Foreign doctors in Germany: How to begin a medical residency

Foreign doctors in Germany

Table of contents

• Introduction – Foreign doctors in Germany

Welcome to our community, “Facharzt JETZT!” (🇺🇸 specialist now). 🙂 We learn together and help each other. In this article, we collected links to the most important articles on our website for foreign doctors in Germany wanting to work or study there.

To help foreign doctors in Germany, we wrote many articles, and we listed the most essential article here in different categories. In each category, there are multiple articles.

Some of the article links will take you to the main Facebook group of Facharzt JETZT. Please post any comments/questions in each article’s Facebook post.

Foreign doctors in Germany – Destination is to Deutschland

• Thinking about coming to Germany?

• Comparisons:

Germany vs USA

Germany vs UK vs Canada vs Australia

How much money do doctors earn in Germany?

The countries of the  European Union (EU) or of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Durations of the residency programs in Germany (die Dauer der Facharztausbildung)

Is there a maximal age, to which a doctor may work in Germany? No

Gaps in CV of doctors in Germany: Big problem? No!

Improving CV before and after coming to Germany

Even before coming to Germany, how to make connections with doctors in Germany?

Networking! Networking! Networking! Make connections now!

Make connections by joining our most active Telegram groups!

Is it better to wait in my home country and gather clinical experience before coming to Germany?

• Available specialties:

Which medical specialties are the easiest or hardest to get in Germany?

How to get almost any medical specialty in Germany

Improving CV before and after coming to Germany

• Available options after finishing the residency in Germany:

Can doctors after a German medical ressdiency work in the UK? Yes. GMC registration after getting a German Board

Recognition of the German board: In which countries?

• Work-life balance:

Doctors in Germany: Work-life balance

Specialties without night shifts for doctors in Germany

Which medical specialties in Germany are not physically demanding/are least physically stressful?

24/7 Guardians: Unveiling the working times of doctors in German hospitals

• The academic route:

For physicians: Doing a Master’s or PhD degree in Germany

As a foreign doctor in Germany: How to become a professor?

Scholarships in Germany through the DAAD and KAAD

• Other possible jobs for doctors:

Jobs other than in hospitals and clinics for doctors in Germany

• Financial costs:

Costs of medical specialization in Germany

• Are there still enough jobs for doctors in Germany?

Rumour: Germany has no jobs for doctors any longer


• You decided to come to Germany?

Foreign doctors in Germany

• Common terms explained:

Important and common terms related to working as a doctor in Germany

Approbation vs Berufserlaubnis

• The steps for medical specialization in Germany for foreign doctors:

The 10 steps to start a medical residency in Germany (2024)

Medical residency in Germany for EU/EFTA citizens or graduates

Stages to study medicine in Germany

• Information for certain nationalities

Approbation for foreign medical graduates from China, Georgia, the Philippines, and Ukraine

For Jordanian & Mexican doctors: “Specialized!” program

Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year: Possible solutions

• Approbation:

Where to apply for approbation: Advantages & disadvantages of each German state

Moving your application for Approbation from one medical license authority to another

How long does it take to get the  Approbation?

Direct links to forms & documents to apply for Approbation

The 16 medical license authorities (die Approbationsbehörden)

Proof of intention to apply for the Approbation

Standortvermerk (the location note)

UK medical graduates after Brexit: Treatment like non  EU/EFTA graduates

Exams needed to get the Approbation as a doctor in Germany

Experiences with recognition of medical studies (die Gleichwertigkiet): According to country of study

• Documents:

Required documents to apply for the Approbation

Translation of documents for foreign doctors

Find officially recognized translators in Germany

What is authentication (die Beglaubigung) & where to do it?

Curricumulm vs Syllabus: What are the differences?

