Key takeaways
You don't register for the Kenntnisprüfung separately. You will apply for Approbation in the state where you want to work, and the authority sends you to the exam.
With the new law, you no longer need to submit your university curriculum. But most of your other supporting documents still need a certified translation, if not in German.
The new law does not cover nurses. If there is a significant difference between your training and German nursing training, you choose between a Kenntnisprüfung and an Anpassungslehrgang.
Some documents, like a police clearance certificate, are usually only accepted if they're less than three months old, so it’s important to have all your documents ready and translated on time.
What is the Kenntnisprüfung?
The Kenntnisprüfung is a licensing knowledge exam for doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who trained outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland and whose qualifications are not equivalent to a German medical degree.
The exam primarily assesses whether foreign physicians have the required skills and medical training to practise medicine safely in Germany. Applicants who pass are issued an Approbation, which is the full and permanent licence to practise in Germany.
Midwives trained outside the EU can also skip the document-based equivalence assessment and go straight to the Kenntnisprüfung or an adaptation course (Anpassungslehrgang), which is a supervised period of practise in Germany.
The exam is typically a combined oral-practical test (mündlich-praktische Prüfung) that includes either a real patient case or a simulated clinical scenario, followed by a structured discussion with the examiners.
However, the exact format and structure can vary by profession, federal state, and examination authority.
Here’s how the exam currently runs in Bavaria, based on the Regierung von Oberbayern's exam guides for doctors, dentists, and pharmacists.
Profession | Format | What it covers | Length | Cost (Bavaria, example) |
Doctors | Oral practical, including a patient presentation. Up to 4 candidates, all on one day | Internal medicine and surgery, plus emergency medicine, clinical pharmacology, imaging, radiation protection and professional law | 60-90 minutes per candidate | Up to €1,200 per attempt |
Dentists | Three parts: written treatment plans, an oral exam, and a practical exam in a simulated practise | Prosthodontics, restorative dentistry, oral surgery and orthodontics, plus emergency medicine, pharmacology, hygiene and professional law | Written 45 min; oral 60-90 min; practical about 5 hours | About €1,300 in total |
Pharmacists | Oral only. Up to 4 candidates | Pharmaceutical practise and the legal areas specific to pharmacists | 30-60 minutes per candidate | About €690 per attempt |
In all three cases, you can retake the exam twice if you fail.
What changes on 1 November 2026
The Kenntnisprüfung will become the standard route for recognising qualifications from foreign physicians. You will no longer have to go through the document-based equivalence assessment first unless you choose that route. According to the German government, the change is intended to make recognition faster, more consistent, and less bureaucratic.
This is a significant change from the previous process, where the authority assessed your qualification first and identified any substantial differences in training before requiring the Kenntnisprüfung. Now, you can go directly to the Kenntnisprüfung.
This new law does not include nurses. This means the existing process remains unchanged. You apply for recognition, and the authority compares your training with German nursing training. If there is a significant difference, you choose between a Kenntnisprüfung and an Anpassungslehrgang. But the Kenntnisprüfung does not become the standard route for nurses.
Who can apply for the Kenntnisprüfung?
If you fall under any of these categories, you can apply for the Kenntnisprüfung
Doctors, dentists, and pharmacists with a degree from a country outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland.
Doctors who want full recognition and Approbation
Foreign-trained doctors who want to continue practicing in German hospitals.
Requirements for the Kenntnisprüfung
To get your Approbation through the Kenntnisprüfung, you generally need:
A completed medical, dental, or pharmacy degree from a country outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland
A medical certificate showing you're fit to practise
Proof of reliability and good character, proven through a criminal record certificate
German at B2 level, plus the Fachsprachprüfung (a professional language exam) at C1 level
What counts is where you are trained, not your country of origin. If you are a German or French citizen but you got your medical degree in India, you fall under this process. On the other hand, degrees from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland are recognised under EU rules and do not require the Kenntnisprüfung.
