Recognition of foreign academic degrees and institutions
How to get foreign university degree recognition
Did you achieve an academic degree or finish vocational training in your home country – before coming to Munich? Find out which platforms best support you for recognition, on this page. They will facilitate and support your recognition of foreign qualification process, which can save you a lot of time and resources.
Learn about visa types
There are many types of visas for Munich: vocational training visa, work visa, visa for language acquisition, and many more.
Do you have a foreign university degree? Check “anabin“
The Central Office for Foreign Education (“Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen“ – ZAB) operates the database “anabin” (page in German). It provides information on how foreign educational qualifications are evaluated in Germany. With the help of anabin, you can find out how your degree is classified in the German education system.
Once the process is complete, you will receive a notice of recognition or “statement of comparability“. This document explains your foreign qualification and compares it with a similar academic qualification in the German education system. This can be very helpful when applying for jobs or further education in Germany. For additional info, check this video – and detailed instructions on how to use anabin here.
IMPORTANT:
Please ensure that you understand the difference: The equivalence assessment (recognition) process is not the same as the digital information procedure offered by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
- Equivalence assessment (recognition): This officially checks if your foreign qualification is equivalent to the corresponding German qualification – and determines if it meets German standards.
- ZAB digital information procedure: This process only verifies whether your qualification is officially recognized in the country where it was obtained, and mentions the fitting German education level (e.g. master or bachelor). However, the ZAB info does not entitle you to admission to university, to further studies or to work in a regulated profession.
For further details about the ZAB procedure, visit the official ZAB website.
