FAQ
General information
A Statement of Comparability is valid throughout Germany.
A Statement of Comparability does not expire.
A Statement of Comparability is only issued in German. It is not possible to issue a Statement of Comparability in a different language.
There may be several reasons why the ZAB cannot issue a Statement of Comparability:
- The degree program or the university were not recognized at the time of graduation.
- The university degree does not correspond to a qualification within the German education system.
- The degree program was not completed.
- In case of double degrees or joint degrees involving a German university, no Statement of Comparability will be issued since a German university degree has already been awarded.
- In cases of reasonable doubt regarding the authenticity of submitted documents.
- In cases of inconsistencies in an applicant's educational history.
If you would like to work in a non-regulated profession with your foreign university degree, you can apply directly to job offers in Germany. A Statement of Comparability can be a useful addition to your job applications.
In some cases, a Statement of Comparability is required for a job application:
- Employers are responsible for defining their job requirements. Some employers request a Statement of Comparability for a job application.
- In the public sector, a Statement of Comparability is often required for a job application.
If you would like to work in a regulated profession, you always need a professional recognition of your qualification. A Statement of Comparability is not sufficient.
To apply for a work visa, you need conclusive proof of your professional qualification. A Statement of Comparability provides such proof regarding a foreign university degree.
Visit the website of the German diplomatic mission responsible for your country of residence for information on how to apply for a work visa: find German mission abroad
Each university defines its own admission requirements. A university may request a Statement of Comparability.
Contact the university of your choice to find out about its admission requirements.
No, you cannot derive any legal claims from a Statement of Comparability, especially with regard to German public authorities and German recognition authorities.
Despite our best efforts, mistakes can happen. Please contact us and we will take care of it:
If you noticed a mistake in your digital Statement of Comparability, send us a message in My Account. We will review the matter. If your Statement of Comparability contains a mistake, we will issue a new Statement of Comparability. You can download it in My Account. The Statement of Comparability containing the mistake will no longer be valid.
If your Statement of Comparability was issued as a hardcopy, write an email to zabservice@kmk.org. We will review the matter. If your Statement of Comparability contains a mistake, we will ask you to return the Statement of Comparability containing the mistake by post. Once we have received it, we will issue a new, digital Statement of Comparability. You will receive the new Statement of Comparability by email.
Yes, you can apply for the evaluation of multiple university degrees.
During the online application process, you will be asked if you would like us to evaluate additional university degrees. If you agree, you can enter another university degree and upload the documents for it.
- You can apply for an evaluation of as many university degrees as you like.
- You will receive a separate Statement of Comparability for each university degree.
- The fee for the first Statement of Comparability is €200. The fee for each additional Statement of Comparability is €100 per application – regardless of whether you submit the applications at the same time or if you apply for an additional Statement of Comparability at a later date.
Do not forget to check if your university degrees are eligible for evaluation before applying: go to Pre-Check
My Messages
You can find your entire communication with the ZAB regarding your applications in My Messages. You can read and send messages. We will issue your Statement of Comparability to you in My Messages.
My Applications
My Applications provides an overview of all your applications for Statements of Comparability. You can:
- Check the status of your applications
- Send a message regarding an application to the ZAB
- Cancel your applications
My Profile
You can manage your personal information in My Profile.
Please note: If your personal information changes after you have submitted an application for a Statement of Comparability, please let us know by sending us a message in My Account. Changing your personal information in My Profile will not change the personal information of an existing application.
Yes, you can submit an application for someone else using a BundID account.
You have to upload a power of attorney from the person you are submitting the application for. Otherwise we cannot process the application. You can draft the power of attorney yourself. However, the person you are submitting the application for has to personally sign the power of attorney.
How do I submit an application for another person?
- Submit the application
Some of the personal information in our application form is automatically filled in from the BundID account. Change it to the personal information of the person you are applying for. - Upload the power of attorney
Once you have submitted the application, send us the corresponding power of attorney in My Account. Go to My Applications and to the application you just submitted and select "Send message or document to the ZAB." Upload the power of attorney and send it to us with the subject line "Power of attorney."
How do I submit applications for more than one person?
You have two options: You can use one BundID account for multiple applications or create a separate BundID account for each application.
Use one BundID account for multiple applications
Proceed like you would when submitting an application for one person. Once you have submitted the first application, you can start filling in another application form. You cannot fill in more than one application at a time. You can find all the applications submitted via one BundID account and all the application-related correspondence in the same overview in My Account.
