Apply for a professional veterinary licence
Berufserlaubnis als Tierärztin/Tierarzt beantragen
Official English page German-only parts machine-translated, 2026-09-15
Book an appointment
Book an appointment (service.berlin.de)
Requirements
• A veterinary training completed abroad
• Health fitness
• Proof of reliability and worthiness for the practice of the veterinary profession
• Sufficient knowledge of German level B 2
• Proof of responsibility
Documents you need
• Application for a professional licence in connection with the application for licensure
• Proof of responsibility for the Land of Berlin
(e.g. confirmation of employment, proof of habitual residence in the Land of Berlin/
main residence if applicable, applications for vacancies in the Land of Berlin, invitations to interviews).
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form with signature and date
• Proof of identity (valid identity card or passport)
• Certificate of birth
(in the event of a change of name, e.g. due to marriage, also this document)
• Certificate of good conduct for presentation to an authority service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120926/
To verify personal reliability, information from the Federal Central Register (certificate of good conduct) is required for submission to an authority (document type O).
The information must not be older than three months.
• Certificate of Good Conduct/ Certificate of Clearance of Offences
of the police or judicial authorities of the home country, if applicable, of the study country (if presented, not older than 3 months)
• Certificate of good standing/ Certificate of good standing
of the competent authority of the country in which the profession was practised (if presented, not older than 3 months)
• Medical certificate from a doctor licensed in Germany
(not older than 3 months if presented)
• Evidence of completed education (third country)
(see checklist for persons with third-country education)
• Certificate B 2 on knowledge of the German language
(from telc, TestDaF or Goethe-Institut - not older than 3 years).
It is not necessary to submit the language certificates at the time of application.
• Doctoral certificate (if available)
• Official certification of copies
If copies are submitted, they must be officially certified. In the case of copies without official certification, the simultaneous submission of the originals is required.
Forms
• Application for Approbation and Professional Licence www.berlin.de/lageso/_assets/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheit
• Medical certificate from a doctor licensed in Germany www.berlin.de/lageso/_assets/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheit
• Checklist: Evidence of completed education (third country) www.berlin.de/lageso/_assets/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheit
Fees
EUR 150.00
Legal basis
• Federal Veterinary Medical Order (BTÄO) § 2, 11 et seqq. www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bt_o/
• Ordinance on the Charging of Fees in the Health Care and Nursing Sector (GesPflGebO) www.berlin.de/lageso/_assets/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheit
Processing time
approx. 3-4 months, if all documents are complete
Further information
• Explanation Approbation and contact persons Training outside the European Union (third country) www.berlin.de/lageso/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheitswesen/a
• Explanation Approbation and contact persons Training in the European Union (EU) www.berlin.de/lageso/gesundheit/berufe-im-gesundheitswesen/a
• Information on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications ("Recognition in Germany") www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/index.php
• Financial assistance in the recognition procedure www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/financial-support.
• Publicly appointed translators in Germany www.justiz-dolmetscher.de/Recherche/
Who is responsible
The permit for the temporary practice of the veterinary profession in connection with the application for Approbation (professional licence) is issued only by the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Berlin (State Office for Health and Social Affairs Berlin).
Responsible for you
Choose a location; the appointment itself is booked on the original page.
- Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (Lageso)
- Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe (Anerkennung ausländischer Abschlüsse)
Original
German originalOfficial English page
Service number 325553 · same path as the original: service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/325553/