Germany's Kenntnisprüfung is now the standard route for doctors with non-EU degrees
Since 1 November 2026, doctors with degrees from outside the EU go straight to the Kenntnisprüfung on the way to Approbation. What changed, what did not, and how to plan your preparation.
If you studied medicine outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, the way to a German licence changed on 1 November 2026. The Kenntnisprüfung, the knowledge test, is now the normal route to Approbation. Until then, most applicants first waited while an authority compared their degree with German medical training, document by document, and sat the exam only if it found gaps.
What changed
- The exam comes first. For doctors with a degree from a third country, the direct Kenntnisprüfung is now the rule. The document-based equivalence review (Gleichwertigkeitsprüfung) still exists, but only if you ask for it.
- One standard for every candidate. The Kenntnisprüfung is now treated as a licensing exam with the same standard for everyone, instead of an exam built around the gaps found in your documents.
- German can be checked earlier. The federal states may now check your language skills before they look at your qualification.
The timeline
- 26 March 2026: the Bundestag passed the law.
- By June 2026: the Bundesrat, the chamber of the federal states, approved it.
- 1 November 2026: the new rules apply.
What has not changed
- Your state authority still runs your application and sets exam dates, so waiting times still differ from state to state. A faster decision is not guaranteed.
- You still need German. Most state medical chambers ask for general German at B2 and medical German at C1, tested in the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP).
- Passing the Kenntnisprüfung does not license you on its own. You apply to your state authority for Approbation, and it checks your remaining documents.
What it means for your preparation
Because the exam no longer waits on a review of your documents, you can plan your preparation earlier and more predictably.
- Take your German to B2 and start medical German early, because your state may now test your language before anything else.
- Prepare for the Kenntnisprüfung as a full licensing exam: oral-practical cases across the core clinical subjects, in German.
- Ask your state authority which documents and certificates it needs from you, and in what order.
How we can help
Our Kenntnisprüfung course is built for the new route, and our Fachsprachprüfung and German for doctors courses cover the language steps. A new batch of each starts every month.