Anabin or ZAB for work and an EU Blue Card in Germany
To establish a foreign degree for work in Germany, first check two Anabin entries: the university and the degree itself. A university’s positive H+ status is not enough. You also need the relevant qualification assessment. If the necessary information is missing or does not establish comparability, the next step is an individual ZAB Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung). For regulated professions, professional recognition and permission to practise are checked separately.
Below, we explain how to find your qualification, when printouts are enough, how to apply to ZAB and what timeframes to allow. The rules and official sources were checked on 8 October 2026.
- What Anabin and ZAB actually establish
- Checking your degree through Anabin
- When Anabin is enough and when you need ZAB
- What changes for the EU Blue Card and IT applicants without a degree?
- What to check before handing over documents
- FAQ
- Help with checking documents
What Anabin and ZAB actually establish
Anabin is an information database on foreign educational institutions and qualifications. It is used to check a university’s status and the comparability of a qualification. A Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung) is an individual document issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education, known as ZAB, following a case-by-case assessment.
The ZAB assessment records the university, programme, duration and completion date of the studies, together with the corresponding German qualification level, such as Bachelor or Master. This helps employers and authorities understand the qualification. The document alone does not entitle you to a visa, university admission or work in a regulated profession. What a Statement of Comparability contains – ZAB.
In practice, there are three different assessments. The employer assesses your suitability for the position. The immigration authority checks the conditions of the chosen residence permit. For a regulated profession, the professional authority decides on licensing. Evidence of education fulfils its own part of the requirements, so begin by asking who needs the document and for what purpose.
First identify your profession and immigration route
For a non-regulated profession, such as IT or business management, you can approach employers without separate professional recognition. However, an immigration route based on higher education may require proof of degree comparability. Employment requirements and entry requirements must be considered separately. ZAB guidance on types of professions.
If you are a doctor, teacher or work in another regulated profession, start with the Anerkennungs-Finder. Search for your profession and intended place of work, then identify the competent authority and procedure. For example, a positive academic assessment of a medical degree does not replace an Approbation. Do not pay for a ZAB assessment merely because a document list uses the general term ‘recognition’.
For a degree-based EU Blue Card and employment as a skilled worker with an academic qualification under section 18b, recognition or comparability of the qualification normally needs to be demonstrated. If you have not yet chosen a route, first explore options for moving to Germany for work. This helps avoid ordering a document that does not meet your needs.
Checking your degree through Anabin
Checking your university in Anabin
Open Institutionen, then Suchen nach Institutionen. Select the university’s country and enter its name or part of it. Find Status in the institution’s entry and read the comments. For Russian names, also try Latin transliteration: the database spelling may differ from the university’s usual English name. Official instructions for finding a university.
Compare more than just a similar name: check the city, former names, branch campus and details of the institution that issued the degree. If the university was renamed or reorganised, do not select the first similar entry. Prepare the details from your certificate to establish the link between the old and new names.
- H+ indicates that the institution has positive university status. Next, check the degree itself.
- H+/- means you must carefully check additional conditions. In particular, Make it in Germany states that the relevant degree must be listed for that university.
- An H- entry cannot be used as positive evidence that the university is recognised. The reason and any possible next steps need separate assessment.
Save the full entry rather than a cropped screenshot showing only H+. The comments may matter more than the short status. The requirement to check both the university and the qualification is explained in the Make it in Germany’s Anabin guide.
Finding your degree and understanding the assessment
In the Hochschulabschlüsse section, select Suchen nach Abschlüssen and the country where you studied. Search for the qualification as named on your degree certificate, using part of a word or transliteration if needed. Open the matching entry and its Bewertung section. The job title from your employment contract is usually not suitable for this search: you are checking your education, not a vacancy.
Positive assessment terms for comparability with German higher education are entspricht or gleichwertig. Check exactly which German level the entry refers to. For example, entspricht Fachschule refers to a different educational level and does not confirm comparability with a university degree. Checking academic qualifications – Make it in Germany.
Compare the title, subject, level and applicable notes with your documents. A general entry for a degree type can provide initial guidance. However, Anabin expressly warns that an assessment of an Abschlusstyp generally does not replace assessment of the specific qualification. Anabin instructions for checking a qualification.
