The State Chambers of Physicians (Landesärztekammern) are responsible for postgraduate medical training, the recognition of postgraduate training done abroad and the recognition of foreign medical specialist diplomas. Each German State (Bundesland) has one State Chamber of Physicians with the exception of North Rhine-Westphalia where there are two (please see attached list).
For each physician only the regulations for postgraduate medical training issued by the State Chamber of Physicians where he/she is a member are legally binding. (Stand: September 2022)
Baden-Württemberg Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart Landesprüfungsamt und Anerkennungsstelle für Gesundheitsberufe Ruppmannstr. 21 70565 Stuttgart Tel.: +49-(0)711-9040 E-Mail: info.anerkennung@rps.bwl.de Internet: https://rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de/themen/gesundheit/seiten/arzt-ausland/
Bayern Regierung von Oberbayern Sachgebiet 55.3 – Rechtsfragen Gesundheitsberufe Maximilianstr. 39 80538 München Tel.: +49-(0)89-21762634 E-Mail: approbation.erlaubnis@reg-ob.bayern.de Internet: https://www.regierung.oberbayern.bayern.de/aufgaben/37198/244210/index.html
Regierung von Unterfranken Rechtsfragen Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz, Weinprüfstelle Peterplatz 9 97070 Würzburg Tel.: +49-(0)931-3801768 E-Mail: approbation@reg-ufr.bayern.de Internet: https://www.regierung.unterfranken.bayern.de/aufgaben/177673/index.html Achtung: Die Regierung von Unterfranken ist nur für Ärzte mit Abschlüssen aus dem Europäischen Wirtschaftsraum/Schweiz zuständig. Ärzte mit einem Diplom aus einem Staat außerhalb des EWR/Schweiz müssen sich an die Regierung von Oberbayern wenden.
Berlin Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe Turmstr. 21 10559 Berlin Tel.: +49-(0)30-902290 E-Mail: bqfg@lageso.berlin.de Internet: https://www.berlin.de/lageso/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheitswesen/
Brandenburg Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Verbraucherschutz und Gesundheit Abteilung Gesundheit Dezernat G1 Großbeerenstr. 181-183 14482 Potsdam Tel.: +49-(0)331-8683791 E-Mail: AHB@lavg.brandenburg.de Internet: https://lavg.brandenburg.de/lavg/de/gesundheit/akademische-heilberufe/
Bremen Freie Hansestadt Bremen Die Senatorin für Gesundheit, Frauen und Verbraucherschutz Contrescarpe 72 28195 Bremen Tel.: +40-(0)421-3619554 E-Mail: heike.ver@gesundheit.bremen.de Internet: http://www.gesundheit.bremen.de/gesundheit/berufe_im_gesundheitswesen-11468
Hamburg Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Sozialbehörde, Amt für Gesundheit Landesprüfungsamt für Heilberufe Billstr. 80 20539 Hamburg Tel.: +49-(0)40-428373796 E-Mail: vanessa.catalansanchez@soziales.hamburg.de Internet: http://www.hamburg.de/bgv/downloads/124066/downloads-medizin
Hessen Regierungspräsidium Gießen Hessisches Landesprüfungs- und Untersuchungsamt im Gesundheitswesen Lurgiallee 10 60439 Frankfurt a. M. Tel: +49-(0)69-5800130 E-Mail: poststelle@hlpug.hessen.de Internet: https://rp-giessen.hessen.de/HLPUG
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Landesprüfungsamt für Heilberufe Friedrich-Engels-Platz 5-8 18055 Rostock Tel.: +49-(0)381-33159108 E-Mail: doreen.lisske@lagus.mv-regierung.de Internet: https://www.lagus.mv-regierung.de/LPH/Auslaendische-Bildungsabschluesse/
Niedersachsen Niedersächsischer Zweckverband zur Approbationserteilung Abteilung 1 Nobelring 4 30627 Hannover Tel.: +49-(0)511-89729222 E-Mail: abteilung1@nizza.niedersachsen.de Internet: http://www.nizza.niedersachsen.de/startseite/
Nordrhein-Westfalen Bezirksregierung Münster Zentrale Anerkennungsstelle für approbierte Heilberufe (ZAG-aH) Domplatz 1-3 48143 Münster Tel.: 0251-4112400 E-Mail: zag@brms.nrw.de Internet: https://www.bezreg-muenster.de/de/gesundheit_und_soziales/zag/approbatio...
