Equivalence of foreign professional qualifications in judicial professions Determination

You have a foreign professional qualification in the field of judicial training professions. Would you like to work in this profession in Germany on a permanent basis? Then you can have your foreign professional qualification officially recognized.

You can have a training qualification or further education qualification from abroad officially recognized in Germany. The procedure for recognition is called: equivalence assessment.

Please note: Your qualification must be recognized by the state in the country in which you trained. Informal or non-formal qualifications cannot be officially recognized in Germany.

Training occupations in Germany in the field of administration of justice are

• Notary clerk or notary assistant
• Patent paralegal or patent paralegal assistant
• Paralegal and notary's assistant or paralegal and notary's assistant
• Paralegal or legal assistant
• Certified legal specialist

You apply for recognition from the competent authority in the federal state in which you wish to work. In the field of law, the bar associations, patent attorney associations and notary chambers are normally responsible.

To apply for an equivalence assessment, you must identify a German training qualification or further training qualification. This is the so-called reference profession. It must match your foreign professional qualification. You should therefore seek advice before submitting your application.

When assessing equivalence, the competent authority will compare your qualification with a specific German qualification. Important criteria for the comparison are the content and duration of the training.

You will receive a decision on the outcome of the procedure. The decision will state any existing and any missing professional qualifications. The decision enables employers to better assess your professional qualifications.

You can also apply for equivalence assessment from abroad.

• You have a state-recognized professional qualification from abroad.
• Your qualification must be compatible with a German qualification in the field of the legal professions.
• You want to work in Germany.

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority within a certain period of time (for example, by lodging an objection). The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on legal remedies at the end of your decision. You should first speak to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

Application

You submit an application for equivalence assessment to the competent body.
You can submit the application with the documents to the relevant office, send it by post or upload it electronically. Do not send any originals.

Examination of equivalence

The competent body will then check: Is your professional qualification equivalent to the German professional qualification? The competent authority will compare the qualifications using certain criteria. Important criteria are the content and duration of the training. The competent body also takes your professional experience, your other certificates of competence and qualifications into account when assessing equivalence.

Possible results of the examination

You will receive a notification with the result of the procedure. You will receive recognition if your professional qualification and the German professional qualification are equivalent.

Sometimes there are significant differences between the professional qualifications. The differences are listed in your notification. You can use this decision to gain further qualifications and later submit a new application for equivalence assessment.

If your professional qualification is not equivalent at all, you will not receive recognition.

Procedure for ethnic German repatriates

As a late repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either in accordance with the laws mentioned here or in accordance with the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. The responsible office will advise you which procedure is right for you.

Qualification analysis

You no longer have all the documents required for the application? Then recognition is still possible. You can prove your professional qualification with a qualification analysis, for example through a technical interview or a work sample.