Book your German visa after this letter

Foreign doctors should request a German visa appointment after the licensing office confirms their application. They can also book after the office sends a written decision.

Do not book your move after passing B2 alone. The embassy needs a clear paper showing why you need to stay in Germany.

The safest point to book

Book the appointment when you have a written reply from the licensing office. This can be an application confirmation with your file number.

It can also be a missing-papers letter. It can name the next step for your full doctor licence.

For many doctors, the useful letter names an exam, course, or work step. Put that letter beside your passport when you build the visa file.

You can apply for your German doctor licence from abroad. The office must confirm receipt within 1 month.

It must decide within 4 months after your file is complete. This time does not include waiting for a medical knowledge exam date.

In Bavaria, that wait grew from 6 to 21 months. This applied to the knowledge-exam route.

Do not book after B2 alone

A B2 certificate helps your licence application. It does not tell the embassy why you need Germany now.

Doctors need general German at B2. They also need the medical language exam at about C1.

The state medical chamber runs this language exam for doctors. A language school booking does not replace an office letter.

The office letter names your next licensing step. That gives the embassy a clear reason for your stay.

Pick the visa for your letter

Use the recognition visa when your licensing letter names a qualification step in Germany. This visa runs for up to 24 months.

It can reach 3 years after an extension. It also allows a side job of 20 hours each week.

The embassy normally wants papers for rent, food, and insurance. A blocked account needs €1,091 per month.

That is €13,092 for 12 months. The national visa fee is €75, as of October 2026.

The job-seeker card is different. It lasts for up to 1 year.

It allows 20 hours of work each week. It does not allow doctor work without a temporary work permit.

Papers the embassy may ask for

Embassies publish their own checklist. The German embassy in Cairo may request different papers from another embassy.

The exact copies and translations can also differ. Put the licensing office letter at the front of your file.

• Your passport and national visa application form.
• The licensing office letter, with your file number.
• Your medical degree, transcript, and home doctor licence.
• German language certificates and your CV.
• Blocked-account proof or another accepted money document.

Do not send a loose pile of papers. Put the office letter first in the folder.

Place the papers named in that letter behind it. This makes the purpose of your stay easy to see.

What to do now

1. Send your doctor licence application to the state office from abroad.
2. Save the office reply as a PDF and print it.
3. Request the national visa appointment after that reply arrives.
4. Use your embassy's current checklist for copies, translations, and insurance.
5. Do not buy a flight before the embassy puts the visa in your passport.

Stand: 2026-10-13. 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.