Why does the fee differ so much between the states?

Lower Saxony states €170 and North Rhine-Westphalia €710. The difference comes from the charging body and its fee regulations, because the federal government sets no test fee. The test itself is the same everywhere: oral, three subjects, 30 to 60 minutes (§ 22d AAppO).

Which costs does the recognition grant cover for pharmacists?

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

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

A dash appears when a state names no amount that we can support with a source. For pharmacists this applies to the knowledge test in Bremen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. The table contains no substitute figures. The state page behind the name of the state gives the source, the legal basis and the date of retrieval.

What does the Approbation cost for pharmacists?

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 pharmacists the knowledge test is short and oral. Its fee still differs strongly between the states, and the body that charges it is not the same everywhere. Translations, certifications and travel come on top. The cost calculator adds up the items for your state.

The four cost blocks for pharmacists

The application fee of the licensing authority for pharmacists. A refused application triggers it as well. In twelve states the fee schedule gives a range, which the authority fills in with its notice.
The fee for a temporary permit (Berufserlaubnis, § 11 BApO), if you want to work as a pharmacist before you are licensed. It lasts two years at most and comes on top of the application fee. Usually you work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
The test fees. The specialist language test (Fachsprachenprüfung) checks your German in the pharmacy with a pharmacist-patient conversation, a written part and a conversation between pharmacists; in most states the pharmacists’ chamber runs it. The knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) is oral, takes place on one day and lasts 30 to 60 minutes per person (§ 22d AAppO). More on the knowledge test.
The equivalence report (Gleichwertigkeitsgutachten) assesses your documents. For pharmacists 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 pharmacists

The knowledge test for pharmacists is an oral test in three subjects. Pharmaceutical practice and special fields of law for pharmacists are always tested; the authority sets the third subject according to the differences it found (§ 22d(1) AAppO). Because there is only this one oral test, the states state one fee per test. In the eight states with a fixed fee it lies between €170 and €710.

Who charges the fee depends on the state. In Berlin, Hamburg and Saxony the authority charges a state fee, in Hamburg as a range from €200 to €600. In Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland the pharmacists’ chamber charges the fee under its own fee regulations. Bavaria names no fee item and charges expenses of up to €690 per attempt.

The test can be retaken twice, so three attempts are possible in total (§ 22d(6) AAppO). Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg charge the fee per attempt. In Baden-Württemberg you must take all three subjects again on a retake. If you withdraw there with good cause, you pay a €100 processing fee; if you stay away without good cause, you pay the full test fee of €600. The Pharmacists’ Chamber of North Rhine refunds nothing after a withdrawal that follows the summons.

The specialist language test costs between €200 (Lower Saxony) and €495 (Saarland) in the thirteen states with a fixed fee. Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein state no figure for it.

The report of the assessment body for health professions (GfG) at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) has the highest upper limit of all fee items for pharmacists in six states (Bavaria, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia). It arises only if you choose the document assessment.

Notable states for pharmacists

The lowest fixed fee for the knowledge test applies in Lower Saxony (€170), the highest in North Rhine-Westphalia (€710). The highest fee is more than four times the lowest.
Hamburg (€200 to €600), Hesse (from €200), Saxony (€700 to €1,100) and Thuringia (up to €450) state a range or a limit instead of a fixed fee.
Bremen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein publish no figure for the knowledge test.
For the application fee for a qualification from outside the EU, the lowest lower limit is in Berlin (€100) and the highest upper limit in Brandenburg (€872). Four states state a fixed fee.
Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein scale the fee for the temporary permit by its period of validity.

