Anerkennung der Gleichwertigkeit ausländischer Schulabschlüsse beantragen

If you have obtained a school-leaving qualification abroad and live in Thuringia, or would like to take up vocational training in Thuringia, you can apply for recognition of the equivalence of your foreign school-leaving qualification.

Would you like to learn a profession in Thuringia? If so, recognition of your school-leaving qualifications obtained abroad may be helpful or necessary for your vocational training. The employer or vocational school can better classify your school education with the recognition.

• Application form
• Foreign educational certificates in the original
• Original translation of the foreign educational certificates into German by a court-approved translator/interpreter in Germany
• Copy of a valid identity document
• For minors additionally: copy of the identity document of a legal guardian
• Proof of income, if a review of the fee reduction is desired
• If you have changed your name, please submit proof of this (e.g. copy of marriage certificate).
• If you are applying from abroad, it is not mandatory to submit the original certificates. A certified copy of the certificates issued by the German embassy and a translation from the country of origin, which has been legalized by the German embassy, is sufficient.

• You must have obtained a school-leaving qualification abroad.
• You must be able to prove your school attendance with official certificates (educational certificates).

• You can apply in writing for recognition of the equivalence of your school-leaving qualification obtained abroad.
• To do so, complete the application form and send it by post to the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (TMBJS) together with the documents required for the examination of the application.
• The TMBJS will first check your application for completeness of the documents and send a confirmation of receipt within two weeks of receipt of the application. If the documents are not complete, they will be requested in the confirmation of receipt.
• Once the documents are complete, the application will be reviewed and processed within three months.
• Once the application has been processed, you will receive a notification with the result of the examination and a certificate of recognition of the foreign school-leaving qualification. The original documents you submitted will also be returned to you with the notification.
• If a fee is payable, this will be specified in the notification and must be paid within 30 days.

There is no deadline for submitting the application.

You can lodge an appeal against the authority's decision with the competent administrative court within one month of notification. The competent administrative court is named in the decision under "Information on legal remedies".

• Recognition of foreign school-leaving qualifications
• Recognition of the equivalence of a school-leaving qualification obtained abroad can be applied for in writing.
• Comparability with:
  • Hauptschulabschluss (successful attendance of at least nine ascending classes at general education schools with full-time instruction in two languages, mathematics, one natural science and one social science subject)
  • Secondary school certificate (successful completion of at least ten advanced classes at general education schools with full-time instruction in two languages, mathematics, one science and one social science subject)
  • University entrance qualification (based on the resolutions and agreements of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and the assessment of the Central Office for Foreign Education, information can be found in the "anabin" database: https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html
• Application available online on the website of the competent authority.
• Required documents must be submitted.
• Fees apply.
• Responsible for Thuringia: Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Department 21.

Please contact the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport - Department 21.

Forms available: yes

Written form required: yes

Informal application possible: no

Personal appearance necessary: no

Online services available: no