Regulated professions
All information on regulated professions and professional licenses in Germany.
Here you learn ...
what regulated professions are
how to obtain a professional license
what the difference is to the professional title permit
how regulated professions receive recognition
Table of Content
1. Regulated professions
2. Regulated professions list
2.1 BERUFE.NET Federal Employment Agency
2.2 Regulated professions
3. Professional license
3.1 Residence permit for regulated professions
3.2 Professional title permit
4. Obtain a professional license (recognition in Germany)
5. Conclusion on regulated professions
1. Regulated professions
Regulated professions play a central role in many industries, particularly in healthcare, law, engineering, and education. Anyone wishing to work in a regulated profession in Germany requires state recognition or professional licensing . This regulation ensures that the practice of the profession complies with certain legal requirements and that professionals have the necessary qualifications, degrees, and professional experience.
For foreign skilled workers, this means that they must undergo a recognition process before starting work in Germany if they wish to practice a regulated profession. This article explains which professions are considered regulated, how the recognition process works, and what legal requirements must be met to work in Germany.
2. Regulated professions list
2.1 BERUFE.NET Federal Employment Agency
Whether a profession is regulated or not (i.e., whether a state professional license is required or not) can be found on the online portal of the Federal Employment Agency . On the BERUFE.NET website, you can research every regulated profession, including the respective regulatory requirements. Simply enter your profession in the search box, and BERUFE.NET will then show you whether your profession requires a special license or is regulated.
2.2 Regulated professions
As a general rule of thumb, at least the following professions are regulated and therefore require a special state permit:
all doctors, pharmacists and nursing professions
Architects, engineers and structural engineers
Lawyers, tax advisors and other legal service providers
teachers and educators
A complete list of regulated professions can also be found on the website of the Berlin administration .
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3. Professional license
3.1 Residence permits for regulated professions
If you wish to practice a regulated profession in Germany, you will need a professional practice permit. Without this professional practice permit, you cannot obtain a visa or a residence permit to work as a member of a regulated profession ( Section 18 (2) No. 3 of the Residence Act ). Members of regulated professions cannot be granted a settlement permit without a professional practice permit (see Section 9 (2) Sentence 1 No. 6 of the Residence Act ).
3.2 Professional title permit
However, a professional practice permit must be distinguished from a professional title permit . A professional title permit is an official authorization that allows foreign specialists to use a protected professional title in Germany . Unlike a professional practice permit, however, a professional title permit only protects the use of the professional title, not the actual practice of the activity. For example, according to Section 1 of the IngG ( Ingenieurgesetz - IngG), engineers must meet certain requirements to call themselves “engineer.” However, if the engineers do not call themselves engineers, but rather, for example, “project manager,” the same activity can be performed without a permit. The same applies in the healthcare sector if the title in the employment contract is, for example, “health care manager.”
4. Obtain a professional license (recognition in Germany)
To obtain a professional license in Germany, different requirements must be met depending on the profession. Since different authorities are responsible for each professional group, different requirements apply, and different documents must be submitted, a complete description of the application processes for professional license applications cannot be provided here.
However, the recognition process for a professional practice permit for foreign skilled workers can be completed relatively quickly and easily via the official government website www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de . The website provides all the necessary tools to find the right reference occupation, obtain advice from government officials, submit the recognition application, and ultimately receive the professional practice permit.
Summary of this Page
Regulated professions in Germany are subject to specific legal requirements and require state recognition or a professional practice permit. Foreign skilled workers, in particular, must undergo a recognition process before starting work in order to be permitted to work in professions such as medicine, engineering, law, or education. Anyone wishing to work in a regulated profession can find all relevant information and a comprehensive list of regulated professions on BERUFE.NET, the Federal Employment Agency's website, and on anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.
