Vocational Qualifications

Recognition of school-leaving qualifications

If you wish to have a school-leaving qualification recognised in Germany in order to begin a course of study, the institution of higher education where you are applying for a place will be responsible for this recognition. The institution of higher education will then check whether your school-leaving certificate is sufficient for taking up the course of study.

If you wish to have a school-leaving qualification recognised for any other reason, the Federal States' certificate recognition offices [Zeugnisanerkennungsstellen] will be responsible for this recognition. The website containing the addresses of the certificate recognition offices in Saxony and further information on the procedure in Saxony is available in German and English and can be found here:

Recognition of vocational qualifications

If you have already completed training abroad, this can be recognised in Germany. You will then receive a certificate that will help you to find a job. Recognition may be subject to charges. It is sometimes difficult to obtain recognition. There are advice centres (see Advice) that can tell you what documents you need, what charges will arise, and who is responsible for the recognition of your vocational qualification.

All people with a foreign vocational qualification have a right to verification of whether their vocational qualification is equivalent to the German vocational qualification. This right is independent of nationality and residence status.

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has published a flyer with the most important information concerning the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications.

The flyer is in German, English, Spanish, Arabic, Bulgarian, French, Croatian, Polish, Russian, Kurdish Kurmanji and Turkish and can be found here:

On the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research [Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung] relating to the recognition of foreign qualifications you will find further information on how vocational qualifications can be recognised. The website is available in German, English, Spanish, Italian, Rumanian, Polish, Turkish, French, Russian, Arabic and Greek and can be found here:

The website also has a search engine that will help you to find the office responsible for the recognition of a certain profession. This Recognition Finder is accessible in different languages and can be found here:

The nationwide network "Integration through Qualification" ["Integration durch Qualifizierung"] has the goal of improving the labour market opportunities of migrants in Germany. "Integration through Qualification" is abbreviated as IQ. The network cannot recognise qualifications itself, but it can help you to find the right recognition office. The IQ Network Saxony's website is in German and can be found here:

The Information and Advice Centre Labour Market Saxony [Informations- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitsmarkt Sachsen] is a service offered by this network. The abbreviation for this is IBAS. A flyer relating to this Information and Advice Centre can be found here in German:

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has a telephone hotline relating to "working and living in Germany" and offers an initial consultation concerning the recognition of foreign qualifications. The telephone consultation is offered in German and English. Subject to the customary charges, calls can be made to the German landline telephone number:
030-18151111.

The Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce [Industrie- und Handelskammer Dresden] and the Dresden Chamber of Trades and Crafts help with the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications in the case of careers in the industry, trade or craft sectors. Furthermore, the Dresden Chamber of Trades and Crafts is also responsible for checking recognition. The websites providing further information are in German, Czech, Polish, French and English and can be found here:

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce has its own office for the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications. The websites providing further information are in English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Polish and Russian and can be found here: