Equivalency of the Pharmacy degree

Recognition of a Pharmacy Degree in Austria

Anyone wishing to work as a pharmacist in Austria needs formal recognition of their foreign pharmacy degree. As with medicine, the pathway depends on whether the diploma was obtained in the EU/EEA/Switzerland or in a third country.

1. Diploma from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland

Recognition under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC), processed by the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists (Österreichische Apothekerkammer).
The Chamber’s application form can be used both for recognition of a foreign training certificate and for the grant of general professional authorisation.
Sufficient German language skills for professional practice are required.

2. Diploma from a third country (outside EU/EEA/Switzerland)

A pharmacy diploma obtained outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland must be nostrified at a university offering a Pharmacy programme (Vienna, Graz, or Innsbruck). The process, in brief:

Apply at a university offering the Pharmacy programme. The 75% rule applies: the foreign programme must cover at least 75% of the content of the Austrian curriculum for nostrification to be possible at all.
Submit all documents in original or certified copy, with certified German translations.
Upon successful nostrification, the foreign degree is equated with the Austrian one, granting the academic title “Magister/Magistra pharmaciae”.
Afterwards – as in the domestic training path – the examination for the pharmacist profession (Prüfung für den Apothekerberuf) must be passed; only then is the State Pharmacist Diploma (meeting the minimum requirements of Directive 2005/36/EC) issued.

Note: fees, deadlines, and exact requirements change periodically – please always check with the official bodies linked below.

Official Contacts & Sources

For personal guidance on your individual case, the Arab Medical Association in Austria is happy to help.