Approbation als Zahnarzt oder Zahnärztin beantragen

Anyone wishing to practise the dental profession in Germany without restrictions requires a license to practice.

After successfully completing your university dental training and passing the state dental examination, you can apply for a license to practice as a dentist. Once you have been granted a license to practice dentistry in Germany, you are entitled to do so independently and on your own responsibility. The licensure procedure takes place subject to further special regulations for students who began their studies before October 1, 2021.

The license to practice is granted for an unlimited period of time, may not be subject to ancillary provisions and is valid for the entire Federal Republic of Germany.

• Written application
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form
• Birth/parentage certificate or a current extract from the parents' family register/birth register
• Marriage certificate/change of name certificate, if applicable
• Proof of identity
• Official certificate of good conduct (document type O - for submission to an authority), which must not have been issued more than one month prior to submission
• Declaration as to whether criminal proceedings are pending against the applicant or a public prosecutor's investigation
• Medical certificate, which must not be older than one month, stating that the applicant is not medically unfit to practise the profession
• the certificate of the dental examination

The license to practice as a dentist is granted upon application if you:

• have completed the prescribed dental training and passed the state dental examination
• have not been guilty of any conduct that makes you unworthy or unreliable to practise the medical profession
• are not unfit in health terms to practise the profession.

Administrative fees and expenses are charged for the issuing of the license, the preparation of certifications and duplicates.

Both the processing of the application and the rejection of the application, as well as the withdrawal of the application before final processing are subject to a fee

• You submit the application for licensure, including all required documents, to the competent authority.
• The competent licensing authority will check the content, form and completeness of the documents submitted and whether the legal requirements for granting a license have been met.
• The competent licensing authority will request any missing, incorrect or insufficient evidence.
• The competent licensing authority will check the licensing requirements once all documents have been received in full.
• Once the examination has been successfully completed, you will be issued with a certificate of licensure together with a notification of costs against acknowledgement of receipt or formally delivered.

The processing time varies and depends on various factors. Final processing is only possible after receipt of the last application document. A decision on the application must be made no later than 3 months after submission of all documents.

You do not have to observe any statutory deadlines when submitting your application. However, the certificate of good conduct to be sent by the Federal Office of Justice and the medical certificate must not be older than 1 month upon receipt. The application for a license to practice may not be submitted earlier than 4 weeks before the last examination date.

Detailed information, in particular on foreign documents and further formal requirements to be observed, as well as all necessary forms are provided on the website of the Thuringian State Office of Administration.

Objection, administrative court action

• Licensing as a dentist
• In order to be able to work as a dentist in Germany, a special professional license, the Approbation, is required
• The license to practice is issued upon application
• The prerequisite for the application in the procedure for regular licensure is training within the Federal Republic of Germany
• In the case of training completed abroad, equivalence must first be established.
• Competent authority: Thuringian Administrative Office.

The Thuringian State Administration Office - Department 720 Healthcare Professions, State Examination Office is responsible.

Forms available: Yes

Written form required: Yes

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance necessary: No, but possible by prior appointment