Amt für Gesundheit Liechtenstein: Licence and Requirements
The Amt für Gesundheit decides who may practise a health profession in Liechtenstein and keeps the Ärzteliste. Here is what its licence requires under the law, and where non-EEA applicants run into limits.
Overview
The Office of Public Health (Amt für Gesundheit) is the Liechtenstein authority that grants licences to practise (Berufsausübungsbewilligung) to doctors under the Doctors Act and to the other licensed health professions, such as nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists, under the Health Act.
It enters licensed practitioners in the list for their profession, including the Ärzteliste for doctors, and keeps those lists up to date and published.
A licence is required for practising in your own professional responsibility. The laws define this to include employment by a practice, a health professions company or a health facility, not only freelance work. The Doctors Act excludes employment for training purposes under the supervision of a licensed doctor in a teaching practice or a Government-recognised facility.
This page is for health professionals trained outside the EEA and Switzerland, including those working in the Gulf, who want to understand the licence before anything else. Both the Doctors Act and the Health Act require Liechtenstein, EEA or treaty-equivalent nationality, with exceptions only in justified cases decided by the Government. Recognition of diplomas from third countries is a Government task under the Health Act, and no separate procedure for it is published in the laws we read.
The Amt für Gesundheit works under deadlines set in the ordinances: it confirms receipt of an application within a month and lists any missing documents, and it must decide on a doctor's licence within three months of a complete application. For other health professions the limit is four months, or three months where an EEA diploma is recognised under the directive.
For doctors, the Liechtenstein Medical Association (Ärztekammer) is heard before a licence is granted, and the Office may ask professional associations for an opinion on other professionals' training.
Official website: llv.li
Who it registers
- Ärzteliste: doctors licensed under the Doctors Act, with titles such as Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin or Facharzt
- Lists of licensed health professionals under the Health Act: pharmacist, optician, chiropractor, dental hygienist, druggist, occupational therapist, dietitian, midwife, biomedical laboratory diagnostician, speech therapist, medical masseur, naturopath, osteopath, nurse, physiotherapist, psychologist, psychotherapist and dentist
- List of doctors' companies and list of health professions companies
- Notifications from EEA practitioners providing temporary cross-border services
Eligibility
- Liechtenstein, EEA or treaty-equivalent nationality, or a Government exception granted in a justified case.
- Professional suitability: completed training, and for doctors postgraduate training of at least three years (general practice) or five years (specialist).
- For doctors: twelve months of medical practice within the two years before the application.
- Good repute, shown by a criminal record extract.
- Health fitness, shown by a medical certificate.
- Professional liability insurance: for doctors at least CHF 3 million (general practice and non-surgical specialties) or CHF 5 million (surgical); for pharmacists and dentists CHF 3 million; for other health professions CHF 1 million.
- Sufficient German for doctors, and the language skills needed for other professions.
- For freelance practice, a professional seat in Liechtenstein with suitable premises; for employment, the name and address of the employer.
How to apply
1. Confirm the licence applies to your post
If your post involves practising in your own professional responsibility, including as an employee of a hospital or practice, you need a licence. A doctor employed for training under supervision in a recognised setting does not, and the Ärztekammer keeps the list of those settings. Ask your future employer which category the post falls into.2. Resolve nationality and recognition first
Without EEA or treaty-equivalent nationality you need a Government exception, and without an EEA or Swiss diploma you need Government recognition of your third-country diploma. A third-country diploma counts as EEA evidence if an EEA state recognised it and you practised there for three years with certified experience, which is the most predictable way in.3. Prepare the documents
Doctors submit proof of training, a valid nationality document, liability insurance, a criminal record extract, a medical certificate, proof of German as practice requires, proof of twelve months of practice in the last two years and either premises evidence or the employer's details. Other professions submit a certified copy of their qualification and, where needed, work certificates describing their practical experience.4. Translate into German and check document age
The application and all documents must be in German or in certified translation. The insurance certificate, criminal record extract and medical certificate must be no more than three months old when you submit them, so order them last.5. Apply in writing
Send the application in writing to the Amt für Gesundheit. The Office confirms receipt within one month and tells you what is missing. For doctors it hears the Ärztekammer on your training; for other professions it may ask the professional associations for an opinion.6. Consider an assurance for freelance practice
A doctor planning freelance practice can ask for an assurance (Zusicherung) that the licence will be granted once the remaining conditions are met. It does not allow practice, lasts at most six months and can be extended in justified cases.7. Decision and entry in the list
The decision on a doctor's licence is due within three months of a complete application, and on other professions within four months. If you meet the conditions you are entered in the list for your profession, and the Health Act says you may start only after you receive confirmation of the entry. For doctors, a refusal is issued as an appealable decision.8. Pay the fees and receive your card
Doctors pay CHF 1,000 for the licence, CHF 200 for entry in the Ärzteliste and CHF 300 for a doctor's card. Other professionals pay CHF 800 if employed or CHF 1,000 for freelance practice. Changes, extensions or withdrawal of a licence cost CHF 200.
