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Approbation (German medical licence)

The Approbation is the state licence to practise medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy in Germany independently and without restriction. It is granted by the competent state authority once you pass your final examination and is valid indefinitely throughout Germany.

Latin approbare = to approve

medical licence, licence to practise

medical licence

The Approbation is your ticket into the medical profession. Without it, nobody may practise medicine independently in Germany. It is granted by the licensing authority of the relevant federal state, usually a state examination office or a state office for health and social affairs.

Requirements

  • A completed degree in human medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy
  • A passed final examination
  • Fitness in health terms, and reliability
  • Sufficient German, as a rule medical language at level C1

A degree from elsewhere in the EU

If you completed your degree at a university in the European Union and that qualification is listed in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC, you receive the German Approbation through automatic recognition. No assessment of the equivalence of course content is carried out. More on this in the guide Approbation and recognition of a medical degree from elsewhere in the EU.

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