Use separate BundID accounts to submit multiple applications
Create a BundID account for each application with the personal information of the person you are applying for. You need a separate email address for each application. This allows you to submit applications for multiple people.
Digital Statement of Comparability
A digital Statement of Comparability is a Statement of Comparability for Foreign University Degrees issued as a PDF file. It contains an electronic signature and a Digital Seal. The authenticity of the document can be verified at any time.
No, it is not possible to issue a hardcopy of a Statement of Comparability.
You will receive your Statement of Comparability digitally as a PDF file only. However, you can print out your Statement of Comparability yourself. It can be verified at any time using the PDF file. The electronic signature can be viewed in the PDF file as well.
No, it is not possible to digitize a Statement of Comparability that was issued as a hardcopy. However, you can submit a new application for your university degree to receive a new, digital Statement of Comparability for it.
Please note:
- Your university degree will be evaluated anew.
- You have to submit all required documents again.
- The fee for the re-evaluation is €100.
A Statement of Comparability can be verified at any time by yourself, by public authorities, by universities, or employers. Thanks to the Digital Seal on a Statement of Comparability, verification is quick and easy. Use the Digital Seal to check if a Statement of Comparability was issued by the ZAB and to compare the stored data to the information contained in the document you were provided. You will be able to verify immediately if it is authentic.
Please note: Anyone who has access to the Digital Seal can view the stored data. Keep your Statement of Comparability and the seal in a safe place. Only submit it to third parties if absolutely necessary.
Verifying a Statement of Comparability
Go to the website zab.kmk.org/en/validation or scan the QR code on the right-hand side of the Digital Seal to be taken to the website. Once you are on the website, you can upload your Statement of Comparability or the Digital Seal as a file or scan them with your camera.
Uploading
How to upload the Digital Seal:
- You can upload the entire Statement of Comparability or just the Digital Seal.
- Click the button "Upload" or drag & drop the file into the corresponding field.
Using a camera
How to scan the Digital Seal with your webcam or your phone's camera:
- Click the button "Use camera"
- You may have to allow access to your device's camera. If your device has several cameras, select the one you would like to use.
- Place the Digital Seal into the outlined field in your camera.
If the Statement of Comparability was issued by the ZAB, its stored data will be displayed. You can compare this data with the information of the Statement of Comparability you were provided.
Yes, a Statement of Comparability is valid without a written signature. Each Statement of Comparability contains a digital signature. A digital signature is an electronic signature that is legally valid. You can find your Statement of Comparability's digital signature in its upper margins stating "Zertifiziert durch" (certified by). You can display the digital signature with your PDF reader.
Processing time
The processing time for a Statement of Comparability is
- 3 months for a regular application
- 2 months for an Statement of Comparability that is part of a Fast-Track Procedure for Skilled Workers
- 2 weeks for a Statement of Comparability required for an EU Blue Card
Unfortunately, we cannot provide information about individual processing times and how much longer it will take until you receive your Statement of Comparability.
You can check the status of your application at any time in My Account.
Log in to your account on the ZAB website: My Account.
Click on My Applications for an overview of your Statements of Comparability. You can find the application status in the Status column.
No, unfortunately an application cannot be expedited.
We appreciate you understanding that we cannot expedite or prioritize individual applications. We process each application as quickly as possible.
You can help us by refraining from requesting status updates by email or phone. You can check the status of your application at any time in My Account.
Documents
Complete the Pre-Check before applying. You will receive a checklist for all the documents you have to submit to apply for a Statement of Comparability. The checklist helps you prepare the documents required for a successful online application.
Each required document is listed separately in the online application. You can upload it right away. That way, you do not forget to submit a required document.
Yes, you have to submit all the documents listed in the checklist.
If you do not submit all required documents, processing will be delayed. Processing of a Statement of Comparability does not begin until the ZAB has received all required documents and the fee in full.
Log in to My Account on the ZAB website to send a message and submit missing documents to the ZAB. You have the following options:
My Messages
If an application is missing documents, we will send you a message. Reply to our message or send us a new message. If you send us a new message, select the registration number of the Statement of Comparability that is missing documents. You can upload documents to the message the same way you can upload documents in the online application.
My Applications
Go to the overview of the applications you have submitted. In the Edit column on the right-hand side, select "Send message/document to ZAB" to open a new message. You can upload documents to the message the same way you can upload documents in the online application.
