SMK: Saxony accelerates professional recognition

Minister of Culture Conrad Clemens: “Saxony benefits from international skilled workers – not only in microelectronics, but also among teachers, doctors and in local companies. We are reducing bureaucracy in order to simplify and speed up professional recognition.”

Concrete measures include the following:

1. Digital application submission to all competent authorities in Saxony by June 30, 2026
2. Responsibilities will be bundled more nationwide and state recognition requirements will be harmonized
3. Unification and simplification of professional laws
4. Expansion of in-service qualification measures
5. Annual report on the implementation status

Background

According to the State Statistical Office, the competent authorities in the Free State of Saxony received a total of 2,707 applications for recognition of foreign professional qualifications in 2024. This was 198 or 7.9 percent more than in the previous year.

1,061 qualifications acquired abroad were recognized as fully equivalent to a qualification acquired in Germany (2023: 1,001). The

Number of procedures that were positively concluded with a requirement for a compensation measure

increased from 1,063 to 1,254, while negative decisions were made for

Were 144 or 5.9 percent (2023: 125). Most applications for recognition of a foreign professional qualification were registered in the Free State of Saxony for the German reference professions of nurse (742), doctor (granting of license to practice medicine) (479) and teacher (344). In the reporting year, 2024 applications were processed most frequently from people who completed their training in Ukraine (533), Syria (428) and Brazil (178).

The package of measures also implements a resolution passed by the Conference of Prime Ministers on December 4, 2025.

_ _ _ _ _
Further links

👉 To the original press release