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Pharmacist; application for a license to practice pharmacy

You can apply for a license to practice pharmacy if you have completed your pharmaceutical training in Bavaria or in an EU member state, an EEA member state or in Switzerland and wish to practice the profession of pharmacist in Bavaria.

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Procedure details

Anyone wishing to work as a pharmacist in Germany after studying pharmacy requires a special professional license - the Approbation. In Bavaria, this is issued by the government of Upper Bavaria and the government of Lower Franconia. If you studied pharmacy at the University of Munich or the University of Regensburg, the government of Upper Bavaria is responsible for you, whereas the government of Lower Franconia is responsible if you graduated from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg or the University of Würzburg.

The government of Lower Franconia will also grant you a license if you studied in a member state of the European Union, a signatory state to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or Switzerland and (in future) wish to work as a pharmacist in the administrative districts of Upper Franconia, Middle Franconia or Lower Franconia. However, if you intend to work as a pharmacist in the administrative districts of Upper or Lower Bavaria, Swabia or the Upper Palatinate, the government of Upper Bavaria is your point of contact.

The license to practice medicine is linked to various requirements relating to the successful completion of studies, personal and health suitability for practicing the profession and sufficient German language skills.

  • Birth certificate/parentage certificate or extract from the parents' family register
    (certified copy)
  • if the name used differs from that on the birth certificate: proof of a change of name (e.g. marriage certificate)
    (certified copy)
  • valid proof of identity (e.g. passport)
    (certified copy)
  • complete and personally signed curriculum vitae

    (tabular and chronological list of the training courses completed and the relevant gainful activities pursued, stating the periods (month/year) and enclosing the relevant supporting documents)

  • medical certificate (original)

    This must be issued and signed by a general practitioner or internist practicing in Germany or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or in Switzerland and bear a practice or clinic stamp. If the practice or clinic stamp is not available in German, a German translation of the stamp is required.

  • Certificate of good conduct of document type "O
    • If the applicant has already stayed in Germany for more than six months in the past or has had or still has a residence in Germany.
    • In Germany, this must be applied for at the registration office of the place of residence, stating the purpose "Approbation as pharmacist". The certificate of good conduct is sent directly to the competent authority by the Federal Office of Justice.
  • Proof of exemption from punishment
    • Submission of criminal record extracts from all countries outside Germany in which the applicant has resided for more than six months.
    • The criminal record excerpts must not be older than three months at the time the application is received.
    • A certified copy of each of these extracts must be submitted.
    • In addition, a certificate of good conduct of type "O" if the applicant has already stayed in Germany for more than six months in the past or has had or still has a residence in Germany (see above).
  • Proof of your completed education (certified copy)
    • In the case of training in Bavaria, this is sent directly to the Berufszulassungsstelle by the Landesprüfungsamt.
    • In the case of training in an EU member state, an EEA member state or in Switzerland: proof of training such as diploma or, if applicable, further country-specific proof in accordance with Annex 5 of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications.
  • for training abroad: if applicable, certificate of good standing (certified copy)

    Required from all countries where the health professional activity has already been practiced.

  • for training abroad: proof of the language skills required for practicing the profession
    (Proof can be provided in different ways. You can find more information on this under "Special instructions").

A fee of EUR 200 for training in Germany or EUR 250 to 500 for training in another EU member state must be paid for the license to practice. Additional costs are incurred for the specialist language test.

There is no deadline for applying for a license to practice. It is recommended to submit the application at the earliest one month before taking the last examination for German training.

The granting of a license to practice medicine or a professional permit requires, among other things, that you have the necessary knowledge of the German language to practice your profession. The 87th Conference of Health Ministers in 2014 agreed in a key points paper on the requirements for knowledge of the German language and how this knowledge can be demonstrated. The following applies:

1. the required German language skills are deemed to be proven for applicants for whom the licensing authority determines without doubt that German is spoken and written fluently (e.g. as a native language) or that the completion of medical, dental, pharmaceutical or psychotherapeutic training (proof of training) was obtained in German.

2. proof of the required German language skills is generally deemed to have been provided if the applicant has completed at least ten years of general schooling at a German-speaking school or has completed at least three years of vocational training in German.

3. if proof is not deemed to have been provided in accordance with 1. or 2. above, the language skills required for practicing the profession shall be deemed to have been demonstrated by submission of a certificate of successful completion of the specialist language test at the Bavarian State Chamber of Pharmacists.

4 Specialist language tests taken at the Chamber of Pharmacists or the competent authority of another country, as well as specialist language tests from other examination institutions, shall be recognized as proof, provided that it is guaranteed that the examination there is equivalent to the specialist language test at the Bavarian State Chamber of Pharmacists. Whether this requirement is met in individual cases must be clarified in advance with the relevant professional licensing office.

Administrative court action

Status: 20.03.2025
Editorial responsibility Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit, Pflege und Prävention
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