How often do I pay the knowledge test fee?

The knowledge test for doctors can be retaken twice, so you have up to three attempts (§ 37(7) ÄApprO). In several states the fee is charged for every attempt. Schleswig-Holstein charges €400 for the first attempt and €750 for every retake. The state page shows what your state requires.

Which states publish no figure for the knowledge test?

Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt publish no figure for the doctors’ knowledge test. Bavaria (up to €1,200), Saarland (€400 to €800) and Thuringia (up to €450) state only a ceiling or a range. We clarify the amount with the authority for you before you register for the test.

Which costs does the recognition grant cover for doctors?

Eligible are, among others, translations and certifications, report costs, preparation courses for the knowledge test and the knowledge test fee (item 4.3). You pay the specialist language test, obtaining certificates in your home country, a police certificate and a medical certificate yourself (item 4.4). You file the application yourself; we advise you on it.

Why does the table for doctors show dashes instead of figures?

A dash means: no figure given. For doctors this concerns above all the knowledge test in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. It does not mean that the service is free, and the table fills no gaps with estimates.

What does the Approbation cost for doctors?

There is no nationwide fee. Each federal state has its own fee law, and the licensing fees (data retrieved September 2026) differ: the application fee for a qualification from outside the EU alone ranges from €100 to €872. For doctors, the total depends on the route you take. Several states charge the knowledge test again for every attempt, and up to three attempts are possible. Translations, certifications and travel come on top. The cost calculator adds up the items for your state.

The four cost blocks for doctors

The application fee of the licensing authority (Approbationsbehörde) for your licence as a doctor. It is also due if the authority refuses your application. In thirteen states the fee schedule gives a range, which the authority fills in with its notice.
The fee for a temporary permit (Berufserlaubnis, § 10 BÄO), if you want to work before you are licensed. The permit lasts two years at most, and its fee comes on top of the application fee. What the permit allows depends on the state.
The test fees. The specialist language test (Fachsprachenprüfung) checks your German at work with a doctor-patient conversation, a conversation between doctors and written documentation; usually the state medical chamber runs it. The knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) is a combined oral and practical test with a patient presentation on one day (§ 37 ÄApprO). More on the knowledge test.
The equivalence report (Gleichwertigkeitsgutachten) assesses your documents. For doctors it arises only if you choose the document assessment instead of the knowledge test. The standard route needs no report. How to choose is explained under knowledge test or document assessment.

What shapes the costs for doctors

The knowledge test for doctors is one combined oral and practical test. It lasts 60 to 90 minutes per person and includes the presentation of a patient (§ 37 ÄApprO). There are no separate parts, so the states state one fee for the whole test and the table shows one figure per state.

The test can be retaken twice, so you have up to three attempts (§ 37(7) ÄApprO). Baden-Württemberg charges the fee per attempt. Schleswig-Holstein states €400 for the first attempt and €750 for every retake. Bremen charges €730 for a retake, the same as for the first attempt. If you withdraw in Brandenburg after being summoned, the administrative fee is not refunded. In Bremen a new date after a cancellation that follows the summons costs €300.

The specialist language test costs between €420 (Baden-Württemberg) and €700 (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein) in the fourteen states with a fixed fee. Saarland provides for no specialist language test.

Choosing the document assessment can cost more than the test. In ten states (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia) the equivalence report can be charged higher than any other fee in the table.

Notable states for doctors

The knowledge test is cheapest in Schleswig-Holstein (€400) and most expensive in Hesse (€1,350). Eleven states state a fixed fee.
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt publish no figure for the knowledge test. Bavaria (up to €1,200), Saarland (€400 to €800) and Thuringia (up to €450) state only a ceiling or a range.
For a qualification from outside the EU, Berlin and Lower Saxony have the lowest lower limit (€100) and Brandenburg the highest upper limit (€872). Thirteen states give a range, three a fixed fee.
In Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein the fee for the temporary permit depends on how long it is valid. With the maximum of two years it is correspondingly higher.

