Chambers (Kammern) and regulated professions in Berlin
For some professions, only your employer decides whether your foreign qualification is sufficient. For other professions, the law provides otherwise: you may only work once a chamber (Kammer) or authority has examined and recognized your qualification. Such professions are called regulated (reglementiert) – examples are doctor, dentist, veterinarian, pharmacist, psychotherapist, tax adviser, public auditor, lawyer, driving instructor, and many skilled crafts that require a master craftsman qualification (Meisterpflicht).
In non-regulated professions – for example most commercial and technical training occupations of the Industrie- und Handelskammern (IHK, Chambers of Industry and Commerce) – you may in principle work even without formal recognition; recognition is nevertheless worthwhile, because it helps with applications and salary.
In Berlin there is not one single competent body, but a different chamber or authority depending on the profession: the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) Berlin, the Handwerkskammer Berlin (Chamber of Crafts), the Ärztekammer Berlin (Medical Association), the Architektenkammer Berlin (Chamber of Architects), the Baukammer Berlin (engineering), and further chambers. This page shows which body is responsible for which profession and what each procedure costs and how long it takes.
- Check whether your profession is regulatedCheck the list further below or the federal portal "Anerkennung in Deutschland" (Recognition in Germany) to see whether your target profession is regulated in Germany/Berlin. Regulated professions require approval before you start work; non-regulated ones do not.
- Find the competent body in BerlinFor commercial/technical IHK occupations, the IHK Berlin (counseling) or IHK FOSA in Nuremberg (decision) is responsible; for skilled crafts, the Handwerkskammer Berlin; for health professions, depending on the question, the competent chamber or the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo, State Office for Health and Social Affairs); for architecture/interior architecture/landscape architecture/urban planning, the Architektenkammer Berlin; for engineering professions, the Baukammer Berlin.
- Compile documents, obtain a ZAB evaluation if necessaryAs a rule you need your degree certificates with translation, proof of the training content (modules, hours), and proof of identity. For academic degrees from non-EU countries, some chambers (e.g. Architektenkammer Berlin, Baukammer Berlin) require a prior certificate evaluation by the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB, Central Office for Foreign Education).
- Submit the application and pay the feeSubmit the application to the competent body. The fee depends on the processing effort and, for most procedures under the Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG, Professional Qualifications Assessment Act), is between 100 and 600 euros; at the Ärztekammer Berlin it is 600 to 1,600 euros for third-country qualifications.
- Wait for the decisionThe competent body must decide within three months of receiving the complete documents (§ 6 Abs. 3 BQFG), but may extend the deadline once by a reasonable period in cases of particular effort. If there are substantial differences from the German reference qualification, a compensation measure (adaptation course, knowledge test) may be required.
- For the IHK Berlin, the phone number differs depending on the source: the already-checked contact-point database of Erwerbsmigration Berlin gives 030 31510-900 (as of 06.09.2026, marked as unconfirmed), while the IHK Berlin page itself, as currently shown, gives 030 31510-0 (switchboard) and 030 31510-424 as direct contact for recognition counseling, with the address Fasanenstraße 85, 10623 Berlin. If in doubt, use the details on the IHK Berlin page itself.
- For the Handwerkskammer Berlin, neither the exact fee for evaluating foreign vocational qualifications nor the address of the recognition team was confirmed (the official information sheet is only available as an unreadable PDF) – no confirmed information is available on this. Only the chamber's head office (Blücherstraße 68, 10961 Berlin) and the general processing time of around three months are documented.
- For the IHK Berlin/IHK FOSA, too, no chamber-specific fee table could be read; only the general, nationwide BQFG range of 100 to 600 euros according to the federal portal "Anerkennung in Deutschland" is documented. The exact amount depends on the individual case and country of origin.
- For the Architektenkammer Berlin and the Baukammer Berlin (engineering), no fee information could be found in the available sources – no confirmed information is available on this.
