Licence to practise as a pharmacist

What are the requirements?

§ 2(1) of the Federal Pharmacists' Act makes clear that practising the pharmacy profession requires approbation. § 4(1) sets out the conditions: no conduct indicating unworthiness or unreliability, no health-related unsuitability, the German language skills required for the profession, and a total training period of five years, of which twelve months must consist of practical training. For the German route this means: a passed pharmacy state examination after the one-year pre-registration period. The competent authorities are the states, usually state examination offices or district governments. Approbation then applies nationwide without time limit.

How does recognition work with a degree from an EU country?

Training certificates from EU and EEA states are automatically recognised under § 4(1a) BApO if they are listed in Annex V no. 5.6.2 of Directive 2005/36/EC and meet the minimum requirements of Article 44 — that is, at least five years of training including four years of theory and practice at the university and six months of practical placement. Degrees from Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Malta, and the Baltic states are listed there with the respective national designations and reference dates; Annex V is therefore the first thing to check in any application. Where the certificate does not fit the list, the authority assesses equivalence under § 4(2) BApO and may require an aptitude test if substantial differences are found.

What about degrees from third countries?

For degrees from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or other third countries, § 4(3) BApO applies. Where substantial differences exist, a knowledge test must be passed, oriented around the content of the German qualifying examination and permitted to be retaken twice. Evidence of professional language proficiency is also required, as a rule via a professional language examination at level C1. On a transitional basis a temporary licence to practise limited to two years may be issued under § 11 BApO, but this is at the authority's discretion and is often subject to conditions such as supervised practice.

Common misconceptions

Approbation is valid nationwide but is granted by only one state; fees and processing times vary considerably between states. It is also distinct from the authorisation to operate a pharmacy, which must be applied for separately under the Pharmacy Act. Legal questions in individual cases are clarified by the competent authority or by a legal adviser.