licence to practise veterinary medicine

What requirements does the statute specify?

§ 4(1) of the Federal Act on the Veterinary Profession requires four things: no conduct giving rise to moral unfitness or professional unreliability, physical fitness, a total training period of at least five years including six months of practical training with a passed veterinary state examination, and the language skills required for professional practice. The application procedure is governed by § 63 of the TAppV: identity card or passport, a certificate of good conduct and a medical certificate, both no more than one month old, plus the examination certificate. A decision on the application must be reached within three months; for foreign qualifications, within four months. The certificate is issued in the form of the template in Annex 13 to the TAppV.

Who has jurisdiction?

Under § 13(1) BTÄO, the authority of the state in which the veterinary state examination was taken grants the licence. For foreign qualifications, § 13(2) BTÄO gives jurisdiction to the authority of the state in which the profession is to be practised. Depending on the state, these are state offices, ministries, or regional councils. Fees, forms, and processing times therefore differ noticeably; in Brandenburg, for example, fees under the local fee schedule are approximately €100 to €260.

What does this mean for graduates of programmes in EU countries abroad?

§ 4(1a) BTÄO treats veterinary training completed in an EU or EEA state as equivalent to German training if the qualification is listed in the annex to the statute and relates to training begun after the reference date stated there. This annex reflects Annex V No. 5.4.2 of Directive 2005/36/EC. For Bulgaria and Romania, the reference date is 1 January 2007; for the states that joined in 2004, 1 May 2004. If the wording of the diploma differs, a certificate from the home state confirming that the training meets the minimum requirements of Article 38 of the Directive is sufficient. Qualifications from Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina do not fall within this provision and are processed under § 4(2) BTÄO, if necessary with a knowledge test.

What is often overlooked

In addition to the licence, there is the permit for temporary professional practice under § 11 BTÄO. It is revocable, may be restricted to specific activities and places of employment, and may only be granted or renewed for a total period of up to four years. It is not sufficient for official duties. Which route is appropriate in any individual case is decided by the competent state authority.