• Introduction: Approbation vs Berufserlaubnis
Berufserlaubnis is a temporary medical license given to (foreign) doctors who did not study medicine in Germany or the EU/EFTA. The “Approbation” is the German permanent medical license. This article explains the differences and requirements between the two.
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• The translation of the words: Approbation vs Berufserlaubnis
| German (Deutsch) | English | Arabic (عربي) |
|---|---|---|
| Approbation | Permanent medical license | رخصة مزاولة المهنة الطبية الدائمة |
| Berufserlaubnis (BE) | Temporary medical license | رخصة مزاولة المهنة الطبية المؤقتة |
• How can you directly get an Approbation and not firstly a Berufserlaubnis?
Steps six, seven, and eight of the 10 steps for beginning a medical residency in Germany explain how to apply for a German permanent medical license (die Approbation) and if you are going to get directly an Approbation or Berufserlaubnis.
Your aim should be to get the Approbation. As its definition says, it is a “permanent” medical license, and the Berufserlaubnis (BE) is a “temporary” medical license. But this is not the only difference. 😔
• Why is a Berufserlaubnis (BE) a bad alternative to the Approbation?
We summarized the differences in the following table:
| Approbation (permanent medical license) | Berufserlaubnis (BE) (temporary medical license) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time validity | Lifelong | Some German approbation authorities do not give it to foreign doctors, others give it for a duration between 6-24 months. In rare cases and after a lot of mails and phone calls, it could be lengthened by a few months |
| Where can you work with it? | All over Germany, probably in many EU/EFTA countries, too | Only one German state (🇩🇪 das Bundesland) and, in many cases, only in one hospital in that state. To change hospitals inside this German state, you need to apply for a new one. Changing German states is even more complicated, and to get a new BE from the new approbation authority could take months. |
| Working restrictions | You may do everything a doctor may do | You can work in the department, only when other doctors with a permanent medical license are there at the same time (the idea is: they observe you). Moreover, almost always, you cannot do extra shifts with it. |
| Easy to get a job? | Of course | It is hard. Even if a hospital accepted you to work with BE, they are usually small and isolated hospitals. Moreover, they know that you cannot find a job easily, so they might take advantage of you (e.g., working extra hours without them being paid). But this is rather not a common thing. Moreover, you are anyhow a beginner, and through working extra you can improve your German and learn for the exam (learning by doing). |
| Salary | Normal (we explained the salaries of doctors in normal hospitals here: Link) | In almost 95% of the cases, like a normal doctor with a permanent medical license. But I heard of some hospitals paying doctors with a temporary medical license less. Because doctors with BE are almost always not allowed to do shift work, they get the normal salary for doctors (but it is not little and anyhow they need time to study for their medical knowledge exam). |
| Does the residency period under it count for the total period of the residency? | Yes, from day one. | No. So, if you work with a BE for 2 years as an internal medicine resident, this does not mean that you then require an additional 3 years to finish the residency period of internal medicine (which is 5 years). Only the time of residency with Approbation would be counted. Therefore, the total residency period would then be 7 years. |
| Getting an unlimited right to stay in Germany? | You get immediately a blue card (Blaue Karte), which is a residence permit to stay and work. It is the European Union version of the American green card. After working for 21 months, you can get the permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis). This means, you then have the right to remain in the EU indefinitely. | You can only get a blue card (temporary residence). You can only get the permanent residence after getting the Approbation. |
| Notes | If you had a Berufserlaubnis in one German state for two years, you cannot move to the next German state and take two new years. If you exceed the two years period, you cannot renew them 😔 Some might get through a lawyer or through a lot of help of the hospitals an extension. |
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