The fees of all 16 states

Licensing fees for doctors in the 16 German federal states
State	Application (non-EU)	Application (EU)	Temporary permit	Equivalence report	Knowledge test	Language test
Baden-Württemberg	€450(range €300–€500)	€300(range €100–€630)	€25–€500	up to €2,500	€1,100	€420
Bavaria	€400(range €280–€500)	€200–€500	see state page	up to €3,000	up to €1,200	€550
Berlin	€430(range €100–€430)	€210(range €100–€430)	€100–€360	€1,773	€540(range €250–€2,000)	€550
Brandenburg	€173–€872	€173–€872	€340–€680	€1,773	€799	€487
Bremen	€192–€850	€192–€850	€197–€500	see state page	€730	€530
Hamburg	€500–€750	€350–€600	€500–€750	see state page	€900	€550
Hesse	€200–€600	€200–€600	€150–€350	up to €1,773	€1,350	€650(range €500–€800)
Lower Saxony	€100–€600	€260	€200	no figure	€980	€595
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	€200–€225	€130	€170–€345	see state page	€640	€700
North Rhine-Westphalia	€150–€700	€150(range €150–€700)	€100(standard; otherwise €130–€500)	€1,150	€1,050	€400–€430
Rhineland-Palatinate	€155–€300	€155–€300	€150	no figure	no figure	€470
Saarland	€200(range €200–€300)	€200(range €200–€300)	€150(range €150–€250)	€20–€2,000	€400–€800	n/a
Saxony	€490	€300	€490	€1,773	€850	€590
Saxony-Anhalt	€157–€525	€157–€525	€197–€307	€1,773	no figure	€500
Schleswig-Holstein	€320	€130	from €100	€1,773	€400	€700
Thuringia	€320	€230	€175	€1,773	up to €450	€600

How to read the table

—: No figure is given. For doctors this concerns the knowledge test in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A dash does not mean that the service is free. The table contains no estimates.
n/a: This state has no such test or charges no separate fee for it. In the doctors’ table this applies to the language test in Saarland.
see state page: The authority states the fee only in words or as a calculation rule, for example per additional year of validity. The state page, in German, gives the wording and the source.
up to €X: The authority states only a ceiling and no fixed fee.
€100–€430: A fee framework (Gebührenrahmen). The authority sets the exact amount in your notice.
(range …): The authority names the amount above as its standard fee. The range below it is the framework of the fee schedule for cases with more effort. “Standard; otherwise” gives the fee for the standard case first and the range for all other cases.

The state pages (in German) give the source, the legal basis and the retrieval date of every figure. The link is in the name of the state.

If you live in Germany, the licensing authority of the state where you habitually reside (where you actually live) is responsible for your application (§ 12(2a) BÄO). So you cannot pick the state with the lowest fees for doctors. If you live abroad, you apply in the state where you want to work. We check which state applies to you. More on this under responsibility and moving between states (in German).

What you should budget for

The table shows single items. For doctors your total depends on whether you take the knowledge test, how many attempts you need and which state is responsible for you.

A qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland

If you studied medicine in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and your degree is listed in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EC, the authority recognises it without examining the content of your training. It checks your reliability, your health fitness and your German. The application fee for this case lies between €100 (Baden-Württemberg and Berlin) and €872 (Brandenburg).

Test and equivalence report fees do not usually arise. Translations, certifications and a language proof come on top. An individual assessment applies to degrees from before the cut-off date in the annex and to degrees from an accession state before its accession. The authority then checks whether your training is equivalent, and an aptitude test (Eignungsprüfung) can follow.

A qualification from outside the EU

If you studied medicine outside the EU, the knowledge test is the standard route. You pay the application fee, the specialist language test and the knowledge test, plus the temporary permit if you want to work before you are licensed. The knowledge test alone costs between €400 and €1,350 in the eleven states that state a fixed fee or a standard fee.

