Health professions; application for permission to use the professional title.
If you want to practice an activity under a protected professional title in Germany, you need a permit.
Description
You need the permit if you wish to exercise an activity under one of the protected professional titles listed in alphabetical order in the Federal Republic of Germany.
- Anesthesiological assistant
- Dietician
- Occupational therapist
- Midwife
- Speech therapist
- Masseur and medical bath attendant
- Medical technician for functional diagnostics
- Medical technologist for functional diagnostics
- Medical technical laboratory assistant
- Medical technologist for laboratory analysis
- Medical technologist in radiology
- Medical technologist for radiology
- Surgical assistant
- Orthoptist
- Pharmaceutical technical assistant
- Physiotherapist
- Podiatrist, podiatrist, medical chiropodist
- Veterinary medical technical assistant
The use of the professional titles is subject to authorization, but not the professional activity. The protection of the occupational title also provides a certain degree of protection for the practice of the respective occupation, since qualified health care professionals are generally employed. For individual health care professions, the activity as such is also protected in addition to the job title: In the field of obstetrics (midwives) as well as in the professions of medical-technical assistants and nursing specialists, certain activities are reserved for holders of the permit.
Prerequisites
The most important prerequisites are:
You have fully completed vocational or university training (proof) and passed the final examination.
If you have not been trained in accordance with the law applicable in the Federal Republic of Germany,
- the equivalence of your level of training or knowledge according to the German training and examination regulations applicable to the respective profession is generally required
- proof of good knowledge of the German language is required (level CEFR B2).
Reliability
You have not been guilty of any behavior that would make you unreliable for exercising the profession (certificate of good conduct).
Health suitability
You are fit to exercise the profession from a health point of view (medical certificate).
Special notes
General jurisdiction:
In Bavaria, the seven district governments are responsible for issuing professional licenses, depending on where you live or work.
Information on the documents to be submitted can be found in the application forms below; further information can be obtained from the district governments.
Introduction of a technical language examination for foreign degrees in the health professions:
In Bavaria, proof of the German language skills required to practice the profession will in future be provided by the so-called technical language examination for persons who have not completed their training in German. This will be introduced successively in the individual health professions.
In the case of applications submitted in the listed professions after the relevant deadline, a specialist language examination must generally be taken as proof of the required language skills.
Physiotherapist: application received 1.5.2022
Occupational therapist: application received 1.5.2022
Further deadlines and more detailed information can be found in the "Further links" tab under the keyword "Specialized language examination - Bavarian State Office for Nursing (LfP)".
If you require a specialist language examination, the respective government will refer you to the Bavarian State Office for Nursing, which organizes the specialist language examination in Bavaria, in the permit procedure.
Deadlines
There are no deadlines to meet.
Forms
Please select a location in "Localization" so that the address of the responsible authority can be filled in.
Fees
The costs range from EUR 40 to EUR 500, depending on the effort required in each individual case.
Those interested in recognition who have only limited financial resources of their own can apply for a grant for professional recognition. Information on applying for the recognition grant can be found under "Further links".
In addition, there may be fees for taking the professional language exam. The examination fee is EUR 350.
Links to more information
Status: 24.05.2023
Responsible for editing: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege
- Online transactions, Bavaria-wide
- Online transactions, locally limited
- Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, locally limited
- Fees, Bavaria-wide
- Fees, locally limited
If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.