The practical result should be a clear pair of entries: the institution and the matching degree. Save both complete printouts or PDFs so the recipient can read all the details. If establishing a match requires a long chain of assumptions, identify the specific uncertainty before submitting your documents.
Finding an entry called ‘Bachelor’, for example, does not establish whether it covers your subject and study conditions. Start with the exact wording on your degree certificate and supplement. Do not independently relabel your qualification as a more familiar German level or choose an entry simply because its name looks convincing.
When Anabin is enough and when you need ZAB
If the university has H+ status and the relevant degree assessment confirms comparability with German higher education, the two printouts may serve as evidence for a visa application. Check them against the current document list of your German mission or authority. There is usually no need to obtain a personal ZAB assessment ‘just in case’ if the evidence is already complete and the recipient does not require another document.
If the university is listed but the required degree entry is missing, proceed to an individual ZAB assessment. The same applies if the university is missing or there is insufficient information to establish comparability. Anabin is not exhaustive: a missing entry does not in itself mean your education has been refused recognition. When an individual assessment is required.
If H+/- comes with conditions, check them and the link between the specific degree and the university. If the result is unclear, prepare a question for ZAB. Where there is a negative assessment or information about an unrecognised programme, no one can promise that a paid procedure will resolve the issue: an individual assessment may also end without a document being issued.
For a regulated profession, return to the competent professional recognition authority. If you are considering the IT route without a degree, first check the experience requirements. The decision sequence is: purpose of the document, profession, immigration basis, Anabin entries, and only then whether a ZAB application is needed.
Applying for a Statement of Comparability
Start with the Vorab-Check ZAB. It helps establish whether an assessment is possible in principle and provides a document list for your circumstances. Do not treat someone else’s checklist from a chat as definitive: requirements depend on the country and your educational history.
Next, create or use your BundID to sign in to the ZAB portal. Prepare legible PDFs, complete the application, upload the documents and select the appropriate purpose of assessment. Before submitting, check names, study dates and institution names against the originals. ZAB application procedure.
To prepare, gather your degree certificate and supplement, identity document, information about previous education and any documents recording a name change. This is an initial guide; the Pre-Check and application determine the required set. Check every page and reverse side of multi-page documents. Give files clear names so that the degree, supplement and translation cannot be confused.
After submission, a fee notice (Gebührenbescheid) with payment details will appear. Track the status and requests through your account. If ZAB requests another document, respond within the existing application and check that you attach the correct file. Submitting the form does not itself start the processing period: complete documents and receipt of the full fee are what matter.
Translations and apostilles
ZAB usually accepts ordinary scans without certification or an apostille, but the Pre-Check determines any exceptions. Check its list and the online application to see whether translations are needed. A translation does not replace the document in its original language. Document requirements – ZAB FAQ.
The practical sequence is to obtain your own requirements first, then order any missing services. Do not automatically pay for apostilles on every document. Check ZAB, consular and professional recognition requirements separately: documents may be used in different procedures, so one checklist should not be applied to all of them.
ZAB fees and processing times
As of 8 October 2026, a Statement of Comparability costs EUR 208. This is ZAB’s fee; translation or document preparation may cost extra. Payment methods offered by ZAB include PayPal, card and SEPA bank transfer. The usual payment deadline stated in the fee notice is three weeks. If an application is cancelled, ZAB may retain up to half the fee depending on the processing stage. Current fees and payment.
For a standard application, ZAB states three months. The period begins once the complete documents and full fee have been received. Requests for missing documents and high workloads can increase the wait. Discuss a start date with your employer that allows some flexibility rather than counting three months from account registration. Processing procedure.
In the fast-track procedure for skilled workers under section 81a, the assessment period is two months. This procedure involves the immigration authority; the employer contacts it to initiate the process. Simply marking an application ‘urgent’ does not put it into this procedure. Statement of Comparability in the fast-track procedure.
For the EU Blue Card, ZAB sets a target processing time of two weeks. State the purpose in the application and submit a complete set of documents and an employment contract signed by both parties. If there is no contract yet, ZAB also accepts a job confirmation signed by the employer. The fee must have been paid in full. This timeframe concerns the degree assessment, not the entire visa process. Conditions for shorter processing for an EU Blue Card.
