Anerkennung als Gesundheitsaufseherin beziehungsweise Hygienekontrolleurin oder Gesundheitsaufseher beziehungsweise Hygienekontrolleur mit Berufsqualifikation aus dem Ausland beantragen

You have acquired a professional qualification as a health inspector abroad. You would like to work permanently in the profession in Germany? Then you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized.

The profession of health inspector is regulated in Germany. This means that you have to prove that you have a certain qualification in order to work in this profession. If you have a foreign professional qualification as a health inspector, you can work in this profession in the federal state under certain conditions. To do this, you must submit an application with all the necessary documents to the relevant state authority.

In the recognition procedure, the competent state authority compares your professional qualification from abroad with the professional qualification in the federal state. The procedure is called: equivalence determination.
In addition to the equivalence, the competent authority checks the other requirements. You will receive feedback after your application has been reviewed.

If your professional qualification is equivalent and you meet all other requirements, you may work as a health inspector in the federal state. If you lack professional qualifications for recognition, the notice will state the essential differences. You can then take a compensatory measure.

The following documents are required for the equivalency assessment:

• Application form
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
• Proof of your professional qualification (e.g. certificates, professional diploma)
• Proof of the content and duration of your education (e.g. Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records)
• Proof of work experience in the profession
• Proof of other qualifications
• Information about any application for recognition that may already have been submitted. Then indicate the office to which you have submitted the application.

You do not yet live or work in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland? Then you may have to prove

• You want to work in the profession in the federal state. Evidence includes, for example, applications for a job, invitations to interviews or a location note from the Central Service Office for Professional Recognition (ZSBA).
  

The following documents are required for occupational licensure:

• Proof of your personal suitability: for example, criminal record excerpt or certificate of good conduct.
• Proof of your health suitability: medical certificate
• Proof of your German language skills: Language certificate with proof of level B2 German language skills.

The proofs of personal and health suitability as well as language skills do not have to be submitted already when applying for the examination of the equivalence of your foreign qualification.

You must submit your documents in German. The translations must be done by publicly appointed or authorized translators.

• Equivalence of your professional qualification
• Personal suitability: you are reliable to work as a disinfector and have no criminal record.
• Health suitability: You are mentally and physically able to work in the profession.
• You have German language skills at the required level.

You can apply for recognition of your professional qualification as a health inspector at the competent state authority. You must submit all the necessary documents in the form of copies to the competent body.

The competent body will then check: Is your professional qualification equivalent to the professional qualification in your federal state? For example, the content and duration of the training are important for the comparison. The competent body also takes into account your professional experience, further certificates of competence and qualifications.

The competent body then checks the other requirements. If your professional qualification is equivalent and you meet all other requirements, your professional qualification will be recognized. You are then allowed to work in the federal state as a health inspector.

If your professional qualification is not equivalent to the German professional qualification, you will receive a notice explaining the essential differences. To compensate for substantial differences, you can take a compensatory measure. The competent office will inform you which compensatory measure you can take. If you successfully complete the compensatory measure, you will receive the recognition.

The competent office will confirm receipt of your application. The competent office will inform you if further documents are required.

If you have submitted all the required documents, you will usually receive a decision with the result after 3 months. In certain cases, the competent body may extend the procedure.

You can take legal action (for example, file an appeal) against the decision of the responsible office within a certain period of time. The decision will then be reviewed. Details on this can be found in the appeal instructions at the end of your decision. You should first talk to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

• Permission to use the professional title of health inspector in the case of professional qualification from abroad.
• The profession is regulated. This means: You have to prove a certain qualification to be allowed to work in the profession.
• Requirements: Equivalence of the professional qualification, health suitability, personal suitability, German language skills.
• Documents to be submitted: curriculum vitae, proof of identity, proof of education, relevant work experience, other qualifications, information about an already submitted application for recognition, proof of health suitability, proof of personal suitability, knowledge of German.
• Confirmation of receipt of the application will be issued after the application has been submitted. Any missing documents will be requested at that time.
• If significant differences are found, a compensatory measure can be taken.