If you choose the document assessment, the equivalence report comes on top. Should the authority then find substantial differences, you have paid for the report and still sit the knowledge test.

The assessment body for health professions (Gutachtenstelle für Gesundheitsberufe, GfG) at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) charges €1,773 in six states, according to the states' information. Higher amounts are stated by Bavaria (up to €3,000), Baden-Württemberg (up to €2,500) and Saarland (up to €2,000). Among the published figures, the equivalence report is the most expensive single item in ten states, for example in Bavaria (up to €3,000), Baden-Württemberg (up to €2,500) and Brandenburg (€1,773).

The examples count one attempt at the knowledge test. If you do not pass at the first attempt, the fee for a retake comes on top. Several states count failed attempts from other states, so moving does not give you a fresh attempt.

Costs outside the fee schedules for doctors

Besides the authorities’ fees you pay costs that appear in no fee schedule. For doctors these are, for example, certified translations of your degree certificate and your list of subjects and grades, and certifications of copies. A certification confirms that a copy matches the original. Depending on your country of origin, the authority asks for an apostille, which is a confirmation of authenticity by the issuing state under the Hague Convention. The amounts depend on the translator, the notary and the country.

According to the states’ own information, 14 of 16 states require at least one mandatory document for doctors in a qualified translation. That is a translation by a translator who is sworn in at a German court. Saxony asks for the most, with 9 mandatory documents.

The list of subjects and grades is a mandatory document in 14 states, and the certificate of professional good standing in 12 states. You usually have to request both from offices in your home country. We clarify with the authority which form it requires before you commission a translator or a notary.

The knowledge test takes one day. Travel and, where needed, a night near the test location come on top for every attempt.

What the recognition grant covers for doctors

Eligible (funding guideline, item 4.3)

certified translations of your degree certificate and other documents, certifications and sworn statements (item 4.3 a)
fees and expenses of the recognition procedure, such as report costs and the ZAB certificate assessment (item 4.3 b); what belongs to the licence itself stays excluded (item 4.4 e)
a preparation course for the combined oral and practical knowledge test (item 4.3 d)
the examination fee of the knowledge test (item 4.3 e)

Not eligible (funding guideline, item 4.4)

the specialist language test and German courses (item 4.4 d)
certificates and documents that you first have to obtain in your home country (item 4.4 c)
a police certificate and a medical certificate (item 4.4 e)

Part of these costs can be funded

The federal recognition grant (Anerkennungszuschuss) pays up to €4,800 in total. The procedure costs part covers up to €600 for items such as translations and certifications, a skills analysis adds up to €1,200 and qualification, for example preparation courses, receives up to €3,000. You must live in Germany.

For doctors the qualification funding of up to €3,000 matters most, because the knowledge test fee and a preparation course belong to it (items 4.2 and 4.3). The fixed fees of the knowledge test lie between €400 and €1,350 per attempt.

The funding body decides on qualification funding only once a notice about substantial differences exists, such as admission to the knowledge test (item 6.2). You apply for admission to the funding before the costs arise; under the guideline the last day for applications is 30 June 2027 (item 6.2.1). You must live in Germany. We advise you before you apply; you file the application yourself.

How the recognition grant works

Legal basis of the fees

Authorities may charge fees only where a legal provision provides for them. You can look the provision up and compare it with your fee notice. The provisions below are cited in German, as published (data retrieved September 2026). The abbreviations are official, for example GVBl. (state law gazette), KVz (schedule of fees) and LAGeSo (Berlin state office for health and social affairs).

