Recognition of your qualification

anabin, ZAB, which body decides, nursing and health professions.

Start here

The federal portal anerkennung-in-deutschland.de has a free "Recognition Finder". Use it before you pay anyone.

University degrees: anabin and ZAB

The KMK database anabin rates foreign universities and degrees. If your university is rated H+ and the degree is listed as comparable, a printout is often enough for a Blue Card. Otherwise apply for a ZAB Statement of Comparability (ZAB; fee €200 reported, to be confirmed). anabin ratings of NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT, SUSS and of private schools (and of foreign degrees taught in Singapore) were not checked.

Polytechnic diplomas (for example from Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann, Temasek, Nanyang, Republic) and ITE certificates are not university degrees. Whether they count as a vocational qualification for § 18a or the Opportunity Card is decided in the recognition procedure; we found no general statement.

Which body decides

Nurses and health professionals

• Nursing is a regulated profession: you may work as a nurse only with German recognition; until then as an assistant. In Berlin the LAGeSo decides.
• If your training is only partly equivalent, you get a notice listing what is missing. You can then come for an adaptation course or knowledge test (§ 16d (1) AufenthG; German as a rule at least A2), or via the recognition partnership (§ 16d (3)).
• Singapore is not in Annex 1 to § 38 BeschV, so the ban on private recruitment of health workers from listed countries does not apply (Annex 1 BeschV; our reading). Singapore is also not on the WHO safeguards list (WHO). Still: a recruiter who asks you for money is a red flag (Scams).
• LAGeSo fees, processing times and how it rates Singapore nursing qualifications (Singapore Nursing Board registration) were not confirmed. Doctors' licensing is not covered here.

Documents for recognition: Documents and apostille.