Applying for a residence permit to sit an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification

If your foreign professional qualification cannot yet be recognised in Germany and you only need to pass an examination for it to be recognised, you may be granted a residence permit to sit the examination.

You can obtain a residence permit for the following examinations:

• an assessment to determine whether your foreign vocational qualification is equivalent to a domestic vocational qualification
• an examination in a profession regulated in this country, so that you may be authorised to practise that profession
• an examination which enables them to use a professional title

Language and specialist language examinations are also available. You may also sit several examinations.

If you are due to attend an exam preparation course before sitting the exam, you will need an additional residence permit. This is known as a ‘residence permit for the purpose of undertaking a qualification programme for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications’.

You must provide evidence of your language skills to the Immigration Authority if demonstrating your language skills is not part of your examination.

A “residence permit to sit an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification” does not yet entitle you to practise your profession. Once you have passed the examination, you may switch to a residence permit for the purpose of gainful employment or for the purpose of seeking employment.

The “residence permit to sit an examination for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification” is temporary and is valid for the duration of your examination process. The examination process covers the period from the date on which the examination is taken until the results are announced. The examination process may end either when the results are announced or when the competent authority issues a decision formally concluding the process.