Documents you need and what must be translated
German authorities want your degree certificate, complete transcripts, a detailed syllabus with hours per subject, your council registration, internship and experience letters, and your passport — as apostilled originals or certified copies with sworn (beeidigt) German translations. Ordinary translations are rejected. The syllabus is the document that decides your outcome, because it is what the authority compares against the German curriculum.
The checklist
- Passport data page
- BPT/BOT degree certificate (and MPT/MOT if held)
- Year-wise mark sheets / transcripts
- Detailed syllabus with subject-wise theory and practical hours
- Internship completion certificate
- State council registration certificate
- Experience letters on employer letterhead with dates and duties
- German language certificate
- German CV (tabellarischer Lebenslauf) and, where requested, a declaration of no parallel application
Apostille, in order
- Authenticate at state level — Get educational documents authenticated by the relevant state HRD or equivalent body.
- MEA apostille — Submit the authenticated documents for apostille by the Ministry of External Affairs (directly or through an authorised agent).
- Sworn translation — Have a sworn translator produce the German translation, including the apostille stamp itself.
- Scan and file — Keep high-quality scans; most authorities accept a digital submission followed by certified copies.
Translate the apostille too. A translation that omits the apostille page is a common reason files come back.
Getting the syllabus right
Ask your university for the official curriculum for your admission year, with hours per subject and clinical placement hours, on letterhead and signed. A generic course list without hours cannot be compared, and the authority will simply ask again — costing you months.
MedUniverse guides Indian physiotherapists and occupational therapists through this end to end — German language training up to B2, document translation and apostille, the recognition file, employer interviews and relocation. Book a free consultation or see current openings.