Recognition of foreign vocational qualifications in Germany
Section 6 of the German Qualifications Assessment Act gives the chamber three months from a complete file. A recognition partnership moves the work to Germany.
Equivalence of a qualification earned abroad is decided by the body competent for that occupation, usually a chamber of crafts or a chamber of industry and commerce. Section 6 of the German Professional Qualifications Assessment Act gives it three months from receipt of the complete file. That period may be extended once where the case justifies it.
For employers, recognition is the real clock in the procedure. Federal Employment Agency approval, the visa appointment and the issue of the residence title can all be planned around. The chamber's decision cannot be accelerated, and it does not start running until the file is complete.
When the three months actually begin
The important words in section 6 are not the number three but the condition in front of it: from receipt of the complete documents. If a candidate in Nepal submits a final certificate without the curriculum table for the training programme, the chamber asks for it and the period has not yet started. The same applies to uncertified translations and to proof of training duration, which many origin countries issue only on separate application.
The period can also be suspended, for example while an expert opinion is obtained or another procedure on the same question is pending. An extension under section 6 must be reasoned and communicated in good time, so it cannot happen silently, but it is permitted. In planning terms, three months is the floor for an orderly file rather than the expected value.
A second distinction shapes the whole route. In a regulated occupation, such as nursing or certain electrical work, the equivalence decision does not replace the licence to practise; both must be applied for separately. In an unregulated occupation, such as welding or CNC machining, the person may work as soon as the residence title allows it, with or without a decision. The decision is then needed for the title, not for the task.
| Outcome of the procedure | What it means | What the employer does with it |
|---|---|---|
| Full equivalence | The qualification matches the German reference occupation | The route under section 18a of the Residence Act is open |
| Partial equivalence | Material differences remain, adaptation or compensation measures are required | Recognition partnership under section 16d subsection 3, or training on site |
| No equivalence | The reference occupation is not reached | Test other routes, such as the Western Balkans rule or the EU Blue Card |
| No reference occupation exists | The trade is not covered by German dual training | Classify by experience and pay rather than by the certificate |
The recognition partnership moves the procedure to Germany
Since the reform of German skilled immigration law, section 16d subsection 3 of the Residence Act allows entry before recognition is complete. It requires a state recognised foreign vocational qualification with at least two years of training or a state recognised foreign degree, a concrete job offer, and an agreement written into the employment contract: the worker undertakes to start the recognition procedure without delay, and the employer undertakes to enable the qualification measures that follow.
The company itself must be suitable for training or further qualification. Added to that are German language skills sufficient for the intended activity and either Federal Employment Agency approval or an exemption under the Employment Ordinance. The residence permit is issued for the duration of that approval and for a maximum of one year at a time, extendable to three years in total. Secondary employment of up to 20 hours a week is allowed.
That is the real shift in practice. Previously the company waited for the chamber and then looked for a start date. Now the person can work and be qualified in parallel, provided the contract carries the undertaking and the company honours it. An employer that writes the clause into the contract without planning release time for the adaptation course loses the title at renewal.
What employers settle before hiring
Four questions decide whether the file holds. Whether the occupation is regulated in Germany. Which body is competent, since that follows both the occupation and the federal state of the workplace. Which documents the origin side can actually issue, and how long it takes. And whether the company can genuinely deliver the qualification that a partial recognition triggers.
Chamber fees differ by occupation and by federal state. One figure is fixed: 411 euro under section 47 of the Residence Ordinance for the accelerated skilled worker procedure, where the immigration office opens the recognition file on the employer's behalf. That route is set out in Germany's accelerated skilled worker procedure.
For candidates who want to enter Germany holding a partial recognition decision without a contract, the route runs through the opportunity card, whose points catalogue scores exactly that criterion at four points; the detail is in the opportunity card and its points system. How recognition fits into the rest of the permit chain is described in the German permit chain an employer owns.
A company planning twelve hires should treat recognition as the first work package rather than as a certificate filed at the end. Which documents Werklist obtains on the origin side, and in what order they reach the chamber, is set out on our employers page.
Keep reading
All posts →What a UK sponsor licence costs an employer in 2026
The Home Office charges £1,682 for a medium or large Worker sponsor licence, £525 per Certificate of Sponsorship and £1,320 a year in skills charge.
UK skilled worker salary thresholds and going rates 2026
The Home Office sets an hourly floor of GBP 17.13 under Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations and GBP 12.82 under Table 2, each alongside the going rate.