Recognition of Foreign MBBS and BDS Degrees in Germany
If you already hold an MBBS or BDS from India, you do not need to study again. You need Approbation — the German medical or dental licence — and this is the process that gets you there.
Indian doctors and dentists regularly assume that working in Germany means starting medical school over. It does not. Germany has a defined route for recognising foreign medical qualifications, and thousands of Indian, Egyptian, Syrian and Pakistani doctors have used it. The end point is Approbation, the unrestricted licence to practise medicine or dentistry in Germany.
What the process genuinely demands is language and patience. You will need German at a high level, a medical-language examination, and in most cases an equivalence examination covering German clinical practice. The reward is a licence valid across the European Union and a resident doctor’s salary starting from around €4,800 per month gross.
Approbation Versus Berufserlaubnis
Understanding this distinction early will save you a great deal of confusion.
Approbation is the full, permanent, unrestricted licence to practise. It is not tied to a particular employer or state, it does not expire, and it is the qualification that ultimately allows you to work anywhere in Germany and across much of the EU.
Berufserlaubnis is a temporary permit, usually valid up to two years and restricted to a named employer and state. Many doctors use it as a stepping stone: it lets you start earning and working in a German hospital while you continue preparing for the examinations that lead to full Approbation.
The practical strategy most successful applicants follow is to secure a Berufserlaubnis first, move to Germany, work in a hospital where you are immersed in medical German every day, and sit the Kenntnispruefung from that position. Preparing for a German clinical examination while actually working in a German clinic is far easier than doing it from India.
The German Language Requirement
Two separate hurdles: general German, then medical German.
You need general German at B2 as a baseline, evidenced by a recognised certificate such as Goethe, telc or TestDaF. Most states then require C1 for Approbation itself, so plan for C1 rather than stopping at B2.
On top of that sits the Fachsprachpruefung — the medical language examination, set by the state medical chamber. It typically has three parts: taking a patient history in German, presenting that case to a senior colleague, and writing clinical documentation. It tests whether you can function as a doctor in German, not whether you can pass a grammar test.
Be realistic about the time this takes. A doctor starting from zero German needs roughly eighteen to twenty-four months of serious study to reach C1 and pass the Fachsprachpruefung. Doctors who underestimate this are the ones whose applications stall for years, and it is by far the most common reason the process fails.
B2 general German as the baseline requirement.
C1 required for Approbation in most federal states.
Fachsprachpruefung in medical German, set by the state chamber.
History-taking, case presentation and documentation are all tested.
Budget 18–24 months from zero German to examination-ready.
The Kenntnispruefung: The Equivalence Examination
Where your degree is not treated as directly equivalent, this examination closes the gap.
German authorities compare your medical training against the German curriculum. Indian MBBS degrees are usually assessed as not fully equivalent, largely because of differences in curriculum structure and the practical year, which means you must demonstrate equivalent knowledge through the Kenntnispruefung.
The Kenntnispruefung is an oral and practical examination at the level of the German third state examination. It centres on internal medicine and surgery, with questions drawn from emergency medicine, pharmacology, radiology and German medical law. It is conducted entirely in German by a panel of senior physicians.
For dentists the equivalent examination covers restorative dentistry, oral surgery, prosthetics and periodontology, along with German dental regulations. In both cases, preparation courses specifically designed for the examination exist across Germany and materially improve pass rates.
The Process Step by Step
Start German immediately
Everything else waits on this. Begin before you gather a single document, because the language is the long pole.
Choose your federal state
Approbation is administered by individual states, and processing times, document demands and Kenntnispruefung waiting lists differ considerably between them.
Assemble and translate documents
Degree certificate, full transcripts, internship completion, medical council registration, good-standing certificate, passport and CV — all translated by a sworn translator.
Submit the equivalence application
File with the responsible state authority. They assess your training against the German curriculum and tell you whether a Kenntnispruefung is required.
Obtain a Berufserlaubnis
With B2 German and a job offer, many states will grant a temporary permit so you can start working while you prepare.
Pass the Fachsprachpruefung
The medical German examination, set by the state medical chamber.
Pass the Kenntnispruefung
The clinical equivalence examination. Passing it leads directly to full Approbation.
Receive Approbation
Register with the state chamber and take a permanent position as an Assistenzarzt, beginning specialist training.
Timeline and Costs
Plan for two to three years and a few thousand euros, not for a quick conversion.
Realistically, from a standing start with no German, budget two to three years and somewhere between €5,000 and €10,000 across language courses, translations, fees and preparation. Against a resident doctor’s starting salary of around €4,800 per month gross, that investment is recovered quickly — but it is a genuine investment, not a formality.
Choosing Your Federal State Carefully
This is the most underrated decision in the whole process.
Because Approbation is administered at state level, the same application can take very different amounts of time depending on where you file it. Some states have Kenntnispruefung waiting lists measured in months; others are considerably faster. Some are stricter about documentation; others are more flexible about issuing a Berufserlaubnis early.
As a general pattern, states with greater doctor shortages tend to process faster and to be more willing to grant temporary permits, because they need the staff. The eastern states and more rural regions are usually more welcoming to international doctors than the most competitive university-hospital cities.
You should also weigh where you actually want to live and where you have a realistic prospect of a hospital position, since the Berufserlaubnis route depends on having an employer. Filing in a state where you have a job offer in hand is almost always the pragmatic choice.
Recognition of Foreign MBBS and BDS Degrees in Germany at a Glance
Common Mistakes Applicants Make
Frequently Asked Questions
It is recognised as a medical qualification, but not usually as directly equivalent to a German degree. You must go through the Approbation process, which for most Indian graduates includes passing the Kenntnispruefung equivalence examination. You do not need to repeat medical school.
No. That is the most persistent misconception about this route. You apply for recognition of your existing qualification and demonstrate equivalent knowledge through examinations. Repeating the degree is neither required nor expected.
From a standing start with no German, plan for two to three years. Most of that is language: roughly eighteen to twenty-four months to reach C1 and pass the Fachsprachpruefung. The equivalence application and Kenntnispruefung add several more months depending on your state.
It is an oral and practical examination at the level of the German third state examination, testing clinical knowledge in internal medicine and surgery alongside emergency medicine, pharmacology and German medical law. It is conducted entirely in German by a panel of senior physicians.
Yes, on a Berufserlaubnis — a temporary permit, usually up to two years, tied to a specific employer and state. It typically requires B2 German and a job offer, and it is the route most successful applicants use to start earning while they prepare for the final examinations.
A resident doctor beginning specialist training typically starts from around €4,800 per month gross, rising with years of service and substantially after completing the Facharzt specialist qualification. Exact figures are set by collective agreements that differ between university, municipal and private hospitals.
Yes, the structure is identical — equivalence assessment, Fachsprachpruefung and where required an equivalence examination — but the clinical examination covers dental subjects such as restorative dentistry, oral surgery, prosthetics and periodontology, plus German dental regulations.
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