How much does the recognition grant pay?

Up to €4,800 in total: up to €600 for procedure costs, up to €1,200 for a skills analysis and up to €3,000 for qualification, for example preparation courses. The knowledge test fee counts towards the €3,000 for qualification (no. 4.3 (e)).

When must I apply for the grant?

Before you submit your licensing application; costs are not reimbursed retroactively. The guideline provides for no hardship exception. Admission applications are possible until 30 June 2027.

Individuals who live in Germany and hold a qualification obtained abroad, regardless of nationality. Your income must not exceed €32,000, or €50,000 for jointly assessed spouses or partners.

Can I get the grant if I receive job centre benefits?

Funding from the employment agency or the job centre comes first, for example the placement budget under § 44 SGB III. You then need the Annex B confirmation.

Are advisory costs funded?

Only advice and support in gaining access to qualification measures and placements, for example qualification guidance (no. 4.3 (g), qualification funding). General support with the recognition procedure is not listed as eligible in the guideline, and you cannot assign the claim to third parties (no. 5). The grant covers your own costs such as translations, certifications, equivalence reports, credential evaluation and courses.

The recognition grant: apply before you file

The German federal government pays up to €4,800 towards the costs of recognising a foreign qualification (recognition grant, Anerkennungszuschuss). There is one condition: you must apply for the grant before you submit your licensing application. A late application cannot be repaired. You must also live in Germany. The programme admits new applicants until 30 June 2027 (as of October 2026).

Grant first, licensing application second

Under the funding guideline of 16 December 2024 (Federal Gazette, BAnz AT 09.01.2025 B1), the application for the grant must in principle be made before the measure that causes the costs begins (no. 6.2.1). The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) advises on its portal to apply for the grant before you apply for recognition, and points out that costs are not reimbursed retroactively.

If you submit your licensing application first and only then hear about the grant, you will usually get nothing for that procedure. The guideline provides for no hardship exception.

Three separate pots

The grant has three pots, each with its own ceiling: €600 plus €1,200 plus €3,000 make up to €4,800. You can combine them.

Procedure costs

up to €600

Translations and certifications, statutory declarations, and fees and expenses of the recognition procedure, for example the cost of an equivalence report (Gleichwertigkeitsgutachten). The credential evaluation by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) also counts.

Guideline no. 4.1 and 4.3 (a), (b)

Skills analysis

additionally up to €1,200

A skills analysis (Qualifikationsanalyse, § 14 of the Professional Qualifications Assessment Act, BQFG) comes into question if you cannot provide your documents through no fault of your own. The authority then establishes your skills in another way, for example through work samples, specialist interviews or practical and theoretical tests.

Guideline no. 4.1 and 4.3 (c)

Qualification measures

up to €3,000

Preparation courses for the knowledge test, adaptation courses, and examination fees, including the knowledge test fee (no. 4.3 (e)). Also covered are travel and accommodation for necessary qualification measures and support in gaining access to measures and placements.

Guideline no. 4.2 and 4.3 (d) to (g)

For veterinarians the authority assesses the documents first. Preparation courses for the knowledge test arise there only in the exceptional case that substantial differences remain.

Who is eligible

Only individuals can apply: you yourself, not your employer or a service provider. Three conditions must all be met.

Your qualification was obtained abroad. Your nationality and residence status do not matter.
You live in Germany. What counts is your habitual residence (where you actually live) or your main residence; a registration certificate (Meldebestätigung) is the best proof. According to the BIBB portal you cannot apply from abroad, and the funding body rejects an application without residence in Germany. You can apply again once you live here, but still before you file your licensing application.
Your income must not exceed €32,000 a year (€50,000 for jointly assessed spouses or partners). What counts is the sum of your positive income under § 2(1) and (2) of the Income Tax Act (EStG), minus the child allowances under § 32(6) EStG. Losses are not offset.

The grant is subsidiary

Subsidiary means that the grant takes second place to other funding. If the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or the job centre (Jobcenter) funds your recognition procedure, their funding comes first, in particular the placement budget (Vermittlungsbudget, § 44 SGB III). The recognition grant is then not paid as a rule. In that case you need a confirmation on the official form "Annex B" (Anlage B) stating that your agency or job centre does not pay for recognition. This also applies if you are registered as unemployed or job-seeking but receive no benefits.

The placement budget covers reasonable costs (§ 44(1) SGB III). The provision names no fixed ceiling; the agency decides on the extent.

