Approbation in Lower Saxony

If you are pursuing the medical Approbation (German licence to practise) in Lower Saxony, your file goes to NiZzA. The Fachsprachprüfung (medical-German exam, FSP) costs €595 at the responsible Ärztekammer and is required before any Berufserlaubnis or Approbation can be issued. Non-EU graduates whose curriculum is judged not equivalent must also pass the Kenntnisprüfung (KP, medical knowledge exam) — in Lower Saxony the fee is €980.

Total processing time from filing to Approbation in Lower Saxony runs about 12–18 months. KP wait: roughly 16–24 (4–6 Monate nach Zulassung) weeks.

Berufserlaubnis (provisional licence): Yes. Fee: €200.

Equivalence assessment: in Lower Saxony the review is carried out by GfG Bonn — approx. 17 months wait. This is the single biggest driver of the time to Defizitbescheid.

FSP fail rate: about 47–53%. KP fail rate: roughly 26–32%.

Starting salary for Assistenzärzte (TV-Ärzte tariff) is around €57k per year. A one-bedroom apartment in Hannover runs €9–€12 per m². Non-EU policy: Strict. State funding: Niedersachsen Landarzt-Stipendium €400/Monat (bis 4 J.).