Approbation Erteilung Zahnärztin oder Zahnarzt aus EU/EWR/Schweiz

Are you from the EU/EEA/Switzerland and would like to work permanently as a dentist in Germany? Then you must be licensed (approved) for this activity.

In order to work as a dentist in Germany without any restrictions, you need a license to practice. Approbation is the state license to practice the profession. The license to practice is necessary because the profession is regulated in Germany. This means that you are not allowed to work independently as a dentist without a license to practice.

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

You will be granted a license to practice by the competent authority if your dental training is equivalent to German training. Equivalence is checked in the recognition procedure.

You must also meet other requirements in order to be granted a license to practice. For example, you must be in good health and have the necessary language skills.

A professional qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland is usually automatically recognized when you apply for a licence to practise. However, there may also be deviations from this rule. It depends on the country in which you completed your training and when. If you started your professional training after your country of training joined the EU/EEA, your professional qualification will be recognized automatically. The recognition procedure is then shortened.

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

You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are generally

• Proof of identity (officially certified copy of identity card or passport)
• German-language CV in tabular form with your education and professional activities
• officially certified copy of your training certificate
• Proof of the content of your training:
  List of the subjects you have studied and the hours of training you have completed
• Proof of your relevant professional experience as a dentist
• Criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin as proof of your worthiness and reliability (this proof must not be more than 3 months old at the time of application)
• Medical certificate of medical fitness (The certificate can be from an authority in your country of training. The certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application).
• Declaration that you have not yet submitted an application for a license to practice in Germany

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

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

• You have a professional qualification as a dentist from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
• You are medically fit to work as a dentist.
• You are reliable and worthy of working as a dentist and have no criminal record.
• You have the necessary knowledge of German for the job. These are general language skills at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and medical language skills at level C1.

The procedure is subject to a fee. The responsible office will inform you of the costs. The costs generally depend on the time and effort required for processing.

The cost of the license is 230.00 euros.

Additional costs may be incurred (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from case to case.

Application

You submit an application for a license to practice as a dentist to the competent authority. The competent authority will check whether your training corresponds to the German training and whether all other requirements have been met.

Automatic recognition

As a rule, the automatic recognition procedure applies if you began your professional 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 recognized without an individual equivalence check.

Certificate of conformity

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

Examination of equivalence

If you cannot present a certificate of conformity or do not have enough professional experience, your training must be checked individually. The competent authority will compare your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification as a dentist. 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 examination

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognized. The authority can confirm the result in writing. You must still meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills. You will then be granted a license to practice as a dentist.

If the competent authority identifies significant differences, you can compensate for the differences through your professional practice and other knowledge and skills (lifelong learning). You must provide evidence of your professional experience. Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in your country of origin.

However, this knowledge may not be sufficient. You will then not be able to compensate for the significant differences. Your foreign professional qualification will then not be recognized.

The competent authority will inform you in writing of the significant differences and why you cannot compensate for the significant differences through your professional experience. The decision of the competent authority will also state the level of your training and the level required in Germany. You will then not be allowed to work as a dentist. However, the competent authority will offer you the opportunity to take an aptitude test. If you successfully pass the aptitude test (and meet all other requirements), you will receive your license to practice.

Aptitude test

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, you can take an aptitude test. The aptitude test examines the main differences between your professional qualifications. The content and exact procedure of the examination are regulated by law. If you pass the aptitude test, you will be granted a license to practice as a dentist. You must also meet the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills.

The responsible office will confirm that your application and documents have been received after a maximum of one month. The competent office will inform you if any documents are missing.

If the documents are complete, the procedure will take a maximum of 4 months.

None.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you must submit the documents. This may prolong the procedure.

• Proof of language skills
  General German language skills at level B2 are a prerequisite for licensure. You can also submit the required language certificate during the licensing procedure. You must also take a medical language test at level C1 during the licensing procedure.
  
• Professional license
  In exceptional cases, you can also apply for a temporary professional license. With a work permit, you can work as a dentist for a maximum of 2 years without a license. You must provide proof of language skills at level B2 and pass a specialist language test at level C1. You may only be allowed to work to a limited extent. The professional license is not a license to practice. If you have a professional qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you cannot normally obtain a professional license.
  
• Freedom to provide services
  If you only want to work temporarily and occasionally as a self-employed service provider in Germany, you do not need a license to practice. However, special requirements then apply. You must register your work with the competent authority before your first activity. The competent authority will provide you with detailed information about the procedure.
  
• Notification of equivalence
  In the licensing procedure, the equivalence of your training is checked (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate decision on the result of the examination.
  
• Electronic application
  You can also submit your application electronically. The application can be submitted directly to the competent authority. You can also submit the application to the Single Point of Contact. The Single Point of Contact will help you and forward the application to the competent body that will carry out the recognition procedure.
  
• Procedure for ethnic German repatriates
  As a late repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either in accordance with the law mentioned here or in accordance with the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. Your responsible office will advise you on this.

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority. The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on legal remedies at the end of your decision. We recommend that you first speak to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

• Licensing as a dentist with professional qualification from the EU/EEA/Switzerland Issue
• To work as a dentist in Germany, you need a state license (Approbation).
• You can work as a dentist with a license to practice.
• You can also obtain a license to practice in Germany with a professional qualification from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
• It is important where and when you acquired your professional qualification.
• Costs:
  • The procedure is subject to a fee. The competent authority will inform you of the costs. The costs generally depend on the time and effort required for processing.
  • The cost of the license is 230.00 euros.
  • Additional costs may be incurred (e.g. for translations or certifications). These costs vary from case to case.
• Responsible: Thuringian State Office of Administration.

Please contact the Thuringian State Administration Office.