The procedure

The reference profession refers to the profession in Germany with which a foreign professional qualification is compared. The equivalence of the two professions will be assessed on the basis of established criteria. Before an application for recognition of the foreign professional qualification can be made, the reference profession must first be determined.

The foreign professional qualification is considered equivalent if it does not differ significantly from the German reference profession and thus enables the exercise of a comparable professional activity. Full agreement is not required. For example, in the case of minor differences, relevant professional experience is also strongly taken into account.

In order to determine your reference profession, you can find information or contact persons on the following websites:

• The information portal on the recognition of foreign educational qualifications (anabin) provides information on the evaluation of foreign educational qualifications. It also helps to classify a foreign qualification in the German education system.
• The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) is the central body for the assessment of foreign qualifications throughout Germany. These include school, professional and university qualifications.
• The Foreign Skills Approval (FOSSA) of the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHK) is responsible for the examination and recognition of foreign professional qualifications. IHK and HWK (Chambers of Crafts) advise on which German professional qualification best corresponds to your foreign professional qualification.
• The BQ-Portal is an information portal for foreign professional qualifications and is operated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
• The hotline ‘Working and living in Germany’ of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees answers your questions about professional recognition in German and English. For further information, please call [+49 30 1815-1111 ] (tel:0049301815-1111)Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The IQ network offers a wide range of services. The main focus is on advising on the recognition of diplomas obtained abroad and advising on qualifications in the context of the recognition laws of the federal and state governments.

Applicants for recognition must contact the body responsible for their profession to verify the equivalence of their foreign professional qualification.

There is no central body in NRW that carries out the recognition procedures. You can find out which body is responsible for your application in the recognition finder of the portal [“Recognition in Germany”] (https://www.anognition-in-deutschland.de/en/interest/finder/profession). If you are unsure, please contact the [office of the NRW Single Point of Contact] (/help/single point of contact/).

An overview list of the bodies responsible for recognition in North Rhine-Westphalia can be found in the brochures ‘Wegweiser NRW für die Recognition’ of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and ‘Wegweiser Akkreditierung2 NRW’ of the IQ Network.

With one exception, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce have transferred the implementation of the recognition procedures for their professional qualifications to the FOSSA Chamber of Industry and Commerce. On the website of the IHK FOSSA you will find further information as well as the application for professional recognition for download.
The Wuppertal Chamber of Industry and Commerce conducts its recognition procedures independently. Here you will find information on the procedure for determining the equivalence of foreign professional qualifications at the Wuppertal Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Applicants for recognition must contact the body responsible for their profession to verify the equivalence of their foreign professional qualification. As a rule, you will need the following documents:

• tabular list of your completed training courses and professional activities
• Indication of your current place of residence
• Proof of identity
• evidence of formal qualifications acquired abroad
• Evidence of relevant professional experience or other evidence of formal qualifications required to establish equivalence
• Explanation of whether and to which body you have already submitted an application for equivalence
• if applicable, a decision on the determination of equivalence

Depending on the profession, additional documents may be required. You can ask the competent body whether this is the case for your profession and which documents are required. The Office of the Single Point of Contact is also happy to help you clarify the matter.

Often these documents must be submitted in the original or as a certified copy to the competent authorities. However, according to the BQFG, documents of EU citizens can in principle also be transmitted electronically. As a rule, all documents must be submitted in German. If the documents are written in another language, the competent authorities may also require a translation from publicly appointed [translators] (https://www.justiz-interpretscher.de/Recherche/).

For recognition, the competent body checks on the basis of the submitted documents whether or to what extent your foreign qualification corresponds to a German qualification for the profession you have chosen. This review is based on established formal criteria, such as the content and duration of the training. Your relevant professional experience will be taken into account as well as other relevant qualifications.

The competent body will confirm receipt of the application within one month. The competent body must normally decide on equivalence within three months. The period begins with the receipt of the complete documents. It may be extended if justified by the specific nature of the matter.

Applications and forms can be found on the website of the relevant competent body. The Office of the Single Point of Contact will be happy to help you clarify the matter.

The cost of the procedure varies. Sie hängen vom Aufwand im jeweiligen Fall ab und richten sich nach den gesetzlichen Regelungen für den jeweiligen Beruf. The responsible body determines the exact costs individually and informs you about them.

Additional costs may also be incurred (e.g. for translations and certifications or compensatory measures). These costs are individually different.

The starting point for determining the equivalence of professional qualifications under the Professional Qualifications Determination Act (Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz - BQFG) is always the German profession and not the profession of the home country. Therefore, it must first be clarified in which German profession you can work with your foreign professional qualification. Different bodies are responsible for this clarification.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, there is no central body that carries out the recognition procedures. Therefore, after identifying your reference profession, you must first find out which institution is responsible for that reference profession. You then submit your application to this institution.