The fees of all 16 states

Licensing fees for pharmacists 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	€25–€500	€300	€600	€300
Bavaria	€400(range €280–€500)	€200–€500	see state page	€1,000–€3,000	€690	€400
Berlin	€100–€430	€210(range €100–€430)	€150(range €100–€360)	€1,773	€315(range €250–€2,000)	€375
Brandenburg	€173–€872	€173–€872	€340–€680	€1,773	€700	€400
Bremen	€192–€850	€192–€850	€197–€500	see state page	no figure	no figure
Hamburg	€500–€750	€350–€600	€500–€750	€145–€417	€200–€600	€250(range €250–€400)
Hesse	€380–€600	€200–€600	€190	€145–€417	from €200	from €200
Lower Saxony	€250	€176	€180	no figure	€170	€200
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	€200–€225	€130	€170–€345	€150–€350	€300	€300
North Rhine-Westphalia	€150–€700	€150–€700	€100(standard; otherwise €130–€500)	no figure	€710	€375
Rhineland-Palatinate	€155–€300	€155–€300	€150	no figure	no figure	€250
Saarland	€200(range €200–€300)	€200(range €200–€300)	€150(range €150–€250)	€20–€2,000	€400(range €400–€800)	€495
Saxony	€490	€300	€490	see state page	€700–€1,100	€300
Saxony-Anhalt	€157–€525	€157–€525	€197–€307	€1,773	no figure	€390
Schleswig-Holstein	€320	€130	from €100	no figure	no figure	no figure
Thuringia	€320	€230	€175	€1,773	up to €450	€365

How to read the table

—: No figure is given. For pharmacists this applies to the knowledge test in Bremen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. A dash does not say that the service is free. The table uses no estimates.
n/a: The state has no such test or charges no separate fee for it.
see state page: The authority describes the fee only in words or by a calculation rule, for example per additional year. You find the wording and the source on the state page, which is in German.
up to €X: The authority states a ceiling, not a fixed fee. For pharmacists some chambers and offices charge expenses up to a limit.
€100–€430: A fee framework (Gebührenrahmen). Your notice contains the exact amount that the authority sets.
(range …): The first amount is the standard fee that the authority names. The range below belongs to the fee schedule and applies to cases with more effort. “Standard; otherwise” lists the standard fee first and then the range.

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(2) BApO). So the test fee of a state does not change which state handles your application. If you live abroad, you apply in the state where you want to work as a pharmacist. 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 pharmacists your total depends on who runs the oral test in your state, whether you retake it and which state is responsible for you.

A qualification from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland

If your pharmacy degree from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland 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 lies between €100 (Berlin) and €872 (Brandenburg).

The oral knowledge test and the report do not usually arise in this case. Translations, certifications and a language proof remain. In an individual assessment of degrees from before the cut-off date or from an accession state before its accession, the authority checks equivalence, and an aptitude test (Eignungsprüfung) can follow.

A qualification from outside the EU

If you studied pharmacy outside the EU, you usually take the oral knowledge test. The application fee, the specialist language test and, if needed, the temporary permit come on top. The knowledge test alone costs between €170 and €710 in the eight states that state a fixed fee.

The document assessment adds the equivalence report. If the authority then finds substantial differences, the report has been paid and the oral knowledge test still follows.

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

The examples count one test attempt. If you retake the oral test, you pay the fee again in Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg, and in Baden-Württemberg you then take all three subjects once more.

Costs outside the fee schedules for pharmacists

Besides the fees of authorities and chambers you pay costs that appear in no fee schedule. For pharmacists these are certified translations of the degree certificate, the list of subjects and grades and, where required, the hours overview, plus certifications of copies. A certification confirms that a copy matches the original. Some authorities ask for an apostille, 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’ information, 15 of 16 states require at least one mandatory document for pharmacists in a qualified translation. That is a translation by a translator sworn in at a German court. North Rhine-Westphalia asks for the most, with 12 mandatory documents.

Proof of the right to practise in your home country is mandatory in 14 states, the hours overview in 7 states and proof of the practical training phase in 5 states. For pharmacists the practical training is a separate stage of the degree. We clarify with the authority which of these proofs your state requires before you order translations.

The oral test lasts one hour at most, so the test day itself is short. Travel to the test location and, where needed, a night there come on top for every attempt.

What the recognition grant covers for pharmacists

Eligible (funding guideline, item 4.3)

certified translations of the certificate and the list of subjects, certifications and sworn statements (item 4.3 a)
procedure fees and expenses, such as report costs and the ZAB certificate assessment (item 4.3 b); fees of the licence itself stay excluded (item 4.4 e)
a course that prepares you for the oral knowledge test (item 4.3 d)
the knowledge test fee, whether a chamber or an authority charges it (item 4.3 e)

Not eligible (funding guideline, item 4.4)

German courses and the fee of the specialist language test (item 4.4 d)
documents that you obtain first in your home country, such as proof of the right to practise (item 4.4 c)
the police certificate for the authority (item 4.4 e)

Part of these costs can be funded

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

For pharmacists the fee of the oral knowledge test and a preparation course belong to the qualification funding of up to €3,000 (items 4.2 and 4.3). The highest fixed fee is €710 in North Rhine-Westphalia and stays far below this maximum.

