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In 2024, as in previous years, regulated medical professions dominate the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications in Germany. The success rate for positive recognition (full equivalence) in regulated professions ranges between 25 and 74 per cent, with minor deviations. The highest proportion of notices on full equivalence were issued for metal technology specialists (non-regulated profession) and industrial electronics technicians (non-regulated profession), each with 76 per cent. Among the regulated professions, it is geriatric nurses with 74 per cent.

The majority of applications for recognition are filed by foreign general care nurses. Further professions we selected for a detailed overview are doctors, office clerks, electronics technicians and motor vehicle mechatronics technicians. The range of countries of origin is enormous. Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked first with 1.518 applications processed.

The majority of recognition notifications is granted to the applicants from Romania. The majority of the recognition notifications are issued for the regulated professions, especially general care nurse and doctor. There are much fewer notifications issued for the non-regulated professions such as office clerks and electrical systems technician.

In 2022, as in previous years, the medical regulated professions will predominate in the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications in Germany. For the regulated professions, the rate of positive recognition ranges between 35 and 65 percent, except of the profession of the profession of geriatric nurse, which has a low success rate of 19 percent. The highest rate of decisions of full equivalence for the non-regulated professions was issued for cook, at 81 percent. This is immediately followed by the professions of restaurant specialist, industrial electricians, specialist for metal technology, and electrical systems technician with over 60 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.

The BQ-Portal had the opportunity to present the results of the study “Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Company Perspective” in Brussels twice in a row. First, the IW office in Brussels invited participants to the European Economic and Social Committee to discuss the results with representatives of the EU Commission and other European stakeholders. In addition, Members of the European Parliament, Nela Riehl and Brigitte van den Berg, invited participants for an exchange on the question: How can the transferability of qualifications within Europe be improved?

The majority of applications for recognition are filed by foreign doctors wishing to have their license to practice medicine recognized. The range of countries of origin is enormous. Romania ranks first with 561 applications processed. Syria, a non-European country, ranked second, followed by Austria. Some 400 applications processed were filed by those trained in Egypt.

In this section you will find answers to frequently asked questions about professional recognition. The section is focused on the perspective of companies accompanying the recognition process.