- According to the Baukammer Berlin, engineers with a foreign qualification may work in engineering even without German professional recognition – only the protected professional title "Ingenieurin"/"Ingenieur" (engineer) may not be used without recognition. This is an important difference from genuinely licensed professions such as doctor, where you may not work at all without recognition.
- For health professions, two bodies must be distinguished: in Berlin, the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo) is responsible for granting the Approbation (license to practise) or professional permit itself and for the equivalence assessment of the training, whereas the Ärztekammer Berlin is responsible for recognizing specialist medical qualifications acquired abroad after the Approbation has already been granted. This page covers only the chamber part; the Approbation itself is not the subject of this page.
In depth · Legal basis, figures and practice – for counsellors and professionals
Regulated vs. non-regulated professions
The legal basis for professional recognition nationwide is the Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG, Professional Qualifications Assessment Act) together with supplementary professional laws of the federal states. The federal portal "Anerkennung in Deutschland" (Recognition in Germany) defines regulated professions as activities whose practice is legally protected and tied to certain proof of qualification – especially in health care, in safety-relevant activities, and for protected professional titles (e.g. "Ingenieur"). Not regulated are around 330 dual-training occupations (e.g. automotive mechatronics technician) as well as many academic subjects such as chemistry or mathematics. For regulated professions, recognition is a prerequisite for starting work; for non-regulated professions it is voluntary, but helpful for applications and salary.
IHK Berlin and IHK FOSA (non-regulated commercial/technical occupations)
For non-regulated occupations in industry, trade, and services, the Industrie- und Handelskammern (Chambers of Industry and Commerce) have transferred the decision on equivalence to a central body: IHK FOSA (IHK Foreign Skills Approval) in Nuremberg. The IHK Berlin itself offers counseling accompanying the application: support with filling out the application, with missing documents, and with classifying partial qualifications that do not fully correspond to any German reference qualification. Contact: Fasanenstraße 85, 10623 Berlin, tel. 030 31510-0 (switchboard), email [email protected]; for recognition counseling directly Katja Schefe-Rasokat, tel. 030 31510-424. According to several sources, IHK FOSA usually needs around three months from receipt of complete documents.
Handwerkskammer Berlin (skilled crafts)
For occupations in licensed crafts (master craftsman trades) and craft-like trades, the Handwerkskammer Berlin (Berlin Chamber of Crafts) is responsible. In the evaluation procedure, the foreign qualification is compared with a German journeyman or master craftsman qualification (equivalence assessment). If there are no substantial differences, applicants receive a certificate of equivalence with the same rights as a German examination; if documents are missing, a qualification analysis (professional interview, work sample) may be carried out. According to the Handwerkskammer Berlin, the decision is usually available within three months of receipt of complete documents. Contact according to the official Berlin list of authorities: Blücherstraße 68, 10961 Berlin, tel. 030 25903-01; the already-checked contact-point database of Erwerbsmigration Berlin additionally gives tel. 030 25903-487 and email [email protected] for the recognition team (by phone Tuesdays 13–16 h, in-person appointments Monday–Thursday by arrangement, no counseling on Fridays; initial counseling free of charge, the recognition procedure itself subject to fees, exact amount not documented).
Ärztekammer Berlin and health professions
For health professions, two procedural steps and two bodies must be distinguished. The Approbation (license to practise) or professional permit itself, and the assessment of the equivalence of the level of training, are granted in Berlin by the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo, State Office for Health and Social Affairs), Fehrbelliner Platz 1, 10707 Berlin, tel. 030 90229-0. The Ärztekammer Berlin (Berlin Medical Association), Friedrichstraße 16, 10969 Berlin, tel. 030 40806-0, email [email protected], is by contrast responsible for recognizing specialist medical qualifications acquired after the Approbation. For recognizing specialist medical qualifications acquired in third countries, the Ärztekammer Berlin charges fees of 600 to 1,600 euros, depending on processing effort. For further health professions (nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, etc.) the LAGeSo is also responsible; a separate nursing chamber (Pflegekammer) for Berlin could not be found in the available sources. Analogous to the Ärztekammer, the Zahnärztekammer Berlin (Dental Association; Stallstraße 1, 10585 Berlin, tel. 030 34808-0), the Tierärztekammer Berlin (Veterinary Association; Littenstraße 108, 10179 Berlin, tel. 030 31218-75), the Apothekerkammer Berlin (Chamber of Pharmacists; Littenstraße 10, 10179 Berlin, tel. 030 315964-0), and the Psychotherapeutenkammer Berlin (Chamber of Psychotherapists; Kurfürstendamm 184, 10707 Berlin, tel. 030 887140-0) have comparable responsibilities for the respective specialist qualification, while the Approbation itself again lies with the LAGeSo.
