Have you decided to make Saxony your new home and work as a physician here? That is a good decision – the Free State of Saxony offers attractive career prospects and numerous forms of support. Below, you can find information on what is most important if you want to establish yourself as a physician in Saxony.
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To work in the Saxon health care system as a physician from an EU country, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you need a licence or provisional licence to practise medicine. To obtain such a licence, please contact the State Head Office of Saxony. Your questions about residence law and the necessary documents will be addressed by the International Placement Service (ZAV) of the Federal Employment Agency. Information on how to obtain recognition of your professional qualification can be found here. Furthermore, you must prove that your knowledge of German is sufficient for the comprehensive activities involved in the medical profession. If you are unable to provide such a proof, the office granting the licence to practice medicine at the State Head Office will require you to take a Medical German Examination, which will be conducted by the State Chamber of Physicians of Saxony. To be admitted to the examination, you need at least language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
If you are from a non-EU member state, you will also need a residence permit. You can obtain it from the ZAV as well. If you are currently residing abroad, the German diplomatic mission will assist you. It will examine the provisions of residence law on your behalf. If necessary, it will obtain a decision on your access to the labor market from the competent employment office. A prerequisite for this is that you already have a specific job offer.
Furthermore, the State Head Office of Saxony will check whether your education and professional experience correspond to the German standards and will decide whether an assessment test will be necessary for the granting of the licence to practice medicine.
Germany needs physicians: The medical profession is classified as a “shortage occupation,” placing it under the less strict requirements of the law on the EU Blue Card. This promotes easier immigration and the acquisition of a residence permit for you. Additionally, the subsequent immigration of family members can occur with privileges and without waiting periods.
If you plan to work as a physician in Germany only temporarily or occasionally, you fall under the category of “EU service provider”. For such work, you won't need a German licence to practice medicine. However, you must register in writing with the competent State Head Office before commencing your work.
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Help with necessary documents and residence permit is offered by the International Recruitment Service of the Federal Employment Agency. Contact: zav-ips-sachsenarbeitsagenturde)
For working as a physician (assistant) or receive a postgraduate training (specializing) you will need German language skills at B2-level, a medical language test at level C1 and a licence to practice medicine.
In the Free State of Saxony, the competent authority for the granting of licences / provisional licences to practice medicine is the State Administration Office (Landesdirektion Sachsen). Approbation-Process will only be started if you have a concrete job offer. Possibly you’ll have to pass a knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) to show an equal level of training.
Agencies and language schools offering German medical language courses.
