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

Where to apply for approbation

• Introduction about where to apply for approbation

Step number six of the 10 steps for beginning a medical residency in Germany is to apply for a German permanent medical license (die Approbation).

In this article, we try to collect and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of applying for the German permanent medical license (Approbation) in each German state. You can find links to websites of the 16 medical license authorities in each of the 16 German states here. In this article, we put direct links to for the application forms for the Approbation and the required documents.

😭😢 Where should I apply for the Approbation?

Hard question facing many foreign doctors

The question: “Where should I apply for Approbation?” is a common question in all Facebook groups. We tried to make a summary of the differences between the German states. This is not an easy task because each state is different and writing about the topic depends only on what doctors post in the different groups on social networks about their experience.

Can you help us add information to the comparison tables in the following article?

• Abbreviations used in the table

AbbreviationMeaning
StateName of the German state in English
(🇩🇪 name in German)
Proof Is a proof of intention needed to apply for approbation?
(In Bavaria, e. g. this is not needed)
B2Is a B2 certificate needed to apply?
(In some states, like NRW, you can send your documents after the internship year without a language certificate and still can know that you will get Gleichwertigkeit or not)
BEBerufserlaubnis (Temporary medical license)
FSPFachsprachenprüfung (The Medical Language Exam)
KPKenntnisprüfung (The Medical Knowledge Exam)
How hard is the exam or to get job with BE😍: easy
😊: normal
😢: hard
😭: very hard
Processing time of documents (months)How many months they need before they reply that you can do the FSP exam or that some documents are missing (Defizitbescheid 🇩🇪)
Time to FSP (months)How many months do you need to wait until you can do your FSP exam

• Where to apply for approbation: Comparison tables

We need your help. Can you help us add more information to the table?

N.B. Because this table is large, you can see it best on a PC. But if you are using a mobile phone, turn on the horizontal mode.

StateProofB2Processing timeTime to FSPFSPKPJob with BE
1Baden-Württemberg (BW)
(🇩🇪 same)
😍😍😢, somehow
2Bavaria (🇩🇪 Bayern)~11-2😊😊😊
3Berlin (🇩🇪 same)😊😊😭
4Brandenburg (🇩🇪 same)😊😊😊
5Bremen (🇩🇪 same)😊😊😢
6Hamburg (🇩🇪 same)😊😍😭
7Hesse (🇩🇪 Hessen)😊😊😊
8Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(🇩🇪 same)
😊😊😊
9Lower Saxony
(🇩🇪 Niedersachsen)
😊😊😊
10 North Rhine-Westphalia
(NRW)
(🇩🇪 Nordrhein-Westfalen)
3-4Düsseldorf: 4-5

Münster: 2-3
Düsseldorf: 😊

Münster: 😭
😭 😊
11Rhineland-Palatinate
(🇩🇪 Rheinland-Pfalz)
Some say: 😭😊😭
12Saarland (🇩🇪 same)😊😊😭
13Saxony (🇩🇪 Sachsen)😊😊😊
14Saxony-Anhalt
(🇩🇪 Sachsen-Anhalt)
😊😊😊
15Schleswig-Holstein (🇩🇪 same)😊😊😊
16Thuringia
(🇩🇪 Thüringen)
😊😊😊
This table was written with help from: Dr. Nero (Thanks 😊💐)


• Proof of intention to apply for Approbation

To apply for the Approbation, one needs a proof of intention:

🇩🇪 Applying for the Approbation: The proof of intention

We list here which proof of intention accepts each state.

StateNothing
needed
HospitationAnmeldungStandortvermerkZusageOthers
1Baden-Württemberg (BW)
(🇩🇪 same)
“Strong” family connection
2Bavaria (🇩🇪 Bayern)✅💞no needno needno needno need
3Berlin (🇩🇪 same)
(or 5 refusals)
4Brandenburg (🇩🇪 same)
5Bremen (🇩🇪 same)
6Hamburg (🇩🇪 same)
7Hesse (🇩🇪 Hessen)
8Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(🇩🇪 same)
9Lower Saxony
(🇩🇪 Niedersachsen)
10 North Rhine-Westphalia
(NRW)
(🇩🇪 Nordrhein-Westfalen)
11Rhineland-Palatinate
(🇩🇪 Rheinland-Pfalz)
12Saarland (🇩🇪 same)
13Saxony (🇩🇪 Sachsen)
14Saxony-Anhalt
(🇩🇪 Sachsen-Anhalt)
15Schleswig-Holstein (🇩🇪 same)
16Thuringia
(🇩🇪 Thüringen)
✅💞no needno needno needno need


• Where to apply for Approbation: Advantages & disadvantages of each state

StateAdvantages
😊
Disadvantages
😢
1Baden-Württemberg (BW)
(🇩🇪 same)
• Beautiful nature, warm weather
• 3rd populated state (>11 million)
• Some say, a salary with BE lower than a normal salary
• Living costs are relatively high
2Bavaria (🇩🇪 Bayern)• Good weather, nature very beautiful, hiking paradise
• 2nd populated state (>13 million). Hence large number of hospitals.
• High living costs
• Hard to find accommodation in large cities
3Berlin (🇩🇪 same)• Very hard to get accommodation and job
4Brandenburg (🇩🇪 same)• Good alternative for those who want to live in or near Berlin
5Bremen (🇩🇪 same)• Small state (around 0.5 million)
6Hamburg (🇩🇪 same)• Hard to get accommodation and job
7Hesse (🇩🇪 Hessen)• Center of Germany
8Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(🇩🇪 same)
• Some coastal cities
• Weather not hot like in the south
9Lower Saxony
(🇩🇪 Niedersachsen)
• Large state & many hospitals• Fourth populated state (>8 million) > Many hospitals, normal
10 North Rhine-Westphalia
(NRW)
(🇩🇪 Nordrhein-Westfalen)
• Most populated state (>18 million) > largest number of hospitals
• Waiting times are short
• Some wrote, if the doctor did “very bad” in the KP, then he will no longer be allowed to work with BE, but may re-take the KP
• The KP & FSP in Münster are the hardest in Germany. In Düsseldorf there is a second test centrum for the FSP only & the exam there is normal.

11Rhineland-Palatinate
(🇩🇪 Rheinland-Pfalz)
• Many say it is hard to get a job there with BE
12Saarland (🇩🇪 same)• Small state (1 million) and few hospitals
13Saxony (🇩🇪 Sachsen)• Some areas are isolated in the most northern parts of Germany, but this could be an advantage if you want to live near Scandinavian countries
14Saxony-Anhalt
(🇩🇪 Sachsen-Anhalt)
• Small state and few hospitals
15Schleswig-Holstein (🇩🇪 same)• Some areas are isolated in the most northern parts of Germany, but this could be an advantage if you want to live near Scandinavian countries
16Thuringia
(🇩🇪 Thüringen)
This table was written with help from: Dr. Nero (Thanks 😊💐)

• Further readings about where to apply for approbation

• A beautiful table from Wikipedia containing a comparison between all 16 German states: Link.

Want to learn more? Questions?
Join JETZT (🇺🇸 now) all of our groups & ask what you like
(On mobile phone: The links are at the end of this page/ On PC: On the right side)

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