Pharmacist's Three-Year License Battle Exposes Flaws in Germany's Recognition System
Fatma Balla, a professional pharmacist in Germany since 2021, found herself in an unexpected legal dispute after a three-year wait for her professional license. Instead of receiving her certification in early 2025, she was summoned by police and warned of a potential professional ban over fraud allegations. The case stemmed from a missing issue date on an interim certificate she submitted during the license recognition process. Balla, who arrived in Germany in 2021 and had been navigating the professional recognition process, passed her language exam in November 2023 and continued working under a licensed pharmacist's supervision. As part of her application, she provided an interim certificate from her employer, but the document lacked an issue date, raising concerns. The Hessian State Office for Health and Care (HLfGP) suspected she had been practicing without proper authorization and filed a criminal complaint for suspected fraud. The HLfGP stressed that any suspicion of unauthorized pharmacy work must be examined under criminal law. Balla, however, found the agency's approach unfair and argued that better communication and transparency could have avoided the 15-month delay in her licensing. In January, prosecutors dropped the case against her. The HLfGP then confirmed her license would be issued shortly. Despite the resolution, Balla called for greater sensitivity and respect in handling foreign professionals in the future. While such cases are rare, authorities typically address missing documents administratively rather than through criminal proceedings. No official statistics exist on how many EU citizens in similar situations have faced legal action in recent years. The criminal proceedings against Balla have ended, and her license is now set to be finalized. The case highlights the challenges foreign professionals can face when navigating Germany's license recognition process. Her experience has prompted calls for clearer communication and fairer treatment in future cases.
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