Official Expert Answer
Both work, but for most non-EU doctors it is cleaner to start the recognition process from your home country and move once it is underway. Why:
• The §16d (recognition) visa is usually applied for at the German embassy in your home country, and it helps to show that your Approbation process has already started (e.g. an Eingangsbestätigung or Defizitbescheid).
• Submitting documents (apostille, sworn translations, Good Standing) is often easier to organise from home before you move.
• Moving first on a different visa and then switching purpose can be more complicated.
A common clean sequence: gather and submit your documents from home → get proof the process started → apply for the §16d visa → move. Confirm the exact order with the German embassy responsible for you, since details vary by country.
• The §16d (recognition) visa is usually applied for at the German embassy in your home country, and it helps to show that your Approbation process has already started (e.g. an Eingangsbestätigung or Defizitbescheid).
• Submitting documents (apostille, sworn translations, Good Standing) is often easier to organise from home before you move.
• Moving first on a different visa and then switching purpose can be more complicated.
A common clean sequence: gather and submit your documents from home → get proof the process started → apply for the §16d visa → move. Confirm the exact order with the German embassy responsible for you, since details vary by country.