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Psychotherapist; application for a temporary license to practice the profession

If you want to practice the profession of psychotherapist in Germany without a license to practice as a psychotherapist, you generally need a permit.

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Regierung von Oberbayern - ZAABY – Zentrale Anerkennungsstelle für Approbationsberufe in Bayern

Regierung von Oberbayern

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Maximilianstraße 39
80538 München

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Procedure details

A permit may be granted in particular if you have completed your training abroad and the equivalence of your level of training has not yet been determined as part of a licensing procedure.

In principle, the most important requirement is that you can prove that you have completed a full course of psychotherapeutic training in accordance with the law of the country in which you completed your training.
Further requirements are

  • that you have not been guilty of any conduct that makes you unworthy or unreliable to practise the psychotherapeutic profession (reliability),
  • you are not unfit from a health point of view to practise the psychotherapeutic profession (health suitability) and
  • you have the knowledge of the German language required for practicing the profession (language skills).

  • 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)

  • Proof of impunity
    • Submission of criminal record extracts from all countries outside Germany in which the applicant has resided for more than six months.
    • The criminal record extracts must not be older than three months at the time of submission.
    • Certified copies of these extracts must be submitted.
  • Proof of your completed education (certified copy)
    • Proof of education such as diploma
    • If necessary, further country-specific certificates
  • Proof of authorisation to practise medicine in the country of training and/or the country of origin
    (certified copy)
  • if applicable, certificate of good standing (certified copy)

    (Required from all countries where the health professional activity has already been exercised in the last five years. This certificate must not be older than three months at the time of its presentation).

  • Proof of the language skills required for practicing the profession
    (Proof can be provided in different ways. You can find more information on this under "Special instructions").
  • On separate request:
    • 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 "Permission as a psychotherapist". The certificate of good conduct is sent directly to the competent authority by the Federal Office of Justice.
      • It must not be older than one month when presented.
    • 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.

You must submit the application for the permit together with the required documents to the responsible government.

In Bavaria, the government of Upper Bavaria is responsible for issuing the permit for activities in the administrative districts of Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria, Swabia and Upper Palatinate, as well as the government of Lower Franconia for activities in the administrative districts of Upper Franconia, Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia.

The costs depend on the period of validity. A fee of €100 is charged for each year or part thereof.

There are no deadlines to be met.

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 proof is not deemed to have been provided in accordance with 1. or 2. above, the language skills required for practicing the profession shall be deemed to have been demonstrated by submission of a certificate of successful completion of the specialist language test at the Bavarian Chamber of Psychotherapists.

4 Specialist language tests taken at the Chamber of Psychotherapists or the competent authority of another state, as well as special specialist language tests from other examination institutions, are recognized if they are suitable to prove 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 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. 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.

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Status: 01.07.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit, Pflege und Prävention
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