What changes for the EU Blue Card and IT applicants without a degree?
The current legal basis for the EU Blue Card is section 18g of the Residence Act. The standard academic route assesses education, whether the job matches the qualification, the duration of the offer and salary. In 2026, the general threshold is EUR 50,700 gross per year; EUR 45,934.20 applies under the special conditions specified by law. A positive degree assessment does not replace the other requirements. Official EU Blue Card requirements.
Certain IT specialists and managers can qualify for an EU Blue Card without a formal degree. Requirements include at least three years of relevant experience within the past seven years, knowledge at higher-education level needed for the job, and the remaining conditions. The occupational groups in section 18g(2) apply, so not every type of ‘computer work’ automatically qualifies. Text of section 18g of the Residence Act.
If your potential route is experience-based, gather evidence of employment periods and duties. Do not order an assessment of a degree you do not have. The requirements and differences between routes are explained in the article EU Blue Card in Germany for IT professionals.
What to check before handing over documents
Carry out a brief final check:
- The university and degree entries you found genuinely apply to your education.
- You have read the notes, restrictions and the specified German qualification level.
- Complete Anabin printouts have been saved or an individual ZAB assessment has been obtained.
- Names and dates match the documents; any differences can be explained with evidence.
- Professional licensing has been checked separately where required.
- The employer understands which documents are ready, which are pending and what depends on the authority.
When you receive the Statement of Comparability, check its contents and save the original PDF. It contains an electronic signature and a digital seal for verifying authenticity. Share it only with those who need it: the seal allows the data it contains to be viewed. Verifying a digital Statement of Comparability – ZAB.
Treat evidence of your degree as a separate stage in your overall plan. Make a ‘document – recipient – readiness’ list: for example, printouts for the visa application, an assessment for the employer and a licensing decision for a regulated profession. This makes it clear what is complete and what is still needed. If an employer asks for ‘Anerkennung’, clarify the exact document required: the term is sometimes used very broadly in correspondence.
The subsequent steps are covered in the article moving to Germany through employment. For finding vacancies and preparing applications, see our guide on working in Germany as a Russian-speaking professional.
FAQ
No. H+ refers to the university. The academic route also requires a positive assessment of the relevant degree or an appropriate individual Statement of Comparability. Keep evidence of both parts of the check.
That conclusion is premature. The database is incomplete. Check alternative names and the awarding institution, then explore an individual ZAB assessment. A missing entry and a negative assessment are different situations.
Check that you are searching for the correct qualification name. If the required degree information is genuinely missing, a Statement of Comparability is usually needed. Do not substitute a similar degree at a different level for your own qualification.
For a non-regulated profession, you can usually approach employers in advance. Employers may request additional evidence. Readiness to apply for a visa and permission to start work must be checked separately.
Usually not: ZAB accepts ordinary scans. Follow your personal Pre-Check list, however, and check other authorities’ requirements separately.
This is ZAB’s target timeframe when its conditions are met. Complete documents, appropriate evidence of employment and receipt of the fee are required; delays remain possible. It does not include the time needed to obtain the visa itself.
No. Working as a doctor requires the relevant professional licence. Check the procedure with the competent authority in the chosen federal state, even if you already have an academic assessment.
For an EU Blue Card, the job must match your qualification. Section 18b has different requirements for the link between the job and your education: employment in another skilled occupation may be possible. The route needs to be assessed against the specific offer. Work visa for skilled professionals.
ZAB states that a Statement of Comparability is generally valid indefinitely. Do not confuse its validity with the duration of a visa or residence permit. If the assessment contains an error, contact ZAB through your account.
Help with checking documents
If you have found your university but are unsure about the degree entry, or are preparing a ZAB application, contact Relocation DE for a consultation. We can help check your documents and prepare your application for the chosen route. For an initial discussion, it helps to know the country, university, graduation year, qualification and intended position.
Relocation DE is a private consulting company. ZAB issues the qualification assessment, while the competent authorities decide on visas, residence permits and professional licensing. This article provides general information and does not replace an individual legal assessment.
