Free tool · 17 states ranked
Which German state should you apply in?
The state you choose decides your wait and your bill. Processing runs from ~4 weeks (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, official LAGuS figure) to 16.5 months (Bayern, FOIA average via FragDenStaat). Combined Approbation + FSP fees run €480–€1300. Pick what matters, and this ranks all 17 against your situation.
Data last verified
What this weighs
Three things separate a 4-week state from a 20-month one.
2–36 months
Processing time
The gap between the fastest and slowest state is over a year. Pick Speedand the ranking sorts by each authority's realistic Drittstaat processing — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen-Anhalt rise; Bayern and NRW fall.
€480–€1300
Combined fees
Approbation fees run €130 (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) to €600 (Hamburg); FSP fees €350 (Nordrhein) to €700 (M-V / Schleswig-Holstein). Pick Cost to sort by the two added together.
Routing
Your country's route
Rheinland-Pfalz sends Syria-trained doctors straight to the Kenntnisprüfung — no documents-based equivalence review, which skips the longest wait. Choose your country and that routing moves the relevant state up.
How the ranking works
One pure calculation, three priorities.
- SpeedSorts by the slowest realistic Drittstaat processing in weeks, ascending. The state least likely to leave you waiting comes first.
- CostSorts by Approbation fee plus FSP fee, lowest first. States that don't publish a fee (Saarland, Thüringen, Hessen on Approbation) sort last on this measure.
- BalancedScales both speed and cost to a 0–1 range and averages them, so neither a cheap-slow state nor a fast-expensive one dominates.
On top of any priority, a degree-country routed directly to the Kenntnisprüfung gets a large boost, and doctor-shortage regions and telc-Medizin-accepting states get a small one — these change your real path, not just the headline number.
An Approbation is valid nationwide the day it's granted.
A licence issued in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern lets you work in Munich or Hamburg immediately. That's why applying where the process is fastest, then relocating, is a common move. The tool ranks for the application stage; where you settle afterward is up to you. Compare all 17 states →
Personalised match
Get a shortlist with recruiters who hire in your top states.
The ranking shows where the process is fastest and cheapest. Tell us your country, German level, and timeline, and we'll point you to hospitals and recruiters actively hiring internationally trained doctors in those states.