Healthcare & Medical Professions

Who this service is for

This service is particularly relevant for persons from health and medical professions, including:

Which authority is responsible depends on the specific profession. For some health professions, entry in a professional register may also be required after successful recognition or nostrification.

Requirements and application notes

In order to work in Austria in a health or medical profession, the foreign education must be comparable with Austrian requirements. The competent authority examines whether the education and professional qualification correspond to the Austrian standards for the respective profession.

If substantial differences are identified, supplementary examinations, courses, internships or other compensatory measures may be required before the professional activity can be started.

In many health and medical professions, formal recognition or nostrification is a prerequisite for being allowed to practice the profession in Austria.

What is examined

During the procedure, the competent authority usually examines the following aspects:

• Duration of the education
• Theoretical training content
• Practical training periods
• Completed examinations
• Internships or clinical training
• Professional authorization in the country of origin
• Previous professional experience
• Differences compared with Austrian training requirements
• Required supplementary examinations, internships or compensatory measures

German language skills

German language skills are particularly important in health and medical professions, as the work often involves direct contact with patients, colleagues, authorities and healthcare institutions.

Depending on the profession, different language levels may be required. For nursing assistance and advanced nursing assistance, B1 may be required. For higher-level health and nursing services and many medical-technical services, B2 may be required. For speech therapy, C1 may be required.

Required documents

For nostrification or recognition in health and medical professions, the following documents usually have to be prepared:

Especially in health professions, precise documentation of the training content is particularly important, because the competent authority must check comparability with Austrian training requirements.

Support from AS Consult

AS Consult supports health and medical professionals as well as employers in the structured preparation of the recognition or nostrification procedure.

• Initial orientation regarding the suitable procedure
• Review of existing documents
• Support in compiling missing documents
• Organizational support with the application
• Communication with skilled workers and employers
• Support with follow-up questions from the competent authorities
• Coordination with residence or employment procedures
• Support until possible professional activity in Austria

Purpose of this service

Nostrification and recognition for health and medical professions enables qualified skilled workers from third countries to have their education checked in Austria and to prepare the path toward professional activity.

AS Consult supports skilled workers, healthcare institutions, care facilities, medical practices and employers in the structured preparation and support of the entire recognition process.

With complete documents, careful preparation and a clear presentation of education and professional experience, the path toward professional activity in Austria can be accompanied in an organized way.

Important notes