Apply for a non-medical practitioner licence
Anyone wishing to practise medicine without being licensed as a doctor requires a licence in accordance with the Heilpraktikergesetz.
The practice of medicine is any professional and commercial activity to diagnose, cure or alleviate illness, suffering or physical injury in humans, even if it is carried out in the service of others.
It is possible to apply for a general Heilpraktiker licence or a Heilpraktiker licence that is restricted to the fields of psychotherapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, speech therapy or occupational therapy.
Responsible authority
The health authority responsible for your administrative district/city district
Details
Prerequisite
- Knowledge check
- Minimum age 25 years
- at least secondary school leaving certificate
- no serious criminal or moral offences
- health suitability
Procedure
- Apply to the competent authority for a non-medical practitioner licence.
- They will examine your application and issue the licence.
- A prerequisite for the granting of the licence is that you pass the written and oral knowledge tests.
- The application should only be submitted when it is certain that you will pass the next written knowledge test.
Deadlines
usually four to eight months before the examination date.
Depending on the health authority, applications can only be submitted at certain times. Please contact the responsible office for more information.
Required documents
- curriculum vitae in tabular form
- Identity card or passport
- School leaving certificate (at least secondary school leaving certificate or equivalent qualification)
- medical certificate of aptitude, confirming physical and mental aptitude for the proper exercise of the activity of a non-medical practitioner, which is not older than three months at the time of submission of the application
- official confirmation that a police clearance certificate of document type O ("for submission to an authority" in accordance with Section 30 (5) BZRG) has been applied for; this must not be older than three months at the time of application
- Declaration of previous unsuccessful attempts at verification (date and place), if the applicant has made one or more unsuccessful attempts since 21 March 2025
If you are applying for a non-medical practitioner licence limited to the field of psychotherapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, speech therapy or occupational therapy, additional documents are required:
- Certificate of completion of training in one of the above-mentioned healthcare professions
- Proof of training and further education
Persons who have successfully completed a degree in psychology and have completed an additional, structured, curricular training or further training course of at least two years in a scientifically recognised method of psychotherapy and meet the other requirements according to the administrative regulation (LINK) may be exempted from the knowledge check in whole or in part on a case-by-case basis.
You will receive a confirmation of receipt of your documents. However, this is not yet a confirmation of completeness.
Costs
the costs can be obtained from the health authority
Miscellaneous
Knowledge check
Anyone who intends to set up as a non-medical practitioner in the respective administrative district and can provide proof of this can also apply for a non-medical practitioner licence within the aforementioned application period.
If you apply for a general non-medical practitioner licence, the knowledge test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions, 75% (45 questions) of which must be answered correctly within 120 minutes.
If you are applying for a sectoral Heilpraktiker licence limited to the field of psychotherapy, the knowledge test consists of 28 multiple-choice questions, of which 75% (21 questions) must be answered correctly within 60 minutes.
Passing the written examination is a prerequisite for admission to the oral-practical examination. The oral-practical knowledge examinations begin approximately five to six weeks after the written examination. The oral examination usually lasts no longer than 45 minutes.
The written and oral-practical parts of the knowledge test form a single unit. If you fail the oral-practical examination, you must therefore also take the written examination again.
If you apply for a non-medical practitioner licence limited to the field of physiotherapy, podiatry, speech therapy or occupational therapy , only an oral-practical knowledge test will be carried out.
Residence
In order to obtain the Heilpraktiker licence, it must be proven that the main place of residence is in the relevant district. It is also possible to submit suitable proof that the profession of alternative practitioner will be practised in the relevant district after passing the examination (signed tenancy agreement for practice premises, confirmation from a practice owner that the applicant has been accepted after passing the examination or similar)
Postponement of the knowledge check
The knowledge test must always be taken in the same examination cycle. In justified exceptional cases, the oral-practical knowledge examination can be rescheduled within one year. In the event of interruptions of more than one year, the entire knowledge test must be repeated.
Legal basis
Heilpraktikergesetz (HeilprG):
- § 1 Allgemein
Durchführungsverordnung zum Heilpraktigergesetz (HeilprGDV):
- § 2 Versagungsgründe/Voraussetzungen
Leitlinien zur Überprüfung von Heilpraktikeranwärterinnen und -anwärtern nach § 2 des Heilpraktikergesetzes in Verbindung mit § 2 Absatz 1 Buchstabe i der Ersten Durchführungsverordnung zum Heilpraktikergesetz
Verwaltungsvorschrift des Sozialministeriums zur Durchführung des Heilpraktikergesetz (Heilpraktiker-Verwaltungsvorschrift-HP-VwV)
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 18.08.2025