If you studied medicine, dentistry or pharmacy in Ukraine and want to work in Germany, one date matters: on 1 November 2026 the “Act to Speed Up Recognition Procedures for Foreign Qualifications in the Health Professions” takes effect (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 225, published 28 July). The Bundestag passed it on 26 March and the Bundesrat approved it on 8 May.
The core change: for degrees from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland – Ukraine included – a direct knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) becomes the default route. The earlier document-based equivalence check survives only if you explicitly apply for it. “The direct knowledge test is to become the rule and noticeably speed up access to the labour market,” Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) said on 26 March. The government stresses that professional standards are not being lowered.
Who is covered, and what falls away?
The law covers doctors, dentists, pharmacists and midwives. Nurses are not among the professions named. According to Deutsches Ärzteblatt and specialist portals, anyone choosing the knowledge test no longer has to obtain, translate and certify papers needed only for the document comparison – such as detailed curricula from a Ukrainian university. Other proofs remain mandatory. For people whose university has been damaged or occupied, that could matter a great deal.
The states may also test language skills before the professional exam, and applications can be filed electronically. The ministry expects savings of almost €16 million a year. The target language level remains C1, according to the portal tuenews, citing the ministry.
Old rules or new: what to settle now
The cut-off date is decisive. According to the specialist portals tuenews and Kennti, applications filed up to and including 31 October 2026 will still be processed under the old law; the rule sits in section 15 of the Federal Medical Code (Bundesärzteordnung) in its new version. We could not view the statute text itself on the Law Gazette page, so ask the licensing authority of your federal state to be sure. In practice:
- If you have not applied yet and your documents are complete, file by 31 October and stay in the old procedure.
- If documents are almost impossible to obtain, the new route may suit you better – it requires less paper.
- If you work on a temporary permit (Berufserlaubnis), clarify extension and exam dates early; according to Kennti the law names no separate transition period.
The German Medical Association backs the aim but warns that patient safety must not suffer. Its president, Klaus Reinhardt, wants language tests before the knowledge test and the document check kept as an option; the dental bodies BZÄK and KZBV also call for a language test up front. What the exam will look like depends on an amended licensing ordinance that, according to exam-preparation providers, has not yet been published.
The pressure is high: in summer 2024 a survey by Welt am Sonntag of state authorities counted at least 1,674 applications from Ukrainian doctors since February 2022 – 187 approved, 1,402 still pending. Cases took between 15 months and three years. Gerald Gaß, head of the German Hospital Federation, called the result “devastating” at the time.
Our assessment, with caution: whether things really get faster depends less on the law than on examination capacity and staffing in state authorities. Less paperwork should help; the reform is no miracle cure. As of 13 October 2026. This is not legal advice.
Sources: Federal Law Gazette, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Government, Deutsches Ärzteblatt, zm-online, epd