No, we need neither an apostille nor certified photocopies. Simply scan your documents and upload them to our website.
If we need to verify a document's authenticity, we will contact the institution that issued the document.
Use the Pre-Check to find out if you need to submit a translation of your documents. You will receive a checklist listing all required documents during the Pre-Check. When filling in the online application, you will also find out if you need to submit a translation.
Please note: A Statement of Comparability is always based on documents in the original language or in a country's official language. A translation might be required in addition to a document in the original language. However, a translation cannot be submitted instead of a document in the original language.
Click the button "Upload" or drag & drop the file into the corresponding field.
Please note:
- Each document has to be submitted as a separate PDF file. Save a multi-page document as a single PDF file.
- You can only upload PDF files.
- The maximum size of each PDF file is 5MB.
- You can upload up to 5 files.
- You cannot upload files with the same file name.
If you attempt to upload a document that does not meet these requirements, you will receive an error message.
Use a scanner, a photocopier with a scanning feature, or a scanning app on a mobile device. You can also go to a printing and copying shop to scan documents.
Please note:
- Scan each document individually and save it as a separate PDF file.
- Scan every page of a document, front and back.
- Scan the entire page to make sure that all the information is included.
- Make sure the scans are legible.
- Each PDF file can be up to 5MB. If it exceeds 5MB, reduce the file size by decreasing the file quality.
No, you have to upload your documents yourself in My Account.
Universities can email documents to zabservice@kmk.org.
You can still apply for a Statement of Comparability.
If you cannot submit one or more documents because you had to flee your home country, please state this in the respective fields in the online application.
No, you cannot submit your application by post. Please submit your application online on our website.
Submit all documents exactly as indicated in the online application. Only submit documents by post if we explicitly ask you to do so. The ZAB does not assume liability for unsolicited original documents.
Fees and payment
The first Statement of Comparability costs €200.
Each additional Statement of Comparability costs €100 per application.
If you would like us to evaluate two university degrees, you would have to pay €200 for the first Statement of Comparability and €100 for the second Statement of Comparability.
Please note: If you apply for two Statements of Comparability and cancel the first Statement of Comparability, the fee for the remaining Statement of Comparability will be €200.
Your notification of fees will be sent to you as a message in My Account immediately after you have submitted your application.
You can pay the fee directly after applying online.
You can choose one of the following payment options:
- PayPal
- Credit card (VISA or Mastercard)
- SEPA bank transfer
An online payment with PayPal or by credit card is made via ePayBL. It will take you directly to PayPal or your credit card network.
You can only pay by bank transfer from a bank account within the SEPA region. The information you need to make a SEPA bank transfer is provided in your notification of fees.
You have 3 weeks to pay the fee.
If you cannot pay the fee by this deadline, send us a message in My Account. We will review if the payment deadline can be extended.
Please note: Processing of a Statement of Comparability does not begin until the ZAB has received the fee in full.
In some cases, a one-time extension may be possible. Please send us a message in My Account to request an extension.
Please note: Processing of a Statement of Comparability does not begin until the ZAB has received the fee in full. An extension of the payment deadline will also extend the processing time.
No, an exemption from paying the fee is not possible.
However, there are a few ways to receive financial assistance for a Statement of Comparability. You can find out more in the FAQ section about "Financial assistance"
No, the fee cannot be paid in installments.
Yes, the fee can be paid by someone else.
If the fee is paid by SEPA bank transfer, the applicant's full name (first name and last name) and the application number have to be included in the reference field of the bank transfer. Otherwise, we cannot match the payment with the right application.
If you pay by credit card or with PayPal, their usual payment process applies.
When we receive your payment, we will send you a message in My Account.
If we do not receive the fee in full, we will send you a message requesting payment of the missing amount.
It is possible that your bank charges fees for the bank transfer and deducts them from the amount you paid. If this is the case, the ZAB will not receive the fee in full. Please contact your bank to find out if they charge transaction or bank fees for your bank transfer to the ZAB.
If you paid more than the amount indicated in the notification of fees, we will refund you the difference. We will use the same payment method used to pay the fee to the ZAB.
If the overpaid amount is very small, the difference will be refunded only if the person applying for a Statement of Comparability requests a refund from the ZAB (negligibility in accordance with Annex Number 2.6 to §59 LHO Berlin).