Before you plan

The grant is a fixed amount towards documented expenses. The guideline assumes that you contribute your own or third-party funds, so the grant never covers everything.
The same expense is funded only once. If a state programme pays for your translations, the federal government does not pay for them again.
The claim cannot be assigned. A provider that offers to work in exchange for your grant promises something the guideline does not allow. You can, however, ask for payment to go directly to the invoicing party.
Not eligible are language courses and the corresponding examination fees, obtaining evidence (for example certificates from your home country), learning materials, and living and care costs. Fees that fall in the narrower sense on the licence itself are also excluded, such as for a police clearance certificate or a medical certificate (no. 4.4).
The funding period is nine months from the funding commitment. If you obtain the commitment too early and then wait with the procedure, the period can run out before the invoices arise. For qualification measures the funding body can allow a longer period.
The guideline is valid until 31 December 2028. You must apply for admission by 30 June 2027 at the latest; payment requests are possible until 30 September 2028 (as of October 2026).

Which pot a fee belongs to

The knowledge test fee counts towards the qualification funding (up to €3,000), not towards the procedure costs: the guideline assigns examination fees to the qualification pot (no. 4.2 in conjunction with no. 4.3 (e)), and the BIBB portal expressly lists preparation courses for the knowledge test and the examination fees there. The application fee of the licensing authority is split in two: fees of the recognition procedure, that is for assessing whether your qualification is equivalent and for expert reports, are procedure costs (no. 4.3 (b)); fees that fall on the licence itself are excluded (no. 4.4 (e)), and the BIBB portal counts the Approbation among them. In many states one fee covers both. How much of it the funding body accepts, it decides case by case on the basis of your fee notice. We clarify this for you with the central funding office at the Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (f-bb) before you apply.

How to apply

The funding office at f-bb processes the applications; the money comes from the federal government. You submit the application yourself in the online portal.

Take the short three-question test at antrag.anerkennungszuschuss.de to see whether you meet the conditions.
Register with your email address, fill in the online form and upload your evidence, above all proof of income and, if it applies to you, the Annex B confirmation.
Submit the application online. After one to two working days you receive a confirmation with an ID number.
Wait for the funding commitment. The portal currently states about 12 weeks until you get a reply (portal statement, retrieved 21 October 2026).
File your licensing application only after you have submitted the funding application; the safe course is to wait for the commitment. The guideline only requires that you apply for the grant before the measure that causes the costs begins (no. 6.2.1); neither the guideline nor the BIBB portal says whether costs arising between application and commitment are covered. The BIBB portal's sequence places the recognition application after the commitment. The funding body decides on the qualification funding later: once the licensing authority has issued its decision or told you that substantial differences exist, for example by admitting you to the knowledge test.
Claim your expenses with the form "Auszahlung Verfahrensförderung" or "Auszahlung Qualifizierungsförderung" (payout of procedure funding or of qualification funding), together with invoices or fee notices and proof of payment. Each payout request should cover at least €100 of expenses, and you submit it within nine months of the commitment.

The ceilings stay ceilings: if more than €600 of eligible procedure costs arise, the grant pays €600 at most and you pay the rest.

We may advise you on the application: funding advice is expressly permitted as an ancillary service under German law (§ 5(2) no. 3 of the Legal Services Act, RDG). We do not apply on your behalf. Write to us at [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

How much does the recognition grant pay?: Up to €4,800 in total: up to €600 for procedure costs, up to €1,200 for a skills analysis and up to €3,000 for qualification, for example preparation courses. The knowledge test fee counts towards the €3,000 for qualification (no. 4.3 (e)).
When must I apply for the grant?: Before you submit your licensing application; costs are not reimbursed retroactively. The guideline provides for no hardship exception. Admission applications are possible until 30 June 2027.
Who is eligible?: Individuals who live in Germany and hold a qualification obtained abroad, regardless of nationality. Your income must not exceed €32,000, or €50,000 for jointly assessed spouses or partners.
Can I get the grant if I receive job centre benefits?: Funding from the employment agency or the job centre comes first, for example the placement budget under § 44 SGB III. You then need the Annex B confirmation.
Are advisory costs funded?: Only advice and support in gaining access to qualification measures and placements, for example qualification guidance (no. 4.3 (g), qualification funding). General support with the recognition procedure is not listed as eligible in the guideline, and you cannot assign the claim to third parties (no. 5). The grant covers your own costs such as translations, certifications, equivalence reports, credential evaluation and courses.