The funding body examines the qualification funding only once a notice about substantial differences exists, for example admission to the knowledge test (item 6.2). File your application for admission before the measure begins; the guideline allows applications until 30 June 2027 at the latest (item 6.2.1). You must live in Germany. We advise you on the funding; you submit 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: GebVerz SM Nr. 12 (German)
Bavaria: KVz Tarif-Nr. 7.IX.7/, lfd. Nr. 1 (German)
Berlin: GesPflGebO, Tarifstellen 51010, 51011, 51036 (German)
Brandenburg: GebOMGS, Anlage, Tarifstelle 7.3 (German)
Bremen: GesundKostV, Anlage, Abschnitt B, Nr. 502.02 bis 502.05, 502.13, 502.16, 502.18 (German)
Hamburg: GebOöG, Anlage (Gebührentarif), Tarifstellen 1.1.1 bis 1.4.5 (German)
Hesse: VwKostO-MFG, Anlage, Nr. 1161, 1171, 1172, 1181; Kostensatzung LAKH Nr. 10 und 11 (German)
Lower Saxony: Gebührenordnung der Apothekerkammer Niedersachsen, Anlage zu § 1 Abs. 2, Ziffer 7; § 8 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Kammergesetz für die Heilberufe (HKG) (German)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: GesKostVO M-V, Anlage, Tarifstellen 5.1.1 bis 5.1.14 (German)
North Rhine-Westphalia: AVwGebO NRW, AGT Tarifstelle 12.1.1 (German)
Rhineland-Palatinate: GesVwGebV RP, Anlage, Abschnitt 1 (German)
Saarland: Gesetz Nr. 800 über die Erhebung von Verwaltungs- und Benutzungsgebühren im Saarland in der jeweils geltenden Fassung (German)
Saxony: 10. SächsKVZ, Anlage 1, lfd. Nr. 9 (German)
Saxony-Anhalt: AllGO LSA vom 10.10.2012 (GVBl. LSA S. 336), Anlage Kostentarif in der Fassung ab 21.05.2026 (German)
Schleswig-Holstein: VerwGebVO Schleswig-Holstein vom 26.09.2018 (GVOBl. Schl.-H. 2018, S. 476), Anlage „Allgemeiner Gebührentarif“ in der Fassung vom 24.08.2026, gültig ab 01.09.2026, Tarifstelle 9.3 (German)
Thuringia: § 1 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 und § 21 Abs. 1 Satz 1 ThürVwKostG vom 23.09.2005 (GVBl. 2005, 325) in Verbindung mit § 1 ThürVwKostOMASGFF vom 11.12.2001 (GVBl. 2002, 1; Gliederungs-Nr. 2013-1-5), Anlage in der Fassung vom 15.12.2019, gültig ab 21.12.2019 (German)

Frequently asked questions

Who charges the knowledge test fee for pharmacists?: That depends on the state. In Berlin, Hamburg and Saxony the authority charges a state fee. In Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland the pharmacists’ chamber charges it under its fee regulations. The fixed fees range from €170 to €710. The state page names the body responsible. About the knowledge test
Why does the fee differ so much between the states?: Lower Saxony states €170 and North Rhine-Westphalia €710. The difference comes from the charging body and its fee regulations, because the federal government sets no test fee. The test itself is the same everywhere: oral, three subjects, 30 to 60 minutes (§ 22d AAppO).
Which costs does the recognition grant cover for pharmacists?: Eligible are, among others, translations and certifications, report costs, preparation courses for the knowledge test and its fee (item 4.3). You pay the specialist language test, obtaining certificates in your home country and a police certificate yourself (item 4.4). You file the application yourself; we advise you on it. About the recognition grant
Why does the table for pharmacists show dashes instead of figures?: A dash appears when a state names no amount that we can support with a source. For pharmacists this applies to the knowledge test in Bremen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. The table contains no substitute figures. The state page behind the name of the state gives the source, the legal basis and the date of retrieval. Where our figures come from (in German)