If the fee has been paid twice, for example by you and the Federal Employment Agency, we will automatically refund one of the payments to the personal bank account.
ePayBL
ePayBL is a digital platform for public administration fee payments. ePayBL provides a secure connection to your credit card network or PayPal.
ePayBL is short for ePayment Bund (federal government) Länder (federal states). The Federal Information Technology Centre (ITZBund) ensures the security of the payment system.
Directly after submitting your application, you can pay the fees for your Statement of Comparability online. Select your preferred payment method on the application website. You will be taken to ePayBL. With ePayBL you can quickly and easily make a secure online payment with your usual provider.
PayPal
You will be taken to the PayPal website. Log in to your PayPal account. Confirm the payment and follow the instructions.
Credit card
To pay by credit card you need the usual information.
- Type of credit card (VISA or Mastercard)
- Credit card number
- Expiry date
- 3-digit card security code on the back of the card
Follow the instructions. You might be taken to your credit card network's website to confirm the payment.
When the payment has been deposited into the ZAB bank account, we will send you a message confirming the payment in your My Account mailbox.
Financial assistance
Are you a customer of a Jobcenter or the Federal Employment Agency? Contact it directly to find out if you are eligible for financial assistance.
You may be able to apply for the recognition grant "Anerkennungszuschuss" from the German government. Your local IQ-Netzwerk counseling office will assist you. For more information visit the website Anerkennung in Deutschland and refer to the (German-only) recognition grant flyer.
Fill in the form yourself and return it to your Jobcenter:
- Wait until you have received the ZAB's notification of fees.
- Enter the ZAB's bank account information into the declaration of assignment form.
- Submit the signed form to your Jobcenter.
Cancellation
No, according to the fees regulation, we have to withhold a part of the fee. This is regulated in the state of Berlin's Regulation Regarding Fees for Professional Qualification Examinations and for Assessments of Foreign Higher Education Qualifications. How much of the fee you are refunded depends on the processing stage of your Statement of Comparability.
We will pay back the amount to be refunded within 6 weeks. We will use the same payment method used to pay the fee to the ZAB.
In case of a cancellation, we will send you a message in My Account.
You will receive the refund within 6 weeks.
In case of a cancellation, we will send you a message in My Account.
BundID
A BundID account is also called BundID. BundID is provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI).
BundID is a way to prove your identity online – the way you do with an identity document when visiting a public authority. Your personal information is stored in your BundID account. It allows you to use digital public services, prove your identity online with German public authorities, and submit applications online.
You can use your BundID account to submit applications to German public authorities. To submit an application to the ZAB, you have to sign in with your BundID. Your personal account on the ZAB website is linked to your BundID. You can only log in to My Account with your BundID.
You can create an account on the BundID website.
To apply for a Statement of Comparability it is sufficient to create an account with the "Username & Password" option.
How to create an account:
- Choose the option "Username & Password". Follow the instructions on the BundID website to create an account.
- Select a username and a password. That is all it takes to create a BundID account. You will automatically be logged in to the BundID website.
- You will receive an email containing a link. Click on the link to verify your email address. Your BundID account has been created.
Visit the BundID website for detailed instructions on how to create an account.
Yes, you can create a BundID account and sign in to the ZAB website regardless of your nationality. The "Username & Password" option will allow you do to so. All you need is a valid email address.
BundID is provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI). Handling your data responsibly is given highest priority. Find out more in the Privacy Policy for BundID.
Do you already have a BundID account? You can register on the ZAB website and create your personal account with your BundID.
- Go to My Account and select "Log in."
- Select "Continue with BundID." You will be taken to the BundID website. You can then log in with your BundID login information.
- You will automatically be redirected to the ZAB website where you can complete registering your ZAB account.
You have to sign with your BundID every time you use "My Account" on the ZAB website.
If you forgot your login information, you can request a new password on the BundID login page.
If you delete the BundID account you used to submit your application to the ZAB, you can no longer log in to My Account on the ZAB website.
You will no longer be able to access your mailbox with all your messages and documents – including your Statement of Comparability.
Make sure to save all the documents you might require at a later point in time before deleting your BundID account.
EU Blue Card
Please refer to our information about Statements of Comparability required for EU Blue Card applications.
You have to apply for an EU Blue Card at your immigration authority in Germany. Find the immigration authority responsible for your German place of residence on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
You can find information about the EU Blue Card on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).