Rheinland-Pfalz Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Versorgung Referat 53.1 Baedekerstr. 2-20 56073 Koblenz Tel.: +49-(0)261-4041245 E-Mail: anerkennung-arzt@lsjv.rlp.de Internet: https://lsjv.rlp.de/de/unsere-aufgaben/arbeit/akademische-heilberufe/app...
Saarland Landesamt für Soziales Zentralstelle für Gesundheitsberufe / Landesprüfungsamt Hochstr. 67 66115 Saarbrücken Tel.: +49-(0)681-99784304 E-Mail: lpa-zentralstelle@las.saarland.de Internet: https://www.saarland.de/las/DE/themen/gesundheitsberufe/approbation/appr...
Sachsen Landesdirektion Sachsen Dienststelle Dresden Referat 22 Stauffenbergallee 2 01099 Dresden Tel.: +49-(0)351-825-0 E-Mail: gert.schiedewitz@lds.sachsen.de Internet: https://www.lds.sachsen.de/soziales/?ID=8105&art_param=684
Sachsen-Anhalt Landesverwaltungsamt Sachsen-Anhalt Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe /Referat 507 Maxim-Gorki-Str. 7 06114 Halle Tel.: +49-(0)345-5143268 E-Mail: lpa.gesundheitsberufe@lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de Internet: https://lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de/das-lvwa/landespruefungsamt-fuer-gesundhe...
Schleswig-Holstein Landesamt für soziale Dienste Dezernat Gesundheitsberufe Gartenstr. 24 24534 Neumünster Tel.: +49-(0)4321-9135 E-Mail: anerkennung-gesundheit@lasd.landsh.de Internet: https://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/landesregierung/ministerien-behoerd...
Thüringen Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt Landesprüfungsamt für akademische Heilberufe Jorge-Semprún-Platz 4 99423 Weimar Tel.: +49-(0)361-57100 E-Mail: approbation.erlaubnis@tlvwa.thueringen.de Internet: https://landesverwaltungsamt.thueringen.de/soziales/gesundheitswesen/hei...
A basic medical training completed successfully in a member state of the European Union will, on request, be automatically recognised in Germany provided that the qualification is listed in the European Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (2005/36/EC, Annex V No. 5.1.1), that the minimum criteria of the directive are met and that the basic medical training had been started after the specified reference date. As the EU has passed corresponding treaties with Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, similar rules apply for diplomas from these countries. Furthermore foreign physicians have to have an adequate knowledge of the German language. Basically, all registration authority demand the level B2 for general German and the level C1 for medical German. It is important to note that the physician has to contact the registration authority responsible for the geographic area in which he/she wants to work in order to find out which language certificates are acceptable. There are some other requirements (e.g. health requirements, no criminal record) which also need to be fulfilled in order to obtain full registration (Approbation). Further information and the list of documents are posted on the websites of the registration authorities.
There are no deadlines. The recognition process should be completed within 3 months after the registration authority received all necessary documents. For those physicians who do not fall under the automatic recognition system of the Directive 2005/36/EC the process can last up to 4 months after a complete application has been handed in.
Further information is posted on the websites of the registration authorities
No.
(Only if the physician falls under the general system of recognition of the Directive 2005/36/EC and substantial differences in the basic medical education have been detected which could not be compensated, the physician has to pass an aptitude exam. These are rather exceptional cases.)
For information on language requirements please refer to question 1.2.
Physician (Arzt/Ärztin) Specialist Physician (Facharzt/Fachärztin)
After graduation from medical university in Germany junior doctors can do their postgraduate training. With the completion of postgraduate training (including the specialist exam) the physician becomes a specialist physician. Further information can be found on the websites of the State Chamber of Physicians.
In Germany 17 registration authorities exist. Each registration authority is competent for a specific region. Physicians have to contact the registration authority in the region they want to work.
