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Psychotherapist; application for a license to practice if trained in Germany

Psychotherapists can apply for a license to practice if they have completed their psychotherapeutic training in Germany and wish to practice their profession in Bavaria.

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Anyone wishing to work as a psychotherapist in Germany requires a special professional license - the Approbation. Training to become a psychotherapist is acquired as part of a Bachelor's or Master's degree course at a university and concludes with a state examination, the psychotherapeutic examination.

Once you have successfully completed your studies, you can apply for a license to practice as a psychotherapist. This license allows you to practice the profession of psychotherapist in Germany independently and on your own responsibility.

You will receive a license to practice for an unlimited period of time. It is valid for the entire Federal Republic of Germany.

Your license can be withdrawn if you are no longer reliable to practice the profession. This may include violating professional regulations or committing a criminal offense. Your license can also be revoked if you have health problems relevant to the practice of the pharmacy profession.

You will receive your license to practice as a psychotherapist under the following conditions:

  • You have completed the prescribed pharmaceutical training and passed the state examination.
  • You have completed your professional training in Germany.
  • You have not been guilty of any conduct that makes you unworthy or unreliable to practise the profession.
  • You are medically fit to practise the profession
  • You have the necessary knowledge of the German language to practise your profession.

  • Birth certificate/parentage certificate or extract from the parents' family register
    (certified copy)
  • if the name used differs from that on the birth certificate: proof of a change of name (e.g. marriage certificate)
    (certified copy)
  • valid proof of identity (e.g. passport)
    (certified copy)
  • complete and personally signed curriculum vitae

    (tabular and chronological list of the training courses completed and the relevant gainful activities pursued, stating the periods (month/year) and enclosing the relevant supporting documents)

  • medical certificate (original)

    This must be issued and signed by a general practitioner or internist practicing in Germany or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or in Switzerland and bear a practice or clinic stamp. If the practice or clinic stamp is not available in German, a German translation of the stamp is required.

  • Certificate of good conduct of document type "O
    • If the applicant has already stayed in Germany for more than six months in the past or has had or still has a residence in Germany.
    • In Germany, this must be applied for at the registration office of the place of residence, stating the purpose "Approbation as a psychotherapist". The certificate of good conduct is sent directly to the competent authority by the Federal Office of Justice.
  • Proof of your completed education (certified copy)
    • In the case of training in Bavaria, this is sent directly to the Berufszulassungsstelle by the Landesprüfungsamt.
    • In the case of training in an EU member state, an EEA member state or in Switzerland: proof of training such as diploma or, if applicable, further country-specific proof in accordance with Annex 5 of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications.

You must submit the application for a license with the required documents to the competent authority.

A fee of EUR 200 must be paid for the license to practice in Germany.

The application for approval is not subject to a time limit.

The granting of a license to practice medicine or a professional permit requires, among other things, that you have the necessary knowledge of the German language to practice your profession. The 87th Conference of Health Ministers in 2014 agreed in a key points paper on the requirements for knowledge of the German language and how this knowledge can be demonstrated. The following applies:

1. the required German language skills are deemed to be proven for applicants for whom the licensing authority determines without doubt that German is spoken and written fluently (e.g. as a native language) or that the completion of medical, dental, pharmaceutical or psychotherapeutic training (proof of training) was obtained in German.

2. proof of the required German language skills is generally deemed to have been provided if the applicant has completed at least ten years of general schooling at a German-speaking school or has completed at least three years of vocational training in German.

3. if the proof is not deemed to have been provided in accordance with 1. or 2. above, the language skills required for exercising the profession are deemed to have been provided by submitting a certificate from an ALTE-certified language institute at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (certified copy).

4. specialist language tests taken at the Chamber of Psychotherapists or the competent authority of another country, as well as special specialist language tests from other examination institutions, are recognized if they are suitable for demonstrating the language skills required to practice the profession. Whether this requirement is met in individual cases must be clarified in advance with the competent professional licensing office.

Supplement: Regierung von Oberbayern

Further information on the application procedure can be found in the FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions - Government of Upper Bavaria

The granting of a license to practice medicine or a professional permit requires, among other things, that you have the necessary knowledge of the German language to practice the profession.
The 87th Conference of Health Ministers in 2014 agreed in a key points paper on the requirements for knowledge of the German language and how this knowledge can be demonstrated. The following applies:

  1. The required German language skills are deemed to be proven for applicants for whom the licensing authority determines without doubt that German is spoken and written fluently (e.g. as a native language) or that the completion of medical, dental, pharmaceutical or psychotherapeutic training (proof of training) was obtained in German.
  2. As a rule, proof of the required German language skills is deemed to have been provided if the applicant has completed at least ten years of general schooling at a German-speaking school or has completed at least three years of vocational training in German.
  3. If proof is not deemed to have been provided in accordance with 1. or 2. above, the language skills required for practicing the profession are deemed to have been provided by submitting a certificate of successful completion of the specialist language test at the Bavarian Chamber of Psychotherapists (PTK).
  4. Specialist language tests taken at the Chamber of Psychotherapists or the competent authority of another state, as well as specialist language tests from other examination institutions, are recognized as proof, provided that it is guaranteed that the examination there is equivalent to the specialist language test at the Bavarian Chamber of Psychotherapists. Whether this requirement is met in individual cases must be clarified in advance with the relevant professional licensing office.

Notes:
You should only consider registering for the specialist language test if you have language skills at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Fees are charged for the specialist language examination at the relevant Bavarian Chamber of Healthcare Professions.

Tutorial "Certified copy" [file format: mp4]

Administrative court action

Status: 11.07.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit, Pflege und Prävention
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