Frequently Asked Questions

Credential recognition (Berufsanerkennung) is the official process through which German authorities verify whether a professional qualification obtained abroad is equivalent to a regulated profession in Germany. For regulated professions (e.g. nurses, doctors, engineers), recognition is mandatory to legally practice in Germany.

Yes. All core features are completely free: equivalence check, identifying the responsible authority, required document checklist, and diploma OCR verification. You don't even need an account for your first check. We also offer a premium B2B service for employers who want complete case management.

The official process takes an average of 3-4 months from the submission of a complete application. However, preparing documents (sworn translations, apostilles, authentications) can add another 1-2 months. With Echivaleaza, you can find out in 2 minutes what steps are required, so you can start preparing early.

The required documents vary depending on the profession and federal state (Bundesland), but typically you need: your diploma or qualification certificate, Diploma Supplement, sworn translation into German, passport or ID copy, and a tabular CV. Echivaleaza generates a personalized document checklist based on your profession and federal state.

For most regulated professions, German authorities require a minimum level of German language proficiency (usually B1 or B2). However, Echivaleaza works entirely in Romanian — we guide you step by step through the process, and documents we generate (cover letter, correspondence) are automatically in German.

The reference profession is the German profession against which your foreign qualification is compared. For example, an "Asistent medical generalist" from Romania is compared to "Pflegefachfrau/-mann" in Germany. Correctly identifying the reference profession is the first essential step in the recognition process.

The responsible authority is the German institution in charge of evaluating and recognizing your diploma. It depends on the profession and the federal state where you work or want to work. For example, for healthcare professions in Bavaria, the responsible authority is the Regierung von Oberbayern. Echivaleaza automatically identifies the correct authority.

Yes, in most cases you need sworn translations (beglaubigte Übersetzung) produced by a translator authorized in Germany. Unofficial translations are not accepted. Through our B2B service, we coordinate sworn translators for you.

Echivaleaza exclusively uses official data sources: ESCO (European classification of occupations, managed by the European Commission), BERUFENET (German occupational database, managed by the Federal Employment Agency), and the KldB-ISCO Crosswalk (correspondence table between German and international classifications). We don't invent data — we aggregate it from verifiable public sources.

Currently, Echivaleaza is optimized for Romanian citizens seeking credential recognition in Germany. Our matching engine works with any profession in the ESCO classification (28 languages), but guide content and support are currently in Romanian. We plan to expand to other countries in the future.