Tiermedizinische/r Fachangestellte/r – Gleichwertigkeit einer ausländischen beruflichen Qualifikation feststellen

Veterinary assistants assist veterinarians in the examination, treatment and care of animals and in advising animal owners. They also carry out organizational and administrative work.

Have you acquired a professional qualification abroad that entitles you to comparable professional activities to the domestic training certificate as a veterinary assistant and want to work in Germany in the profession you have learned? The profession of veterinary assistant is a state-recognized training occupation that is not regulated in Germany. If you would nevertheless like to have the equivalence of your qualification with a German qualification checked, you can submit an application to the competent authority for a determination of equivalence. The competent authority will determine equivalence upon application if

• the evidence of formal qualifications obtained abroad demonstrates the ability to perform comparable professional activities to the corresponding domestic evidence of formal qualifications and
• there are no significant differences between the proven professional qualification and the corresponding domestic professional qualification.

The following documents must be enclosed with the application:

1. a tabular list of your completed training courses and employment in German
2. proof of identity
3. proof of training acquired abroad
4. Proof of relevant professional experience or other certificates of competence, if these are required to establish equivalence
5. documents proving the intention to pursue gainful employment in Germany corresponding to the professional qualification (e.g. proof of application for an entry visa for gainful employment or proof of contact with a potential employer); for applicants residing in an EU member state, another EEA member state or Switzerland as well as for nationals of these states, this statement is not required unless there are special reasons against such an intention
6. a declaration in German stating whether and to which body you have already submitted an application for determination of equivalence
7. if applicable, the decision on the determination of equivalence.

The documents under letters b to e and g must be submitted to the competent body in the form of copies or sent electronically. Translations in German of the documents under letters c, d and, where applicable, e must be submitted. In addition, the competent body may require translations in German of the documents referred to in letter b and all subsequently submitted documents. The translations shall be prepared by a publicly appointed or sworn interpreter or translator. By way of derogation from this paragraph, the competent body may permit a different form for the documents to be submitted.

The competent authority may request you to submit information on the content and duration of the vocational training completed abroad and on other professional qualifications within a reasonable period of time, insofar as this is necessary to determine equivalence.

If there is reasonable doubt as to the authenticity or accuracy of the documents submitted, the competent authority may ask you to submit originals, certified copies or other suitable documents.

If the required evidence is missing for reasons for which you are not responsible, equivalence may be determined by other suitable procedures in accordance with Section 14 BQFG.

At least EUR 75 up to a maximum of EUR 600.00

Additional costs may be incurred, for example for translations and notarizations.

In order to determine equivalence, the competent body will check, on the basis of your training certificates, whether and to what extent your foreign qualification corresponds to a German qualification for the profession you intend to practise. This check is based on defined formal criteria, such as the content and duration of the training. Your relevant professional experience is also taken into account, as are other relevant qualifications.

Further information on the profession of veterinary assistant, the procedure and the relevant authorities can be found on the internet portal "Recognition in Germany".

Once all documents have been submitted in full, the competent body will begin the equivalence assessment. The decision will be made within three months of submission of all documents. The deadline can be extended once if this is justified due to the special nature of the matter. You will be notified of the extension in good time.

You will receive a written or electronic notification of the decision of the competent authority.

An accelerated procedure is possible in the case of § 81a of the Residence Act in conjunction with § 14a of the Act on the Assessment of the Equivalence of Professional Qualifications (Professional Qualifications Assessment Act - BQFG).

No deadlines need to be observed.

The recognition and qualification advice centers of the "Integration through Qualification" network (IQ network) will be happy to advise and support you before, during and after the recognition procedure.

State Chamber of Veterinarians Thuringia
Thälmannstr. 1/3
99085 Erfurt.

E-mail: info@ltkt.de

Telephone: +49 361 644 387 93

Applications and forms can be found in the Central Thuringian Forms Service.
(We are preparing so that you can find all the necessary applications and forms via the Central Thuringian Forms Service)

You can also submit your application electronically to the responsible office via the Thuringian application system for administrative services (ThAVEL).
(We are preparing for you to submit your application electronically via the portal of the Thuringian application system for administrative services)