Your medical school cannot skip Germany’s exam

A recognised medical school does not exempt you from Germany’s knowledge exam. The state licensing office compares your own diploma, transcript, curriculum, internships, and work certificates with German medical training.

This comparison is called an equivalence assessment (Gleichwertigkeit). Your university name is one paper in the file. It is not the final decision.

Who makes the decision?

The licensing office in your chosen German state makes the decision. In Berlin, this is the State Office for Health and Social Affairs. In Bavaria, it is the government office responsible for your application.

The office does not ask only, “Is this university known?” It opens your papers and compares the subjects, hours, clinical placements, and final examinations.

What papers do they compare?

The most useful paper is a detailed curriculum from your medical school. A diploma that says “Doctor of Medicine” gives the office very little to compare.

• Your diploma and transcript with subjects and grades
• A curriculum showing teaching hours and clinical subjects
• Internship papers showing wards, dates, and supervisors
• A licence or registration certificate from your home country
• Work certificates from hospitals, with tasks and dates

A work certificate should name real tasks. “Worked as a doctor” is weak. “Managed admissions, ward rounds, discharge letters, emergency patients, and night duty” gives the reviewer something concrete.

When do you skip the exam?

You skip the medical knowledge exam (Kenntnisprüfung) when the office finds your training equal to German medical training. The office can also include later hospital work when it compares your file.

You sit the exam when the office finds major differences that your later work does not cover. The decision letter should name the missing areas or explain why your papers were insufficient.

Why school lists mislead doctors

A university database or a social media post can help you identify a school. It cannot replace the licensing office’s comparison of your individual papers.

Two graduates from the same university can receive different letters. One sends a full curriculum and internship log. The other sends only a diploma and a short transcript.

Your state still matters

German states use the same federal law for the full doctor licence (Approbation). Each state office still reads the translations, curriculum, and work papers in its own application file.

That is why you should read the document list for your chosen state before ordering translations. Do not spend money on a generic “recognised university” letter if the office asks for a curriculum instead.

What to do now

1. Request a detailed curriculum from your medical school, with subjects, hours, and clinical placements.
2. Ask your internship hospital for a signed letter listing wards, dates, and daily tasks.
3. Read your chosen state office’s document list before you order certified translations.
4. Keep every original paper and every translation in one labelled folder.
5. After you receive the decision letter, read the stated reason before booking a knowledge exam course.

Stand: 2026-09-29. 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.