German doctors can apply before their licence arrives
You don't need your German doctor licence to apply for jobs. The confirmation letter from the state medical chamber is proof enough to start.
Ahmed Quteishat
Assistenzarzt, Innere Medizin (Berlin) · Founder of Klaro
You can send job applications to German hospitals the day you file your licence application (Approbationsantrag), not months later. The paper that makes this possible is the confirmation letter (Eingangsbestätigung) from your state medical chamber (Landesärztekammer). It proves your file is open, and most hospitals accept that as a real starting point.
What does the confirmation letter actually prove?
It proves your file exists and is being read.
By law, the chamber must confirm your application within 1 month. It must decide within 4 months once your file is complete.
That letter carries a date, a reference number, and the chamber's stamp. A hospital's HR office recognises it right away.
Do hospitals really hire before the licence is ready?
Yes, regularly.
Hospitals know the German recognition process takes months. In Bavaria, the wait for a knowledge exam (Kenntnisprüfung) slot grew from 6 to 21 months.
No department can staff a ward around that timeline. So hospitals hire doctors mid-process, on a temporary work permit (Berufserlaubnis).
What is the temporary work permit?
The Berufserlaubnis lets you work as a doctor for up to 2 years while your licence is pending. A hospital applies for the permit once they want to hire you.
They use your confirmation letter as the base document. This is the bridge between filing your application and holding your Approbation.
What should go in your application now?
- A copy of your confirmation letter (Eingangsbestätigung) from the chamber
- Your exam date, if you already have one booked for the Fachsprachprüfung or Kenntnisprüfung
- Your CV in German format, with your licence status written plainly as 'Approbation beantragt' (licence applied for)
- A short line in your cover letter explaining the temporary work permit option
What hospitals usually say no to
A CV that hides the gap confuses HR more than one that states it. Writing 'Approbation in Bearbeitung' (licence being processed) with the filing date is stronger than leaving the line blank. What loses you the reply is silence, not the missing document itself.
What to do this week
- Email your chamber and ask for a copy of your confirmation letter if you have not received it yet.
- Add your filing date and reference number to your CV, under your licence status.
- Start applying to hospitals now, naming the temporary work permit (Berufserlaubnis) option in your cover letter.
Stand: 2026-10-25. This is a guide, not legal advice. Every German state has its own rules, and rules change. Check with your state's [medical chamber (Landesärztekammer)](https://www.bundesaerztekammer.de/aerztekammern) before you act.
Ahmed Quteishat — Assistenzarzt, Innere Medizin (Berlin) · Founder of Klaro
Ahmed built Klaro after watching how much of a doctor's move to Germany gets lost in paperwork rather than medicine.