How the Kenntnisprüfung process works: Step-by-step
Before we walk through the process, know that you do not register for the Kenntnisprüfung on its own. You simply apply for your Approbation to the authority of the state where you plan to work, and that authority sends you to the exam.
Here’s how it works in practise;
1. Choose your Bundesland: This is the authority in the state where you plan to work. They handle your application, and you can apply from abroad. Each state has its own authority, application form, and document list.
2. Submit your Approbation application: Send the form with the required documents and the application fee. The fees vary by state. In Berlin, it is €430; in Bavaria, it’s €400. In Berlin, processing takes about three to four months.
3. Prove your German: You’ll need a B2 certificate and the Fachsprachprüfung at C1, which is usually run by the relevant chamber, such as the Ärztekammer for doctors.
4. Get an exam date: The authority checks your file and assigns you to an exam at a university or chamber. In Bavaria, you register for the exam separately and receive your date 1-6 months later. You can’t choose the date.
5. Sit the exam: The format in which you’ll take the exam depends on your profession, as we’ve explained above. If you fail, you can retake it twice. However, you must register again and pay the exam fee for each attempt.
6. Receive your Approbation: Once you pass, the authority grants your Approbation, valid anywhere in Germany.
In Bavaria, for example, you get your exam date one to six months after registering. While you wait, you may be able to work under a Berufserlaubnis. It's usually time-limited, tied to a specific job, and may come with conditions. Under the new law, doctors and dentists may, in exceptional cases, get one without a time limit.
Documents required for the Kenntnisprüfung
The exact documents depend on your Bundesland. But a general list includes;
All documents that are not in German will require a certified translation into German before being submitted to the Bundesland. Additionally, many states require certified copies rather than plain photocopies.
Note the following about the documents you require;
You need a police clearance certificate from every country outside Germany where you have lived for more than six months in the last five years.
You need a Certificate of Good Standing from every country where you practised in the last five years.
The medical certificate must come from a doctor in Germany or another EEA country, and not be older than three months.
So if you studied in Egypt, then worked for two years in Saudi Arabia, you’d need a police certificate and a Certificate of Good Standing from both countries.
Who can translate your documents?
German authorities usually require translations by a translator sworn in, publicly appointed, or authorised by a German court.
The official title varies by state. You might see beeidigter, ermächtigter, or öffentlich bestellter Übersetzer, but they mean the same thing for your purposes. A translation done by a sworn translator in one state is valid for use in another state.
To find a sworn translator in Germany, use the official translator database run by the German state justice ministries at justiz-dolmetscher.de.
Search by language and location to get a list of names. Contact each translator individually, confirm availability, send your documents, and request a quote.
This looks straightforward, but it can take a lot of time. Most translators are authorised to translate in one or two languages. So you may need more than one translator if your documents are in different languages. Some language pairs also have few translators, and they are often fully booked.
Alternatively, translation agencies like Translayte make this process easier. Simply upload your document, select your language pair, and place your order. Your document is assigned to a sworn translator in Germany authorised for that language pair. If your document requires notarization or an apostille, Translayte offers those services too.
Do you need an apostille or legalisation?
This depends on the country that issued your documents. Many authorities want proof that your foreign documents are genuine.
If your issuing country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, you will need an apostille. Germany is also a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille issued by the government-designated authority makes your document authenticated for official use. You can check whether your country is a member on the HCCH Apostille Convention status page.
If your issuing country is not a member of the convention, your document needs legalisation instead. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a designated government authority in the country does this first, followed by the German embassy or consulate in that country.
What if my document expires?
Some documents such as your police clearance, Certificate of Good Standing, or medical fitness certificate are only valid for about three months. If one of them expires before your application is complete, you’ll have to request it again, get it apostilled, and translate it again. Get the apostille on the original first, then have the document and the apostille translated together.
Get your documents translated on time
Some documents in your application are usually only accepted if they're less than three months old; don’t let translation eat into that time. Translayte provides certified German translations by sworn translators in Germany. We also offer notarization and apostille services where required. Upload your documents and order a certified translation from Translayte today.
