How to find your Approbation authority before you translate your diploma

If you trained as a doctor outside Germany, start by finding the licensing office for the city where you plan to work. Its checklist tells you which documents need a translation or a certified copy.

Open the official German Recognition Finder

Find the office for your intended city

1. Search for Doctor of medicine in the Recognition Finder.
2. Enter the city where you intend to work. If you're aiming for a hospital in Cologne, enter Köln.
3. Answer the follow-up questions for your own qualification. Open the competent authority section in your result and follow the link to its current instructions.

The Finder's example result for Köln shows where to find the authority and the document list. Run the Finder yourself so the result reflects your training and intended city.

Before you pay for translations

Open the authority's document checklist and look for three things.

• Which papers need a translation? Check the diploma and any transcripts or training records the office asks for.
• Who may translate them? Use the translator requirements in the office's current instructions.
• Which papers need certified copies? Check the format before you pay for copies or send documents.

Save the authority's checklist alongside your application papers. If a requirement is unclear, ask the office before ordering translations.

For help organizing your file, see Klaro's Approbation documents checklist.

Finder link and Köln example checked 9 November 2026.

Stand: 2026-11-09. 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) before you act.