Apply for a licence to practise medicine
You need a licence to practise medicine or a temporary professional licence if you want to work as a doctor in Germany.
Forms/Online Services
Responsible authority
the Stuttgart Regional Council
Contact
Details
Prerequisite
- You have completed a German medical training programme.
- You are worthy, reliable and in good health to practise the desired profession.
Procedure
Submit the application for a licence to practise in writing. You can download the relevant application form from the Internet.
You will receive the certificate by post.
Deadlines
Four weeks before the date of the oral examination of the third section of the medical examination.
Please note: Certain required documents, such as a medical certificate, personal declaration and certificate of good conduct, must not be older than one month at the time of submission!
Required documents
- Officially certified copy of the identity card or passport
- Birth certificate, if this has not already been submitted as part of the medical examination. If your name has changed, proof of the change of name from the registry office (e.g. extract from the family register, marriage certificate) showing the current name is required (also a copy certified by the mayor's office or, in exceptional cases, the original).
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form with details of educational and professional background
- Personal declaration with date and signature that no criminal proceedings or investigations by the public prosecutor's office have been or are pending against you.
- A current medical certificate stating that you are "not medically unfit to practise the profession (as a doctor)";
It must be dated, stamped and signed by the doctor. - If you are not applying for a licence to practise medicine in direct temporal connection with the medical examination, a copy of the medical examination certificate
- Certificate of good conduct of "Belegart OB"
Please state the following as the intended purpose: "Approbation as a doctor" and "Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Referat 95" as the recipient. - For stays abroad from the age of majority (longer than one year), a police clearance certificate from abroad must be submitted (original with official translation; not older than three months).
Costs
250,00 EUR
Processing time
Approximately two to four weeks after receipt of the complete application and all required documents.
Miscellaneous
none
Legal basis
Bundesärzteordnung (BÄO):
- § 1 Einzelnorm
- § 2 Einzelnorm
- § 3 Einzelnorm
- § 10 Einzelnorm
Gesetz über die Ausübung der Zahnheilkunde (ZHG):
- § 1 Approbation als Zahnarzt
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 30.01.2026