Getting a diploma recognized can be a difficult task in some cases. In general, regardless of where one has acquired one’s qualifications, has learned one’s profession or important competences for one’s professional activity, one is entitled to the recognition of one’s knowledge, experience and competences for a further professional activity in Germany.
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How can I get my diploma recognized?
Recognition of foreign education
Recognition diploma – This question does not concern everyone? For example, school leaving certificates or certificates of academic achievements can be evaluated as well. In each federal state in Germany different authorities are responsible for the recognition. In most federal states there are educational portals where you can find further information about the federal state:
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Bildungsportal des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Brandenburg: Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport
- Saxony: Bildungsportal Sachsen
- Saxony-Anhalt: Bildungsserver Sachsen-Anhalt
- Bavaria: Bildungsportal Bayern
- Baden-Wuerttemberg: Bildungs- und Wissensportal Baden-Württemberg
There might be different authorities responsible for each area.
Recognition of foreign university degrees – is not obligatory
Certain foreign diplomas do not need any formal recognition by authorities in order to get a job in Germany. However, it is important to take into account that the recognition increases the chances of an application or further education, PhD positions etc. Some employers pay the costs for the recognition for the employee. An evaluation of a certificate in German is often decisive for the application. In some cases, recognition is obligatory, for example if you would like to work in a health care profession (or to study medicine in Germany), in engineering or pedagogical professions.
Which qualifications should be recognized?
Depending on the certificate and the degree, there are different procedures – each foreign certificate is checked and compared with a German qualification. The following degrees can be recognised:
School-leaving qualifications: If you would like to apply for a place at a university, uni-assist takes care of the recognition.
Degrees and academic titles: If your degree belongs to a regulated profession, recognition is necessary. For a non-regulated profession it is not necessary but recommended to increase the chances of an application.
Social pedagogical and teaching degrees: If you would like to work as a teacher in Germany, your certificate should be checked, and equivalence assessed. Often additional exams, state examinations and internships are required as prerequisites for the acceptance.
Professional qualifications: You can find out from the competent professional chambers whether your profession is regulated or non-regulated. Then you can decide whether a formal recognition procedure is necessary.
Important links for diploma recognition:
- anabin – Database for the evaluation of foreign educational certificates
- MYSKILLS – Recognizing professional skills, available in German, English, Arabian, Farsi, Russian and Turkish.
- BAMF – Migration counselling centers throughout Germany
- ALEX – Online lexicon for the promotion program “Integration through qualification (IQ)”