As of January 16, 2016 the citizens of the European Union or European Economic Area can submit their application and all relevant documents online.  This application procedure will apply, at first, only to the regulated professions in the federal responsibility. New provisions should encourage and simplify the mobility in Europe thereby contributing to dealing with the labor shortage in Germany.

Besides, the federal government set a 6-month deadline for carrying out an aptitude test. The competent authorities must now enable the applicants to prove the equivalence of their professional qualifications via the test within this period in case no equivalence could be granted on the basis of documents only.

Furthermore, the Directive foresees the establishment of a single contact point in every Member state, which will not only provide citizens with all the information and addresses relevant to the recognition procedure but will also serve as a coordinator and mediator between the applicants and the competent authorities. For this purpose the new internet platform “A Single Contact Point 2.0” will be launched in 2016.

Further information [in German].