Recognition procedure

The procedure for qualification recognition

In the recognition procedure, the existing vocational qualification is compared with the German vocational qualification. For this purpose, the interested party must contact the office responsible for their occupational group1. Under recognition in Germany there is a practical „recognition finder“. If the relevant occupation and, ideally, the desired place of work are entered here, information is provided on where and how one can have their occupation recognized2.

Attention! The recognition procedure incurs costs, which is why it is essential that applicants inform themselves beforehand of the amount to be determined at the respective office. If the applicant is looking for work or receives social benefits, the costs can be covered by government agencies under certain circumstances.

After the relevant documents are available, it is checked whether there are significant differences between the existing vocational qualification and the German qualification or whether the acquired qualifications are congruent.

There are no significant differences

If no major differences are found in the comparison of degrees, the asylum seeker shall receive a certificate of full equivalence. If he/she wishes to practice a regulated profession, he/she will receive professional accreditation.

There are considerable differences
If deviations are found in the comparison of the foreign and German degrees, it can subsequently be examined whether the missing qualifications can be offset by the applicant’s professional experience or other evidence. If necessary, a qualification analysis can also be carried out by work samples or technical discussions.

If the applicant intends to pursue a regulated profession, their will first receive an official decision in which the differences between his existing qualification and the German vocational qualification are described in detail. This enables the applicant to apply for suitable further training or to consult the employer directly. Depending on the occupation, deficits can be compensated for by qualification measures or technical examinations. 3

Footnotes

  1. http://www.bamf.de/DE/Willkommen/ArbeitBeruf/Anerkennung/Anerkennungsverfahren/anerkennungsverfahren-node.html
  2. https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/de/
  3. http://www.bamf.de/DE/Willkommen/ArbeitBeruf/Anerkennung/Anerkennungsverfahren/anerkennungsverfahren-node.html

Project Partners

Casework is a cooperation between the Innovation in Learning Institute (ILI), the ECC Association for Interdisciplinary Consulting and Education, the INTRGEA Institute for Development of Human Potentials, and Oxfam Italy. More info…