Case: Obtained verification of a doctor’s diploma (Good Standing) and an apostille for medical practice in Germany

Moving abroad and attempting to continue medical practice in EU countries — particularly in Germany (the procedure for obtaining a Berufserlaubnis or a full Approbation licence) — requires strict documentary confirmation of qualifications. German state authorities (Landesprüfungsamt / Regierung) impose stringent requirements regarding the legal validity of medical education documents issued in Ukraine.

The main pitfall faced by Ukrainian doctors abroad is that numerous commercial “translation agencies” and intermediaries issue extracts or “certificates” that European authorities immediately reject. Any document must originate exclusively from an official Ukrainian public authority (the Ministry of Health) or an accredited university and must have the appropriate consular legalisation or apostille.

The medical law specialists at Prikhodko & Partners share a case involving the correction of mistakes made by others and the successful turnkey official verification of a doctor’s professional status.

Initial situation: career blocked in Germany

Client: a doctor and graduate of a leading medical university in Ukraine who completed her studies shortly before the beginning of the full-scale war.

Location: Federal Republic of Germany.

Goal: to complete diploma verification (Good Standing certificate), confirm completion of internship training and obtain the right to practise medicine in a German clinic.

Client’s problem: while in Germany, she attempted to remotely obtain certificates confirming completion of her internship and a Certificate of Good Standing (a certificate verifying the doctor / confirming good professional standing) through private intermediary services. However, the German authorities formally refused to accept the documents and clearly stated that the papers provided had been prepared by a commercial intermediary and did not constitute official confirmation from the competent authority of the country of origin, namely the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Time had been lost, and the prospect of employment at the clinic was under genuine threat.

Legal challenge: why do European authorities reject medical certificates?

The German legal system requires a direct chain of official legitimacy.

Official issuer only: A Good Standing certificate may be prepared and issued only by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine as the national regulator of the medical profession. No association or private agency can replace the state-issued certificate.

Archived internship certificate: since paper-based document exchange between universities has become more complicated during martial law, obtaining academic certificates with an hourly breakdown and confirmation of the educational programme requires direct procedural communication with the management of the higher education institution.

Apostille stamp (Hague Convention): without an apostille from the relevant ministry, no Ukrainian medical document has legal effect in Germany.

Strategy and step-by-step implementation by Prikhodko & Partners

Our team of medical lawyers and attorneys carried out the procedure for obtaining and verifying the documents within a short timeframe without requiring the client’s personal presence in Ukraine:

Step 1. Obtaining archived data through a lawyer’s request

Ordinary requests submitted by individuals to medical higher education institutions are often reviewed for months or lost in administrative offices. A lawyer from our company prepared and submitted an official request to the medical university from which the client had graduated.

Thanks to a properly prepared request submitted to the appropriate authority, we obtained, within the shortest possible timeframe, a comprehensive academic certificate in the prescribed form confirming the actual completion and successful completion of the internship and the award of the relevant qualification.

Step 2. Preparing the dossier and submitting it to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for Good Standing

The lawyers prepared the doctor’s official application and a set of supporting documents confirming good professional standing and the validity of her educational status:

• a legal audit of the diploma, supplements and specialist certificates was conducted;
• a request was submitted directly to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for issuance of the official Certificate of Good Standing;
• legal tracking of the application within the departments of the Ministry of Health was carried out, as a result of which the certificate was issued on the official letterhead of the state regulator with a unique registration number.

Step 3. Obtaining an international apostille (Apostille)

To ensure that the German authorities would recognise the documents without reservations, we organised the apostille procedure:

• an “Apostille” stamp on the official Certificate issued by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine;
• an “Apostille” stamp on the notarised certificate confirming completion of the internship;
• notarisation and preparation of the documents for subsequent sworn translation in Germany.

Step 4. Secure international express delivery

The completed package of legalised documents was packed and delivered directly to the client in Germany by courier.

Project results

The client successfully submitted the verified package to the German authorities, commenced clinical practice and is preparing to take the state professional examination.

For doctors: legalisation for working abroad and opening your own practice in Ukraine

Prikhodko & Partners provides comprehensive support to the medical community. Our knowledge of all the intricacies of the Ministry of Health regulatory system enables us to resolve matters of any complexity:

for medical professionals abroad: diploma verification through the Ministry of Health, urgent obtaining of a Certificate of Good Standing, recovery of archived internship certificates, and obtaining an apostille.

for doctors in Ukraine: if you are planning to start a private practice, we help register a sole proprietorship on a turnkey basis, select NACE (KVED) codes, audit the premises for compliance with the State Building Standards and obtain a Ministry of Health medical practice licence on the first submission.

Do you urgently need verification of medical documents for the EU, Canada, the USA or another country, or are you planning to license your own medical practice in Ukraine? Contact our medical lawyers today.