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An offer from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training
Logo: Anerkennung in Deutschland

Information portal of the German government
for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications

Logo: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
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© Martin Devrient

Information about counselling

You should seek advice before applying for recognition. This is provided in Germany and abroad.

Where can I get advice on recognition?

You can get advice on the recognition of your professional qualification in Germany and also abroad. The counselling is free of charge. Counselling centres local to you can be found via the counselling search.

Are you still abroad and are there no counselling centres local to you? In this case you can call or email the hotline “Working and Living in Germany” for an initial counselling session.

For more in-depth advice and support during the you can contact the Service Center for Professional Recognition (ZSBA). The ZSBA helps with the application, advises you on training options and work opportunities. The ZSBA also provides support during the entire recognition procedure up until your arrival in Germany. All counselling services are free of charge.

Replies to written enquiries to the hotline can often take several weeks. Our tip: Start by searching for information in the Recognition-Finder or on our FAQ site!

© Klaus Josef Sturm / BIBB - AiD
Video
Video, 03:01

Success Story - Gaurav Kumar

Gaurav Kumar came to Germany from India in 2021. Following refresher training he received recognition as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.

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You have to make your professional recognition step by step and in the right order.

My name is Gaurav Kumar and I’m a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.

I’ve learned the profession in India. But Germany is famous for its cars. 

To work here and to improve myself: That was my dream.

I looked for an employer in Germany and applied for recognition.

Unfortunately I only received partial recognition.

I asked ProRecognition what I could do with that.

We’re from the Indian ProRecognition team and are based at the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in Pune.

From here we advise skilled workers on all questions relating to recognition and we support them as they go through the process of migrating to Germany.

For Mr Kumar, we identified he had to do refresher training. A four-month placement at a business in Germany.

I thought to myself, no problem. After all, I’m good at my job.

We then advised Mr Kumar and his employer on preparing a training plan and helped with the visa application.

I totally underestimated the problem with the language.

With the visa, I travelled to Germany immediately. It’ll all work out, I thought to myself.

Unfortunately it didn’t. Without the language skills, it’s hard to work here.

So I returned to India but I did not want to give up.

I knew I had to learn German. That’s what ProRecognition had recommended.

Gaurav Kumar had shown me he was really interested in Scania. And that he had a plan.

We had a look. Did we want to support him in his endeavours? We decided we did.

Everything did work out second time round. And we’re pleased too.

I’ve now been at Scania for one year. I got the recognition and I have a permanent contract.

He’s integrated really well and is part of the team. We’re impressed with every aspect of his assembly work. We’re very happy with him.

The people here love their work and the teamwork is great. And my teammates really support me a lot.

I made things harder for myself than they needed to be.

My tip for anyone wanting to apply for recognition:

Definitely get advice first before you start recognition!

And start to learn German! Then, everything becomes possible.

Start your own success story and talk about it.

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More success stories and information at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de

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Our recommendation

  • First get advice and then apply for recognition. This means you can avoid errors in the application and delays with the processing.
  • Arrange an appointment with the counselling centre. You can arrange an appointment by telephone.

 

Which questions can I get advice on? 

The specialist advisers support you throughout the entire . The counselling centres provide advice specifically on the following questions.

  • What does the involve?
  • How do I find out what my German is?
  • Where can I ?
  • Which documents must I submit and in what form?
  • What can I do if I do not receive or receive only partial recognition?

If you are not yet in Germany, you can also get answers to the following questions:

  • How can I immigrate to Germany?
  • How do I find a job in Germany?
  • How do I apply for a job in Germany?
  • How can I improve my German language skills?

 

​​​​​​Which documents do I need for the counselling session?

These documents are necessary for the counselling session:

  • Curriculum vitae
  • Certificates with a summary of subjects and grades
  • Proof of employment, if available (e.g. employment references or time book)
  • Identification (e.g. personal identification, identification card)
  • If you have already applied for a recognition procedure: letters and notices from the competent authority.

Do you already have documents translated into German? If so, also bring these with you to the counselling session.​

Our recommendation

The counselling centre will tell you in advance which documents you need to bring with you. Please only send documents to a counselling centre if the counselling centre has asked you to do this.