Contact Data:
Adressen der Approbationsbehörden (Stand: September 2022)
Baden-Württemberg
Landesärztekammer Baden-Württemberg Jahnstraße 40 70597 Stuttgart Tel.: +49 (0)711-769890 Fax: +49 (0)711-7698950 E-Mail: info@laek-bw.de Internet: www.aerztekammer-bw.de
Bayern
Bayerische Landesärztekammer Mühlbaurstraße 16 81677 München Tel.: +49 (0)89-41470 Fax: +49 (0)89-4147280 E-Mail: info@blaek.de Internet: www.blaek.de
Berlin
Ärztekammer Berlin Friedrichstr. 16 10969 Berlin Tel.: +49 (0)30-408060 Fax: +49 (0)30-408063499 E-Mail: kammer@aekb.de Internet: www.aekb.de
Brandenburg
Landesärztekammer Brandenburg
Geschäftsstelle Cottbus Dreifertstraße 12 03044 Cottbus Tel.: +49 (0)355-780100 Fax: +49 (0)355-78010369 E-Mail: post@laekb.de Internet: www.laekb.de
Geschäftsstelle Potsdam Pappelallee 5 14469 Potsdam Tel.: +49 (0)331-505605760 Fax: +49 (0)331-505605769 E-Mail: post@laekb.de Internet: www.laekb.de
Bremen
Ärztekammer Bremen Schwachhauser Heerstraße 30 28209 Bremen Tel.: +49 (0)421-3404200 Fax: +49 (0)421-3404209 E-Mail: info@aekhb.de Internet: www.aekhb.de
Hamburg
Ärztekammer Hamburg Weidestr. 122 b 22083 Hamburg Tel.: +49 (0)40-2022990 Fax: +49 (0)40-202299400 Email: post@aekhh.de
Internet: www.aerztekammer-hamburg.org
Hessen
Landesärztekammer Hessen Hanauer Landstr. 152 60314 Frankfurt am Main Tel.: +49 (0)69-976720 Fax: +49 (0)69-97672128 E-Mail: info@laekh.de Internet: www.laekh.de
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Ärztekammer Mecklenburg-Vorpommern August-Bebel-Str. 9a 18055 Rostock Tel.: +49 (0)381-492800 Fax: +49 (0)381-4928080 E-Mail: info@aek-mv.de Internet: www.aek-mv.de
Niedersachsen
Ärztekammer Niedersachsen Karl-Wiechert-Allee 18-22 30625 Hannover Tel.: +49 (0)511-38002 Fax: +49 (0)511-3802240 E-Mail: info@aekn.de Internet: www.aekn.de
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Ärztekammer Nordrhein Tersteegenstr. 9 40474 Düsseldorf Tel.: +49 (0)211-43020 Fax: +49 (0)211-43022009 E-Mail: aerztekammer@aekno.de Internet: www.aekno.de
Ärztekammer Westfalen-Lippe Gartenstraße 210-214 48147 Münster Tel.: +49 (0)251-9290 Fax: +49 (0)251-9292999 E-Mail: posteingang@aekwl.de Internet: www.aekwl.de
Rheinland-Pfalz
Landesärztekammer Rheinland-Pfalz Deutschhausplatz 3 55116 Mainz Tel.: +49 (0)6131-288220 Fax: +49 (0)6131-2882288 E-Mail: kammer@laek-rlp.de Internet: www.laek-rlp.de
Saarland
Ärztekammer des Saarlandes Faktoreistr. 4 66111 Saarbrücken Tel.: +49 ((0)681-40030 Fax: +49 (0)681-4003340 E-Mail: info-aeks@aeksaar.de Internet: www.aerztekammer-saarland.de
Sachsen
Sächsische Landesärztekammer Schützenhöhe 16 01099 Dresden Tel.: +49 (0)351-82670 Fax: +49 (0)351-8267412 E-Mail: info@slaek.de Internet: www.slaek.de
Sachsen-Anhalt
Ärztekammer Sachsen-Anhalt Doctor-Eisenbart-Ring 2 39120 Magdeburg Tel.: +49 (0)391-60546 Fax: +49 (0)391-60547000 E-Mail info@aeksa.de Internet: www.aeksa.de
Schleswig-Holstein
Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein Bismarckallee 8-12 23795 Bad Segeberg Tel.: +49 (0)4551-8030 Fax: +49 (0)4551-803188 E-Mail: info@aeksh.de Internet: www.aeksh.de
Thüringen
Landesärztekammer Thüringen Im Semmicht 33 07751 Jena-Maua Tel.: +49 (0)3641-6140 Fax: +49 (0)3641-614169 E-Mail: verwaltung@laek-thueringen.de Internet: www.laek-thueringen.d
There are no examination, clerkship, internship etc. However, all doctors need to register with the State Chamber of Physicians in which jurisdiction they work.
Employment ads may be found e.g. in the following media: Marburger Bund: http://www.marburger-bund.de/mbz/stellenmarkt Deutsches Ärzteblatt: www.aerzteblatt.de Websites of hospitals Federal Employment Agency/International and Specialized Services: ZAV@arbeitsagentur.de
There are no general deadlines. Individual job advertisements often have a specific deadline.
It is the individual choice of the physician in which speciality and in which region he/she applies for a position. However, there is no guarantee that the applicant gets the desired position. In such a case he/she needs to look for an alternative.
Yes, physicians are employees during their postgraduate training and receive a salary.