Exams and assessments
No licensing exam is set out in the laws
The Doctors Act, the Health Act and their ordinances do not set a licensing or knowledge exam for applicants. Assessment is based on documents, the Ärztekammer's or professional associations' opinion, and, for third-country diplomas, the Government's recognition decision.
Compensation measures for EEA-route applicants
Where an applicant on the EEA route has substantial differences in training, the Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications lets the authority require an adaptation period of up to three years or an aptitude test, and normally gives the applicant the choice. These apply under that Act, which covers third-country nationals only in specific cases.
German
Proof of German is required as far as practice needs it. No CEFR level or approved test is named in the laws we read, so ask the Office which certificate it accepts.
Language requirements
- The Amt für Gesundheit does not use IELTS or OET. The language requirement is German.
- The Doctors Act requires sufficient knowledge of German; the Health Act requires the language skills needed for the profession.
- Applications and documents must be in German or certified translation.
- No CEFR level is set in the Doctors Act, the Health Act or their ordinances.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Doctor's licence | CHF 1,000 |
| Entry in the Ärzteliste | CHF 200 |
| Doctor's card (Ärzteausweis) | CHF 300 |
| Licence for other health professions, employedEmployees of home nursing organisations are exempt. | CHF 800Employees of home nursing organisations are exempt. |
| Licence for other health professions, freelance | CHF 1,000 |
| Change, extension or withdrawal of a licence | CHF 200 |
| Extra work by the authorityCharged for extraordinary effort under the Health Act fee rules. | CHF 180 per hourCharged for extraordinary effort under the Health Act fee rules. |
Timeline
- Receipt confirmed: within one month, with a list of missing documents.
- Doctors: decision within three months of a complete application.
- Other health professions: decision within four months, or three months for EEA diploma recognition under the directive.
- Assurance for freelance doctors: valid for up to six months, extendable in justified cases.
- Residence permit: a separate procedure under the Foreigners Act, which needs an employer's application and may be subject to caps.
Questions
Liechtenstein's Office of Public Health. It licenses doctors under the Doctors Act and other health professionals under the Health Act, and keeps the lists of licensed practitioners.
Only by exception. Both laws require Liechtenstein, EEA or treaty-equivalent nationality, and the Government may grant exceptions in justified cases, for doctors after hearing the Ärztekammer.
The Health Act makes recognition of diplomas from third countries a Government task. If an EEA state has already recognised the diploma and you practised there for three years, it can be treated as an EEA diploma.
If they practise in their own professional responsibility, yes, including as employees of a health facility. Nurses need a diploma from at least three years of training at a recognised school, and their licence is issued for the specialist area of that training.
The laws do not set a licensing exam. The Office decides on the documents, with the Ärztekammer or professional associations giving their view.
For doctors, up to three months after the application is complete; for other professions, up to four months. Receipt is confirmed within a month.
Doctors pay CHF 1,000 for the licence, CHF 200 for the Ärzteliste and CHF 300 for the card. Other professionals pay CHF 800 if employed or CHF 1,000 if freelance.
The law says sufficient German, or the language skills the profession needs, without naming a CEFR level. Ask the Office what it accepts.
Yes. The ordinances say diplomas issued or recognised by Switzerland are recognised under the EFTA Convention (Vaduz Convention).
Sources
Keep exploring
Working in Liechtenstein after registration