Since the Professional Qualifications Assessment Act (BQFG) came into force in April 2012, 327,921 applications for recognition for professions under federal law have been submitted. In 2023, 54,981 applications for recognition of the equivalence of a qualification acquired abroad were finally decided. The competent authorities first formally compare the differences between the curricula in the country of origin and in Germany. They also consider the individual professional experience demonstrated to be able to certify whether there are significant differences to a German qualification.
The most common outcome was “full equivalence” in 45 percent of cases, and “partial equivalence” in 9 percent of cases. In 44 percent of cases, the competent authorities decided to impose a “compensation measure”. Only in 1 percent of cases was the decision “no equivalence”. “Partial equivalence” is defined very broadly, ranging from very low to very high overlaps. The deficits listed in the decision vary accordingly - which can then be acquired through adaptation qualifications.
In 2023, over 85 percent of new applications for degrees were submitted by applicants from a third country. This means that less than 15 percent were degrees from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. The countries with the most applications were Turkey, the Philippines and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most applications concerned healthcare professions, followed by electrical professions and cooks. A detailed analysis of the data on the Federal Recognition Act by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training can be found at Anerkennung in Deutschland.
Glossary
Regulated professions: Full equivalence is required for these professions to be practiced. This is primarily the case in health professions (e.g., doctors, general care nurses etc.) and regulated master craftsman occupations. 76 percent of new applications in 2023 relate to regulated professions. In case it is not possible to attest full equivalence, the assessment notification imposes compensation measures which have to be fulfilled in order to acquire full equivalence.
Non-regulated professions: These include occupations that require prior vocational and advanced training qualifications such as electronics technician, mechatronics technician, office clerk etc. In 2023, about 24 percent of the recognition procedures concern non-regulated professions. In case it is not possible to grant full equivalence, a partial equivalence is certified. After the fulfillment of the imposed compensation measures full equivalence can be acquired.
Equivalence quotas: The equivalence evaluation generally consists of two stages: the formal and the individual evaluation. The formal evaluation is sometimes sufficient for determining equivalence. In such cases, an official notification is issued stating that the foreign professional qualification is equivalent to the German reference qualification. If it is not possible to determine equivalence based on formal qualifications alone, the individual evaluation will take additional evidence of training and relevant work experience into consideration. Therefore, the equivalence quotas in the recognition statistics base on mostly individual equivalence evaluations.
