Physiotherapists, midwives and the other health professions that Germany calls Gesundheitsfachberufe need B2 German before their foreign qualification is recognised. The certificate may be no more than three years old, and each federal state sets the details. This guide explains which certificates count, how the rules differ between states, and how to plan your exam so it is still valid on the day you apply.
Physiotherapists, midwives and other health professionals need B2 German for recognition; Goethe, telc, ÖSD and TestDaF certificates are accepted. The certificate may be no more than three years old, and details differ from state to state.
In Germany you may only work under a protected job title, such as physiotherapist (Physiotherapeut) or midwife (Hebamme), once the authority of your federal state (Land) has recognised your foreign training. This check is called recognition (Anerkennung). Your training is one part of it; your German is the other. For most of these professions the language part is the same: a certificate at level B2.
Physiotherapists, midwives, speech therapists and the other regulated health professions that Germany groups as Gesundheitsfachberufe (health professions).
Nurses also need B2, but their route has its own guide: pay groups, recognition and the Ausbildung option.
Doctors, dentists and pharmacists need B2 and then a C1 medical language exam for the Approbation. Read the separate guide.
Two conditions matter most. The level is B2 of the Common European Framework (CEFR), and the certificate must not be older than three years. Saxony, whose coordination office for health professions publishes the list below, counts those three years up to the day you submit your application (Antragstellung), not the day you start work. Other states publish their own lists, so always check the list of the state where you apply. Goethe, telc, ÖSD and TestDaF certificates are the ones you will see named for health professions.
| Certificate (Saxony list) | Minimum result |
|---|---|
| Goethe-Zertifikat | B2 or higher |
| telc Deutsch | B2 or higher |
| ÖSD Zertifikat | B2 or higher |
| TestDaF | Level 4 (TDN 4) or higher |
| DSH (university German exam) | DSH-1 / B2 |
| Deutsch-Test für den Beruf (DTB) of the BAMF | B2 or higher |
| Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSD II) | DSD II; not accepted for speech therapy |
A course attendance letter is not on the list. What counts is an exam certificate with a pass at the named level. Before you book, ask the authority that will handle your application which certificates it accepts for your profession.
Recognition of health professions is handled by each federal state, not by one national office. The B2 level is the common starting point, but the details are set by the state: which certificates it names, whether other proof of German counts, and how it treats special cases. Saxony is a good example of how detailed these rules can be.
For speech therapists (Logopädie), Saxony asks for C2, not B2. If this is your profession, check the level with your state before you plan a B2 exam.
Saxony also accepts German proven another way: training for the profession completed in German, at least three years of vocational training or ten years of schooling in German, a completed adaptation course or aptitude test, or a passed language test for the health profession (Fachsprachentest) that is not older than three years.
If you trained in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and take an adaptation course (Anpassungslehrgang), Saxony requires a B2 certificate (C2 for speech therapy) in every case; other proof is not enough.
These three points are Saxony's rules. Another state may handle them differently, so treat them as examples of what to ask, not as a promise for the state where you apply. For most people who trained outside Germany, the simplest safe route is a standard B2 certificate from Goethe, telc, ÖSD or TestDaF.
Both are general German exams at B2 and both appear on the recognition lists. The difference is in how you pass. Goethe B2 is modular: reading, listening, writing and speaking are separate modules, you need 60 out of 100 points in each, and you can book and repeat a single module. telc Deutsch B2 is one exam of 300 points, with a written part (225 points) and an oral part (75 points); you need 60 percent in each part separately. telc also runs a version for nursing, telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege; if you are not a nurse, ask your authority before you choose it.
5 parts, 30 items, 65 minutes.
4 parts, 30 items, about 40 minutes, plus 5 minutes to transfer your answers.
2 parts, 75 minutes: a forum post of about 150 words (60 points) and a message of about 100 words (40 points).
2 parts, about 15 minutes after 15 minutes of preparation: a short talk, then a discussion with your partner.
Exam fees are set locally by each Goethe-Institut, partner centre or telc centre and differ by country, so check the price list where you plan to sit the exam. For Goethe B2, a single module costs less than the full exam.
Find the recognition authority of the state where you want to work and read its language rules for your profession.
Goethe B2, telc B2, ÖSD B2 or TestDaF are the usual choices. You can prepare for them from your own country.
Collect your diploma and the documents your authority lists, and submit the application before your certificate turns three years old.
A B2 certificate taken too early can run out while you are still collecting papers. If your documents will take a long time, it can make sense to sit the exam later, closer to the date you apply.
B2 of the Common European Framework. It is the level set for recognition (Anerkennung) of most health professions, including physiotherapists and midwives. Some professions ask for more: in Saxony, speech therapists need C2.
No more than three years. Saxony counts the three years up to the day you submit your application, so a certificate that is valid when you start collecting documents can run out before you apply. Plan the exam date with that in mind.
Goethe, telc, ÖSD and TestDaF certificates are accepted. The Saxony list also names DSH, the Deutsch-Test für den Beruf (DTB) of the BAMF and the DSD II. Each state keeps its own list, so check with the authority where you apply.
Both are accepted general B2 exams. Goethe B2 is modular: you need 60 out of 100 points in each module and can repeat one module alone. telc Deutsch B2 is one exam of 300 points, and you need 60 percent in the written part and in the oral part separately.
Nurses also need B2, but they have their own recognition route and their own guide on this site. Doctors, dentists and pharmacists need B2 and then a C1 medical language exam (Fachsprachprüfung) for the Approbation.
In Saxony, not always. German also counts as proven if you completed your professional training in German, at least three years of vocational training in German, at least ten years of schooling at a German-language school, an adaptation course of at least six months, or an aptitude or knowledge test, or if you passed a language test for your health profession within the last three years. Applicants from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland who take an adaptation course need a certificate in every case.
Fees are set locally by each Goethe-Institut, partner centre or telc centre and differ by country, so check the price list where you plan to sit the exam. For Goethe B2, a single module costs less than the full exam.