Baden-Württemberg: GebVO SM, Anlage (GebVerz SM), Nr. 12.1 (German)
Bavaria: Kostenverzeichnis (KVz) zum Kostengesetz, Tarif-Nr. 7.IX.1 (German)
Berlin: GesPflGebO, Anlage zu § 1 Abs. 1 Satz 1, Abschnitt IV (German)
Brandenburg: GebOMGS, Anlage, Tarifstelle 7.1 (German)
Bremen: GesundKostV, Anlage, Abschnitt B, Nummer 502 „Approbationen, Bestallungen, Erlaubnisse, Befähigungen und Berechtigungen“ (German)
Hamburg: GebOöG, Gebührentarif Teil I Nr. 1 (German)
Hesse: VwKostO-MFG vom 13.02.2026 (GVBl. 2026 Nr. 11), Anlage — Verwaltungskostenverzeichnis, Abschnitt 11 (German)
Lower Saxony: AllGO Niedersachsen, Anlage Nr. 7.1 (German)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: GesKostVO M-V, Anlage, Tarifstelle 5.1 (German)
North Rhine-Westphalia: AVwGebO NRW, Allgemeiner Gebührentarif, Tarifstelle 12.1.1 (German)
Rhineland-Palatinate: GesVwGebV RP, Anlage (Besonderes Gebührenverzeichnis), Abschnitt 1 (German)
Saarland: Gesetz Nr. 800 (Saarländisches Gebührengesetz) i. V. m. Allgemeinem Gebührenverzeichnis, Abschnitt 20 (German)
Saxony: Zehntes Sächsisches Kostenverzeichnis vom 16. August 2021 (SächsGVBl. S. 898), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 1 der Verordnung vom 26. März 2025 (SächsGVBl. S. 115); Rahmen: Sächsisches Verwaltungskostengesetz vom 5. April 2019 (SächsGVBl. S. 245), § 3 Abs. 1, § 4 (German)
Saxony-Anhalt: AllGO LSA vom 10.10.2012 (GVBl. LSA Nr. 20 vom 26.10.2012), zuletzt geändert durch Verordnung vom 06.05.2026 (GVBl. LSA S. 203); Anlage (Kostentarif) in der ab 21.05.2026 geltenden Fassung, 284 Seiten (German)
Schleswig-Holstein: VerwGebVO SH vom 26.09.2018 (GVOBl. Schl.-H. 2018, S. 476), GS Schl.-H. II Gl.Nr. 2013-2-58; Anlage in der ab 05.08.2026 geltenden Fassung; zuletzt geändert durch Verordnung vom 24.08.2026 (GVOBl. Schl.-H. 2026/68) (German)
Thuringia: ThürVwKostOMASGFF vom 11.12.2001 (GVBl. 2002, 1), Gliederungs-Nr. 2013-1-5, zuletzt geändert durch Verordnung vom 15. Dezember 2019 (GVBl. S. 521); Anlage seit 21.12.2019 in Kraft. Rahmen: § 1 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 und § 21 Abs. 1 S. 1 Thüringer Verwaltungskostengesetz (ThürVwKostG) vom 23.09.2005 (GVBl. 2005, 325) (German)

Frequently asked questions

How often do I pay the knowledge test fee?: The knowledge test for doctors can be retaken twice, so you have up to three attempts (§ 37(7) ÄApprO). In several states the fee is charged for every attempt. Schleswig-Holstein charges €400 for the first attempt and €750 for every retake. The state page shows what your state requires. About the knowledge test
Which states publish no figure for the knowledge test?: Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt publish no figure for the doctors’ knowledge test. Bavaria (up to €1,200), Saarland (€400 to €800) and Thuringia (up to €450) state only a ceiling or a range. We clarify the amount with the authority for you before you register for the test.
Which costs does the recognition grant cover for doctors?: Eligible are, among others, translations and certifications, report costs, preparation courses for the knowledge test and the knowledge test fee (item 4.3). You pay the specialist language test, obtaining certificates in your home country, a police certificate and a medical certificate yourself (item 4.4). You file the application yourself; we advise you on it. About the recognition grant
Why does the table for doctors show dashes instead of figures?: A dash means: no figure given. For doctors this concerns above all the knowledge test in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. It does not mean that the service is free, and the table fills no gaps with estimates. Where our figures come from (in German)