed by Latvia, as well as Hungary, Switzerland, Lithuania, Austria and the Czech Republic, which also have positive recognition rates of over 90 percent.