Architektenkammer Berlin and Baukammer Berlin (construction and engineering professions)
For the professions of architect, interior architect, landscape architect, and urban planner, the Architektenkammer Berlin (Berlin Chamber of Architects), Alte Jakobstraße 149, 10969 Berlin, tel. 030 293307-0, is responsible; in the registration procedure it checks, among other things, a course of study of at least four years (or foreign training recognized as equivalent) and at least two years of practical activity in essential professional tasks. For degrees from non-EU countries, a prior certificate evaluation by the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB, Central Office for Foreign Education) is required. For engineering professions, the Baukammer Berlin (Berlin Chamber of Engineers), Gutsmuthstraße 24, 12163 Berlin, tel. 030 797443-00, is responsible; it grants permission to use the protected professional title "Ingenieurin"/"Ingenieur" under § 5 Ingenieurgesetz (Engineers Act). According to the Baukammer Berlin, engineers with a foreign qualification may apply for vacancies and work in engineering even without this recognition – so here recognition is not mandatory for practising the profession itself, only for using the title. Contact persons at the Baukammer Berlin: Kerstin Freitag (surnames A–K), tel. 030 797443-12, and Neslihan Caliskan (surnames L–Z), tel. 030 797443-16.
Further chambers and bodies for regulated professions in Berlin
According to the official Berlin overview "Zuständige Stellen für reglementierte Berufe" (competent bodies for regulated professions), the following are also responsible: the Steuerberaterkammer Berlin (Chamber of Tax Advisers; Wichmannstraße 6, 10787 Berlin, tel. 030 889261-0) for tax advisers, the Wirtschaftsprüferkammer (Chamber of Public Accountants; Rauchstraße 26, 10787 Berlin, tel. 030 726161-0) for public auditors, the Kammergericht Berlin (Berlin Court of Appeal; Elßholzstraße 30–33, 10781 Berlin, tel. 030 9015-2539) for debt collection and legal service providers, the Senatsverwaltung für Justiz, Verbraucherschutz und Antidiskriminierung (Senate Department for Justice, Consumer Protection and Anti-Discrimination; Salzburger Straße 21–25, 10825 Berlin, tel. 030 9013-0) for lawyers and notaries, the Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO, State Office for Civic and Regulatory Affairs) for driving instructors, as well as the Senate Departments for Education, Youth and Family (teachers, educators, social workers) and for Environment, Transport and Climate Protection (motor vehicle experts). The already-checked Rechtsanwaltskammer Berlin (Berlin Bar Association; Littenstraße 9, 10179 Berlin, tel. 030 306931-0), by contrast, "only" keeps the public register of lawyers and refers people to lawyers – it does not give advice itself and is not the body that examines a foreign legal qualification for admission as a lawyer; that is done via the aptitude test at the Senate Department for Justice.
Costs and duration at a glance
According to the federal portal "Anerkennung in Deutschland", procedural fees under the BQFG are usually between 100 and 600 euros, depending on the examination effort; there are often additional costs for translations, certifications, and obtaining documents from abroad. At the Ärztekammer Berlin, the fees for third-country qualifications, at 600 to 1,600 euros, are considerably higher. The statutory decision deadline of three months (§ 6 Abs. 3 BQFG) applies equally to all these procedures, but may be extended once by a reasonable period in cases of particular effort.
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