Work as a dentist in Germany: Approbation and exams (2026)

• A completed dental degree that entitles you to practise dentistry in the country where you trained.
• For training outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland: equivalence with German dental training (at least five years and 5,000 hours), or a pass in the Kenntnisprüfung.
• General German at B2 (CEFR), unless an exemption applies, and a pass in the dental Fachsprachprüfung.
• A certificate of good standing or equivalent and a medical certificate of fitness, each recent when you submit them (the authority states the maximum age).
• Proof that you are entitled to practise in the country of training and that you intend to practise in Germany.
• A link to the federal state where you apply, such as a job offer in a practice there, or a location note from the ZSBA at the Federal Employment Agency.
• For X-ray work: the specialist knowledge in radiation protection, acquired separately.
• For a visa: usually the section 16d recognition permit while you complete the exams, then the EU Blue Card or a skilled worker permit.

Check your route with the route finder

• ApprobationState licensing authorities (Approbation)

  Doctors, dentists and pharmacists; nurses through professional recognition

  Read the registration guide

1. 1

   1. Learn German to B2 and dental German

   Aim for a B2 certificate from a recognised provider, then build dental German for patient conversations, explanations of treatment and documentation. The Fachsprachprüfung and Kenntnisprüfung are both in German. Language is usually the longest part of the route.
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   2. Choose a state and authority

   Find the authority for dentists in your chosen state with the Recognition Finder at anerkennung-in-deutschland.de. In North Rhine-Westphalia this is the Zentrale Anerkennungsstelle für Gesundheitsberufe at the Bezirksregierung Münster, which asks for proof, such as a job offer, that you intend to work in the state.
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   3. Prepare your documents

   You need proof of identity, a tabular CV, an officially certified copy of your dental diploma with transcripts and curriculum, proof of work experience, proof of your licence to practise, a certificate of good standing and a medical certificate. The Bezirksregierung Münster requires qualified translations of all foreign-language documents, including English. A detailed curriculum with hours per subject is essential for the equivalence assessment.
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   4. Apply for the Approbation and, if needed, a Berufserlaubnis

   Submit your application to the state authority, and apply for a Berufserlaubnis at the same time if you want to work while preparing for the exams. The authority must confirm receipt and list missing documents within one month.
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   5. Pass the dental Fachsprachprüfung

   The authority registers you with the dental chamber, which sends you a fee request (for example €450 at the Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein, payable again for retakes) and then a date. The chamber says the test is designed to be as close as possible to everyday practice. Arriving late counts as a fail at the Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein.
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   6. Receive the equivalence decision

   The authority compares your training with German dental training. If it finds substantial differences that your experience does not make up for, it issues a formal decision naming them. The ZHG requires the decision within four months of complete documents, or two months under the fast-track procedure for skilled workers.
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   7. Pass the three parts of the Kenntnisprüfung

   First a 45-minute written treatment plan, then an oral exam of 60 to 90 minutes, then a practical exam on simulated cases in prosthetics, conservative dentistry and oral surgery. You can only take each part after passing the one before. At the Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein each part is charged separately, so a failed part costs its fee again.
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   8. Obtain radiation protection knowledge

   If you will take or assess X-rays, you need the Fachkunde im Strahlenschutz. The Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein says this must be obtained separately from the Approbation, and publishes the requirements. Ask your chamber how foreign courses and experience are treated.
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   9. Receive the Approbation and join the chamber

   When all conditions are met the authority issues the Approbation, valid throughout Germany, and charges its fee (€150 to €700 in North Rhine-Westphalia). You then register with the dental chamber in the state where you work.

• Fachsprachprüfung for dentists

  Run by the state dental chamber after the licensing authority registers you; you cannot register directly. The Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein holds it in Neuss and publishes its own examination rules, valid from 19 December 2025. Check the format and level in your chamber's rules; the authority requires a B2 general German certificate.

  Read the guide

• Kenntnisprüfung: written part

  Under section 108 ZApprO you produce, under supervision, a written treatment plan for a clinical situation within 45 minutes, using models, radiographs and a periodontal chart, and develop and justify at least two treatment options.

  Read the guide

• Kenntnisprüfung: oral part

  An examination of 60 to 90 minutes per candidate, with no more than four candidates at a time, covering prosthetics, orthodontics, oral surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery and conservative dentistry (endodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontology and restorative dentistry), plus emergency medicine, clinical pharmacology, hygiene and law. Your written treatment plan can be discussed.