Monthly gross salaries for a 40-hour-week:
Physician: 4,852.02 € (1st year) - 6,236.95 € (6th year)
Specialist Physician 6,403.90 € (1st year) - 8,224.22 € (13th year onwards)
There are different collective agreements for different types of hospitals (e.g. hospitals run by the state, hospitals run by local authorities, private hospitals). Therefore, the salaries and other working conditions vary slightly. The above figures refer to the collective agreement of the communal hospitals.
According to all our collective agreements overtime has to be compensated. Unfortunately, this does not always happen automatically. Members of the Marburger Bund who work overtime and do not get an adequate compensation should contact the Marburger Bund.
There are unlimited and fixed-term positions. Most training positions are fixed-term. The regular weekly working time is 40-42 hours (collective agreement for communal and university hospitals). The average weekly working time including on-call time can be up to 58 hours (collective agreement for communal and university hospitals).
Employed physicians who are sick receive their full salary for up to 6 weeks. Afterwards they might receive sick pay from the health insurance (depending on the insurance contract) for up to 78 weeks and a possible allowance from their employer for up to a maximum of 39 weeks. 30-31 days of paid holidays are granted (collective agreement for university hospitals and communal hospitals).
In general female employees have 14 weeks of paid maternity leave (six weeks before giving birth and 8 weeks after giving birth).
For some sort of voluntary work (e.g. work in the Chamber of Physicians) physicians can be released partly from their work while being paid.
For more information please refer to the specific health insurance and the collective agreement which is applicable. Information on maternity leave: https://www.bmfsfj.de/blob/94398/ff6a51cf550dbb2c4b6170cce99e5b3d/mutter...
Information on parental leave and parental money: https://www.bmfsfj.de/blob/93614/883f631806ac368da9d4a5a1cce66aa8/eltern... https://www.bmfsfj.de/blob/93632/05485225123c3b6093ffaf3d36bb5568/eltern... Members of the Marburger Bund get free advice on these issues from their Marburger Bund State Association.
On the federal level no data is available.
For specific information please refer to the State Chamber of Physicians.
Information on the State level might be available from the State Chamber of Physicians.
Yes. Hospitals, practices and other places need to be accredited by the State Chamber of Physicians in order to be able to offer postgraduate training. Evaluations are conducted by the State Chamber of Physicians.
For further information please contact the State Chambers of Physicians.
There is no recertification process in general but specialist physicians are obliged to earn 250 credit points of continuous medical education within each five-year-period during their professional life.
The physician needs to apply for full registration (Approbation). He/she has to contact the registration authority in the region she/he wants to work. For further information please refer to point 1.2 and 2.2 of this questionnaire.
Minimum training times ranges from 4-6 years. However, there are only a few specialties where the minimum training time is 4 years. In most specialties it is 5 to 6 years. Furthermore, minimum training times are often exceeded for various reasons.
A specialist physician can move further up the hierarchy in the hospital if he/she takes on additional responsibilities, becomes Vice-Head of the Department or Chief of the Department. In these cases the salary also increases.
Yes. The Marburger Bund offers its members further advice on this issue.
For many physicians work experiences gained abroad is a professional and personal enrichment and employers (in general) also value such experience. The Marburger Bund advises members who wish to work in other countries. Once a year we conduct a special seminar on this issue.
The European Commission has pointed out that it is an unacceptable practice if a country accepts only language qualification issued by certain types of institutions. The fact that in 13 States foreign-trained physicians have to sit a specific language exam conducted by the State Chamber of Physician is a controversial issue.
The Marburger Bund is the only trade union for physicians in Germany. We offer free legal advice in all matters pertaining to labour law (e.g. examination of working contracts, enforcement of compensation for overtime, maternity and parental regulations). We also represent our members in the labour court if necessary. However, the range of services of the Marburger Bund reaches far beyond this offer. You’ll find more details on the advantages of a membership in the Marburger Bund under:
https://www.marburger-bund.de/vorteile
If the basic medical training in the country of training consists of medical studies and an obligatory practical phase (e.g. Foundation Year, Internship, Staz) we highly recommend that the physician only comes to Germany after he/she has completed this practical phase. Otherwise the competent registration authority will conclude that the basic medical training is incomplete. Please note that it is extremely difficult to integrate into the German system with an incomplete basic medical training.
The Marburger Bund has posted detailed information for foreign physicians (with qualifications from EEA-countries/Switzerland and non EEA-countries) who wish to work in Germany on its website:
https://www.marburger-bund.de/bundesverband/service/aerztinnen-und-aerzt...
