Anyone who has completed their medical studies abroad and wishes to practise in Germany as a physician requires an Approbation (permanent licence to practise) or a Berufserlaubnis (temporary licence). The recognition procedure is demanding and requires careful preparation of all supporting documents — in particular the certified translation of all academic and professional records by a translator authorised by a German Higher Regional Court.
Our services for your Approbation procedure
As an authorised translator and sworn interpreter appointed by the President of the Higher Regional Court of Cologne (Oberlandesgericht Köln), I provide certified translations — recognised by all German authorities — of the following documents:
- Diplomas and professional licences (Approbation) from your country of origin
- Curriculum descriptions (Descriptifs) and teaching hours (Volumina horaire)
- Academic transcripts (Relevés de notes) for each year of study
- Clinical internship certificates (Famulatur) and validations
- Birth certificates, civil status records and police clearance certificates
- Anthropometric records, apostilles and other documents required by the authorities
Language combinations: Arabic · French · Tamazight → German
Competent authorities by federal state (Land)
Responsibility for recognising foreign medical qualifications generally lies with the authority of the federal state in which you wish to practise. Below is the list of competent authorities with their respective websites (status 2025/2026, based on the official list of the German Medical Association, Bundesärztekammer):
- Baden-Württemberg — Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Referat 98
rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de - Bayern — Regierung von Oberbayern, ZAABY (zentral seit 01.07.2025)
regierung.oberbayern.bayern.de - Berlin — Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo)
berlin.de/lageso - Brandenburg — Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Verbraucherschutz und Gesundheit (LAVG)
lavg.brandenburg.de - Bremen — Senatorin für Gesundheit, Frauen und Verbraucherschutz
gesundheit.bremen.de - Hamburg — Behörde für Arbeit, Gesundheit, Soziales und Verbraucherschutz
hamburg.de/lpa - Hessen — Hessisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Pflege (HLfGP)
hlfgp.hessen.de - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGuS)
lagus.mv-regierung.de - Niedersachsen — Niedersächsischer Zweckverband zur Approbationserteilung (NiZzA)
nizza.niedersachsen.de - Nordrhein-Westfalen — Bezirksregierung Münster, Zentrale Anerkennungsstelle
bezreg-muenster.de - Rheinland-Pfalz — Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Versorgung (LSJV)
lsjv.rlp.de - Saarland — Landesamt für Soziales (LAS)
saarland.de/las - Sachsen — Landesdirektion Sachsen
lds.sachsen.de - Sachsen-Anhalt — Landesverwaltungsamt, Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe
lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de - Schleswig-Holstein — Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Soziales und Gesundheit (LASG)
schleswig-holstein.de/LASG - Thüringen — Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt
landesverwaltungsamt.thueringen.de
Central federal portal
The central portal Anerkennung in Deutschland offers a recognition finder and comprehensive guidance on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications:
➜ www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de
Important notice
The competences and procedures listed are subject to change. Please always check the current details on the respective authorities’ websites. For application forms, deadlines and fees, please contact the competent recognition authority directly.
Contact
Do you need certified translations for your Approbation procedure? I support you with my extensive experience in medical translation.