  Read the guide

• Kenntnisprüfung: practical part

  Simulated practice tasks: for example preparing and taking impressions for a veneered crown and a partial crown, a large three-surface posterior cavity with a plastic filling, an anterior composite, an endodontic treatment of a natural tooth, and selecting and using surgical and periodontal instruments. It takes about two hours each for prosthetics and conservative dentistry and about one hour for surgery. Each failed part can be repeated twice.

  Read the guide

• Eignungsprüfung (aptitude test)

  For dentists trained in the EU, EEA or Switzerland whose qualifications are not automatically recognised and show substantial differences. Sections 89 to 103 ZApprO govern it; it covers only the subjects where differences were found.

• Germany does not accept IELTS or OET for dentists. The requirement is German.
• General German: the Bezirksregierung Münster says you should normally show a B2 (CEFR) certificate from a recognised language provider.
• Professional German: shown by the Fachsprachprüfung at the dental chamber, booked through the licensing authority.
• Exemptions from the B2 certificate include a final dental exam taken in German, a passed Kenntnisprüfung, German as your mother tongue, school leaving qualifications from a German-language school or at least ten years of schooling in German.
• The Kenntnisprüfung is held in German, including the oral discussion of your treatment plan.

Estimate your total cost

• Receipt of application: confirmed within one month, with missing documents listed.
• Equivalence decision: within four months of complete documents under section 2 ZHG, or two months under the fast-track procedure.
• Kenntnisprüfung: the authority must make sure you can sit it within six months of receiving the decision, and it should be offered at least twice a year (section 105 ZApprO).
• The three parts are taken in order, and failing one delays the next, so plan for more than one sitting.
• Berufserlaubnis: up to two years in total, so aim to complete the Kenntnisprüfung within that time.

There is no national pay scale for employed dentists in Germany that we could confirm from an official table. Most dentists work in private practices, and pay for assistant and employed dentists is agreed with the practice. Dentists employed in public hospitals, for example in oral and maxillofacial surgery departments, may be paid under the hospital's collective agreement. Check the contract and the agreement it refers to.

• Dental practices are the main employers. Many new dentists start as assistant dentists (Assistenzzahnärztin or Assistenzzahnarzt) in an established practice.
• University dental clinics and hospital departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery also employ dentists, often alongside teaching or research.
• A job offer in a practice can prove that the state authority is responsible for your case and supports a Berufserlaubnis application. The Bezirksregierung Münster provides an employer confirmation form (Anlage 6) for dentists.
• Treating statutory health insurance patients in your own practice requires further approval from the regional association of statutory health insurance dentists after the Approbation.
• Some employers use the recognition partnership under section 16d(3) of the Residence Act, letting you work while you complete recognition.
• Pay and conditions are set by the employer, so compare offers carefully. Practice varies widely.

• If you still have to pass the Fachsprachprüfung or Kenntnisprüfung, use the visa for the recognition of foreign qualifications (section 16d). Make it in Germany says it is granted for up to 24 months, extendable by 12 months to a maximum of three years, and usually needs German at about A2 and proof of funds.
• With a section 16d permit you may work up to 20 hours a week in any job, and without an hours limit in work related to your profession if the Federal Employment Agency approves.
• Once you hold the Approbation or a Berufserlaubnis and a job offer, the EU Blue Card is possible. Make it in Germany lists dentists as a shortage occupation, with a 2026 threshold of €45,934.20 gross a year with Federal Employment Agency approval.
• A skilled worker permit under section 18b is the alternative, but in regulated professions the licence to practise must be obtained before a residence permit for employment is issued.
• The recognition partnership (section 16d(3)) needs a job offer, an agreement with your employer about recognition, at least A2 German and Federal Employment Agency approval.
• The national visa fee is €75. Your spouse and children can usually join you.

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   A dental degree from a GCC university is third-country training, so expect a full equivalence assessment and probably the Kenntnisprüfung. A DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP, OMSB, KIMS or NHRA licence does not replace the Approbation.

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   Good standing: obtain certificates of good standing from every Gulf regulator you hold or held a licence with, and check how recent your state authority requires them to be. Request them close to submission.

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   Experience: German law allows substantial differences to be made up for by professional experience gained in any country. Ask Gulf employers for detailed work certificates showing dates, procedures and caseload.

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   Practical skills: the Kenntnisprüfung tests hands-on work on simulated cases, including crown preparations, composite fillings and endodontics, with German materials and techniques. Gulf clinical experience helps, but practise the specific tasks listed in the ZApprO.

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   Translations: Arabic and English documents need qualified German translations in North Rhine-Westphalia, and may need an apostille or legalisation.

6. 6

   Radiation protection: Gulf radiography training does not automatically meet German requirements. Check with the dental chamber what you must complete.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

What our registration and licensing support includesPackages and fees