certificate of good standing

What does the certificate contain?

It certifies that the professional licence exists, is not suspended, is not restricted, and that no professional or disciplinary proceedings are pending. In international correspondence the document is called a Certificate of Good Standing. It should not be confused with a confirmation of the authenticity of a diploma or with the EU conformity certificate, which relates to the content of training. For career entrants with no previous practice activity, the authority generally issues a correspondingly limited version.

Who issues it?

The competent authority is the body that issued or supervises the professional licence. In Germany this is, depending on the federal state, the licensing authority — for example a state office or regional government — sometimes supplemented by a certificate from the medical chamber confirming membership and the absence of disciplinary proceedings. It is issued against a fee under the relevant state fee regulations. Those who have worked in several federal states may need multiple certificates and should plan the time required accordingly.

What does this mean for graduates from EU countries?

Those who have studied in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Malta, or the Baltic states and have already worked there submit, alongside their diploma and apostille, a certificate of good standing from the country of origin to the German authority. Conversely, anyone moving from Germany to Switzerland or Austria also requires one. The Austrian Medical Chamber requires documents of this type for entry in the medical register to be no more than three months old at the time of application. Without it, the application is on hold.

The deadline is the real trap

Annex VII of Directive 2005/36/EC permits documents of this type to be at most three months old when presented. Those who apply too early end up with an expired document; those who apply too late delay the procedure. Processing times of two to six weeks are typical depending on the authority. In short: plan the timeline first, then apply. Some states additionally require an apostille or a certified translation of the certificate, which extends the lead time further. What version is accepted in any given case is determined by the receiving authority.