Free template for CV in German

Importance of work certificates (Arbeitszeugnisse)

Immunization against measles (die Masern)

• Importance of the internship year:

The internship year (das Praktische Jahr – PJ) is a must to be able to work in Germany

Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year

• Learning German:

How to learn German? For foreign doctors going to Germany

10 months from zero to B2 in German (I studied outside Germany)

Tips on how to learn German for doctors & medical specialties

For doctors: How long does it take to learn the German language?

Why is learning German easy and why it is hard

Enjoy learning German: Through songs

A placement test ( der Einstufungstest) for the German langauge for free

Sources to learn German for foreign doctors going to Germany

Wanderung ( hiking): For free learn German, improve your health and make new friends

Die Volkshochschule (VHS): The cheapest language school in Germany

For doctors: What is Goethe institute?

• Visa:

Applying for a German visa: How? Reasons for coming to Germany?

Types of visas to come to Germany for medical specialties

Proof of financial resources for the visa application

Declaration of commitment (eine Verpflichtungserklärung)

The Skilled Immigration Law (Das Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz)

Visa manual: An official document with rules for applying for visa for Germany

• Closed bank account:

Blocked or closed bank account (das Sperrkonto)

Banks for closed bank accounts and steps to register in them

The Medical Language Exam (Fachsprachenprüfung – FSP):

Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) – The Medical Language Exam

Die Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP): Only after graduation are doctors allowed to take this exam

Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) JETZT: Prepare for the Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) interactively

Ultimate Fachsprachenprüfung (FSP) preparation tips

Examples of online courses for the medical lanuage exams ( die Fachsprachenprüfung)

• Medical knowledge exam (die Kenntnisprüfung – KP):

The Medical Knowledge Exam (die Kenntnisprüfung – KP)

Gleichwertigkeit: Avoiding a medical knowledge exam (Kenntnisprüfung)

Medical knowledge exam ( die Kenntnisprüfung) in Baden-Württemberg

• Medical education in Germany:

Medical societies in Germany

Finding medical events in Germany (conferences, symposiums, etc.)

List of medical faculties in Germany

• All about Hospitation (medical training):

What is Hospitation? (medical training)

How to apply for a Hospitation in Germany

German hospitals known to offer Hospitation for foreign doctors

How to increase your chances of getting a medical training ( eine Hospitaiton)

• Job application:

Find German hospitals and their websites

University hospitals in Germany (die Unikliniken)

Finding job offers and applying intelligently

Free template for CV in German

Motivational letter for application for a job as a doctor in Germany

How to get a job promise (eine Einstellungszusage) in Germany?

• The job interviews:

From A to Z: Job interview for doctors in Germany (das Vorstellungsgespräch)

Tips for a successful job interview in Germany

Most common questions in job interviews for doctors in Germany

• After getting the job:

Steps to do after being accepted in a job

• The residency (Facharztausbildung):

The Logbook (das Logbuch): Content of each medical residency

Improving CV before and after coming to Germany

Factors that could increase your residency period (die Facharztausbildung) in Germany

• Information about certain medical specialties

Doing Psychiatry Residency in Germany: Hands-on Experience

Specializing in Oral and maxillofacial surgery (Mund-Kiefer-Gesichtschirurgie – MKG)

Interventional cardiology training in Germany (die interventionelle Kardiologie)


• Finances:

As a doctor: Earning money before the permanent medical license ( die Approbation)

Funding to foreign doctors: For free

The mini-job (der Minijob)

Salaries of doctors in hospitals Germany

How much money do doctors earn in Germany?

Income of doctors in clinics in Germany

Gross salary ( das Brutto) vs net salary ( das Netto)

Is a starting salary for a new doctor in Germany enough to make a decent living after taxes?

Earning money as a (medical) university student in Germany


• Official and life issues:

Residence registration ( die Anmeldung)


• Apps:

Call landline and phone numbers worldwide with a low cost

TeleClinic – Get online a sick leave for free ( eine Krankschreibung)

Want to learn more? Questions?
Join JETZT (🇺🇸 now) all of our groups & ask what you like
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