Recognition procedure for foreign healthcare professions

Have you successfully completed training or a degree in a healthcare profession abroad and would now like to work in that profession in Lower Saxony? If so, you can have your professional qualification recognised through us and apply to obtain granting of authorisation to use the professional title in the respective healthcare profession.

Please note that you are not permitted to work in a healthcare profession in Germany without the relevant authorisation to use the professional title!

Our authority is responsible for the following professions (complete list):

• Geriatric nurse
• Anaesthesia technical assistant
• Dietitian
• Occupational therapist
• Health and paediatric nurse
• Midwife
• Speech therapist
• Masseur and medical lifeguard
• Medical-technical laboratory assistant
• Medical-technical radiology assistant
• Medical-technical assistant in functional diagnostics
• Surgical assistant
• Orthoptist
• Care worker
• Pharmaceutical technical assistant
• Physiotherapist
• Podiatrist

We are also responsible for the following further training programmes (complete list):

• Family midwife and family health and paediatric nurse in early support services
• Early Intervention Specialist – family health and paediatric nurse
• Special nurse for hygiene and infection prevention
• Intensive and anaesthesia care
• Specialist in management tasks in nursing
• Oncological nursing specialist
• Specialist in surgical and endoscopic care
• Paediatric intensive and anaesthesia care
• Psychiatric nursing specialist
• Specialist in social psychiatric care

For the recognition of any of the above-mentioned vocational training programmes, a recognition of the basic profession is required first.

In Lower Saxony, nursing assistants or care assistants are not required to obtain a licence. Our authority therefore has no jurisdiction in these cases.

You can find the application form and the information sheet on this page under ‘Forms’. Please read the information sheet thoroughly.

The information sheet contains details on the entire recognition procedure, right through to the granting of authorisation, including in particular

• Required documents
• Adaptation measures
• Waiver (does not apply to midwives)
• Procedural costs
• Language proficiency requirements

The application can only be processed if all necessary documents are submitted in their entirety in the required form. Requests for additional documents significantly extend the procedure.

Please do not submit original documents! The documents submitted cannot be returned, as they are disposed of immediately after registration. The supporting documents required for the application may be submitted as simple copies (without certification).

Please do not send us the documents staple-bound or packed in folders, sleeves or any other packaging material.

Should jurisdictional responsibilities change during the course of the procedure, the new competent authority may request file access from us.

We recommend that you seek comprehensive advice from other organisations before applying. You can make use of the following consultation services and should also enquire there about funding options, as we are unable to grant financial support:

• Federal Government information portal (Informationsportal der Bundesregierung)
  
  
• Central Service Point for Professional Recognition (Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung - ZSBA)
  
  
• German Agency for Skilled Workers in Health and Care Professions (Deutsche Fachkräfteagentur für Gesundheits- und Pflegeberufe)
  
  
• Recognition grant (Anerkennungszuschuss)
  
  
• IQ Network Lower Saxony (IQ-Netzwerk Niedersachsen)
  
  
• Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit)
  

You can contact us by post at the following address:

Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Soziales, Jugend und Familie

Team 4SL3

Auf der Hude 2

21339 Lüneburg

If known, please always provide our full reference number!

Alternatively, you can contact us as follows:

Telephone: +49 (0)4131 15 – 0

Telephone consultation hours:

Monday to Thursday 09:00 – 12:00 and

Tuesdays 13:00 – 15:30 (except on days preceding public holidays in Lower Saxony)

E-Mail: Team4SL3@ls.niedersachsen.de

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