Doctors should pick their German licence state by papers

Choose the German state whose licence office accepts your papers and fits your first job. Do not choose from old posts saying one state was fast last year.

Your full doctor licence is called an Approbation. Each German state has its own licensing office, application page and document list.

The state must have a link

You cannot freely send the same file to every German state. The office normally wants a real link to its state.

That link is usually your German address or a written job offer. A hospital contract in Kiel points to Schleswig-Holstein. A flat registration in Berlin points to Berlin.

Some offices accept a clear statement that you plan to work there. Read that office's application page before paying for translations.

Start with your first hospital

Your first hospital should lead this decision. A signed junior doctor contract gives the licensing office a clear reason to handle your file.

This also gives you a place to live. Your registration paper from the town hall is useful for the application.

A doctor with an offer in Flensburg should not choose Berlin only because a Telegram group called Berlin faster. Berlin's office may ask for a Berlin connection.

Compare papers before sending

State offices ask for many of the same papers. Your passport, diploma, transcript, certificate of good standing and medical certificate appear again and again.

The details still differ. One office may publish a separate form for your country. Another may state how recent a medical certificate must be.

Open the official list for 3 states. Put each required paper in a phone note. Then choose the list where your papers already match the instructions.

• Your medical diploma and transcript
• Your certificate of good standing
• Certified translations required by that office
• A German address, job offer, or statement of intended work

Language rules also change

German states set their own process for the language exam for doctors. The exam checks a patient talk, written report and doctor-to-doctor handover.

Ask the licensing office which language certificate it accepts before booking an exam. Do not buy a certificate because a friend used it in another state.

Schleswig-Holstein publishes its own information on language proof and applications. Berlin publishes separate instructions through its licensing office, LAGeSo.

Speed is the weakest reason

Processing speed changes when an office receives more files or waits for one paper. A state that was quick in a 2024 video may be slow when you apply.

Your own file matters more. Missing translations, an old certificate, or an unclear name change stops a file in every state.

What to do now

1. List 3 states where you can realistically live or hold a junior doctor job.
2. Open each licensing office page and save its document list as a PDF.
3. Ask the hospital HR office for a written job offer or contract.
4. Email the chosen licensing office: “Can I apply with this job offer and these documents?”
5. Apply only after the office confirms your state link.

The best state is the one where your job, address and papers point to the same office. That choice saves more time than chasing old speed stories.

Stand: 2026-09-27. 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.