Approbation Apothekerin oder Apotheker aus EU/EWR/Schweiz Erteilung

Would you like to work as a pharmacist in Germany? Then you need a so-called approbation. Even with a professional qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you can obtain the license to practice medicine. To do this, you must have your professional qualification recognised.

The profession of pharmacist is regulated in Germany. This means that in order for you to be able to work as a pharmacist in Germany without restrictions, you need the license to practice medicine. The license to practice medicine is the state approval for the profession. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a pharmacist without a license to practice medicine.

Even with a professional qualification from a country of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you can obtain the license to practice medicine in Germany.

In order to obtain the license to practice medicine, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognised.

In the recognition procedure, the competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and checks the equivalence. The equivalence of the professional qualification is an important prerequisite for the granting of the license to practice medicine.

A professional qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland is usually automatically recognised when you apply for a licence to practise medicine. However, there may also be deviations from this rule. That depends on the country in which you completed your education and when. If you started your vocational training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA, your professional qualification will be automatically recognised.

If your professional qualification does not come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, other regulations apply.

In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must meet other requirements for the granting of the license to practice medicine. Further requirements are, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability.

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

The competent authority will inform you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are in general:

• Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
• Birth certificate and marriage certificate, if your name has changed due to marriage
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of formal qualifications
• Proof of the contents of your training:
  List of subjects and training hours you have completed
• Proof of your relevant professional experience as a pharmacist (e.g. employment references)
• Information as to whether you have already applied for a licence to practise medicine in Germany
• You do not live or work in Germany yet? Then you may have to prove that you want to work in the profession in Germany. Proof is e.g. applications for a job, invitations to interviews, personal declaration
   

You only need to submit the following documents if your professional qualification was completed before a certain date (deadline). The competent authority will inform you:

• Certificate
  If there is no certificate of conformity: proof of the content and duration of your training
  (e.g. list of subjects and grades, study book, Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records)
• Certificate pursuant to § 4 paragraph 1b of the Federal Pharmacists' Ordinance that the applicant has carried out a pharmaceutical activity continuously for at least three years during the five years prior to the issue of the certificate.
   

You usually hand in these documents later. The competent authority will inform you when to hand in the documents:

• Proof of your personal suitability: extract from the criminal record or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin. The proof must not be more than 3 months old at the time of application.
• Proof of your medical fitness: Medical certificate. The proof must not be more than 3 months old at the time of application.
• Proof of your German language skills: Language certificate.
  Prerequisite for the license to practice medicine is general German language skills at level B2. You can also submit the required proof of language proficiency during the licensing procedure. In addition, you must take a pharmaceutical language test at level C1 during the licensing procedure.
   

The competent authority will inform you which documents you must submit as a simple copy, as a certified copy or in the original.

If your documents are not available in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. The translations must be made by translators who are publicly appointed or authorised.

• You have a professional qualification as a pharmacist from the EU, EEA or Switzerland.
• You want to work as a pharmacist in Hesse.
• Personal suitability: You are reliable for working as a pharmacist and have no criminal record.
• Health suitability: You can work mentally and physically as a pharmacist.
• You have German language skills at the required language level. These are usually general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and pharmaceutical language skills at level C1.

The competent authority will inform you about the costs. The costs generally depend on the effort for processing.

In addition, additional costs may arise (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from person to person.

Application

You submit an application for the licence to practise as a pharmacist to the competent authority. You can submit the application with the documents to the competent authority or send it by post. The competent authority will then check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements are met.

Automatic recognition

As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure applies if you started your vocational training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA. This means that if you also meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognised without an individual equivalence test.

Certificate

Vocational training that you started before your country of training joined the EU/EEA (or that does not correspond to the legal titles) can also be automatically recognised. To do this, you must submit a certificate from the competent authority of your country of training that your professional qualification meets the minimum standards of the EU ("certificate of conformity"). If your professional qualification does not meet the minimum standards, you must prove your professional experience. You must have worked as a pharmacist in your country of origin for 3 consecutive years in the 5 years prior to submitting your application. This must be confirmed by the competent authority in your country of origin.

Equivalence assessment

If you cannot provide a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The competent authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification. The competent authority will check whether your professional qualification is equivalent. The professional qualification is equivalent if there are no significant differences between your foreign professional qualification and the German professional qualification.

Possible results of the test

If your professional qualification is equivalent and you meet the other requirements, you will be granted the license to practice pharmacy.

Are there any significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? Perhaps you can compensate for the differences through your professional practice, other knowledge or skills (lifelong learning). You must prove your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority of the state in which you acquired the knowledge or skills.

However, it may be that the essential differences cannot be compensated by this knowledge. The competent authority will tell you the main differences and why you cannot compensate for the essential differences through your professional practice.

The notification of the competent authority also states what level of your training has and what level is necessary in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a pharmacist in Germany.

Suitability test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent and you cannot compensate for the differences, you can take an aptitude test. During the aptitude test, you check the essential differences between your professional qualifications. The aptitude test is an oral examination.

If you pass the aptitude test and meet all other requirements, you will receive your license to practice pharmacy.

None.

Sometimes documents are still missing in the procedure. The competent authority will then inform you by when you must submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

Freedom to provide services

Would you like to offer services in Germany only occasionally and for a short time? Then you usually do not need the state permission. You must meet these requirements:

• You must be established in another EU, EEA or Swiss country.
• You must provide proof of your professional qualifications.
• You must report your activity in writing to the competent authority.

The competent authority will inform you.

European Professional Card

You can apply for a European Professional Card (EBA). You can submit the application online on the website of the European Commission. The European Professional Card is an electronic procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications. It applies only to EU countries and to certain professions.

Equivalence Notice

In the licensing procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notification for the result of the examination.

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority within a certain period of time (e.g. file an objection). The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on the right of appeal at the end of your decision. We recommend that you first talk to the competent authority before taking legal action against the decision.

• Pharmacist with training from EU/EEA/Switzerland, recognising professional qualifications
• To work as a pharmacist in Germany, you need a state license (approbation).
• With a license to practice medicine you can work as a pharmacist.
• Even with a professional qualification from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you can obtain the license to practice medicine in Germany.
• It is important where and when you acquired your professional qualification.

Please contact the Hessian State Office for Health and Care (HLfGP).

Since 01.01.2023, the Hessian State Office for Health and Care (HLfGP) has been responsible.

Applications and forms can be found at: