Germany fast-tracks foreign healthcare workers with new qualification law
Germany's Bundestag has passed a law to speed up the recognition process for foreign professional qualifications in healthcare professions. The bill, proposed by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU), was approved on Thursday with votes from the governing coalition and the Green Party. The far-right AfD voted against it, while the Left Party abstained.
The legislation aims to streamline, standardize, and digitize recognition procedures for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and midwives. Warken emphasized that these procedures must no longer be a bottleneck in integrating skilled professionals. "Uniform standards and digital processes will relieve all parties of unnecessary bureaucracy," she said. The law also allows federal states to assess the language proficiency of applicants from non-EU countries before they complete their professional qualification.
The bill still requires approval from the Bundesrat and is set to take effect on November 1, 2026.
