Nostrifying a medical degree in Austria: how long does it take and what does it cost?
Next official sitting
Stichprobentest
Stichprobentest Innsbruck
Exam: 3 February 2027
- MedUni Vienna: submission deadline 14 December 2026 (51 days left). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026
- Medical University of Innsbruck: registration deadline 7 January 2027 (75 days left). Source: Medical University of Innsbruck, read on 21 October 2026
Dates from the official sources, Vienna time. The university's own information always decides.
In short
There is no fixed length. The advice centres' information sheet says it depends on how many exams you are prescribed, and MedUni Vienna gives you up to eight semesters to complete them. Costs come at several points: certified copies and translations, the nostrification fee (Nostrifizierungstaxe) when you apply, the tuition fee each semester as a non-degree student, and later the fee for the Medical Chamber's language exam. The official bodies publish the current amounts; MedPrüf does not repeat them here because they change.
What decides how long it takes
The procedure has several stages: the application with complete documents, an investigation procedure that may include a Stichprobentest, the decision (Bescheid), and then the supplementary exams. The MedUni Vienna Merkblatt says you sit the Stichprobentest, as a rule, at the next possible sitting after you apply, and the advice centres' information sheet says the universities hold their joint sittings three times a year.
How long the whole procedure takes depends on the number of conditions and exams you are prescribed, the advice centres' information sheet says. In Vienna every candidate takes at least two, Rezeptierkunde (prescription writing) and forensic medicine (Gerichtliche Medizin), and MedUni Vienna sets a deadline of up to eight semesters.
An incomplete application costs time. The university sends you a request to complete it (Verbesserungsauftrag), and if you miss its deadline, the application is rejected.
Costs before and when you apply
Your documents need the prescribed legalisation, and documents in other languages need a translation by a court-sworn translator. The advice centres' information sheet tells you to budget for this and singles out translation as a real cost. When you apply you pay the nostrification fee; the MedUni Vienna Merkblatt gives the amount.
Before you apply you also need two things the Merkblatt asks for: the Austrian Medical Chamber's confirmation that you need nostrification, and proof of German at level C1 or higher.
Costs while you take the supplementary exams
You take the supplementary exams as a non-degree student (außerordentliche:r Studierende:r), and the advice centres' information sheet says a tuition fee is due each semester. So every extra semester you need for your exams is another fee.
If you disagree with your Bescheid, the information sheet says you can appeal to the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) within four weeks of receiving it.
Costs after nostrification
To be entered in the list of physicians (Ärzteliste), the Austrian Medical Chamber says you usually take the German language exam at the Academy of Physicians, and the advice centres' information sheet lists an exam fee for it. If you want training you did abroad credited, the information sheet adds a processing fee at the Austrian Medical Chamber, payable if you are not yet entered in the Ärzteliste.
The advice centres for people with qualifications from abroad (Anlaufstellen) also advise on financial support.
Your next step
Pick your official sitting and your study hours a week. The study plan spreads the topics of your question bank over the weeks up to the exam, no account needed.
Build a study plan to your sittingFree sample
Practise with the free sample: 150 curated practice questions per question bank, no card needed. Explanations can be translated into your language (machine translated, with a daily limit for free accounts). They are not official exam questions.
Start the free sampleFrequently asked questions
How long do I have in Vienna to pass the supplementary exams?
Your Bescheid sets the exact deadline. According to the advice centres' information sheet, MedUni Vienna gives up to eight semesters.
Do I pay the nostrification fee for each exam?
No. The MedUni Vienna Merkblatt lists the nostrification fee among the costs due when you apply, not as a fee per exam. It also gives the current amount.
Which translations does MedUni Vienna accept?
According to the advice centres' information sheet, only translations made in Austria by a court-sworn translator, firmly bound to the original document or a certified copy.
Do documents in English need translating for MedUni Vienna?
No. The MedUni Vienna Merkblatt asks for a translation only for documents that are not in German or English, which saves that cost for English documents. In Graz or Innsbruck, check that university's rules.
Where can I get advice on costs and financial support?
At the advice centres for people with qualifications from abroad. They advise on nostrification and on financial support.
Stichprobentest: when is the next official sitting?
Stichprobentest Innsbruck: 3 February 2027. MedUni Vienna: submission deadline 14 December 2026 (51 days left). Medical University of Innsbruck: registration deadline 7 January 2027 (75 days left). Source: MedUni Vienna, read on 21 October 2026. Source: Medical University of Innsbruck, read on 21 October 2026.
Read more
Guides to nostrification in Austria
- Nostrification in Austria: how do you get a foreign medical degree recognised in Vienna?
- Stichprobentest in Innsbruck, Vienna or Graz: what is tested and how do you prepare?
- Nostrification exam dates in Austria: when are the SIP, Stichprobentest, Rezeptierkunde and Gerichtsmedizin?
- Rezeptierkunde and forensic medicine: why are they part of every positive nostrification decision?
- Pharmacology for the Rezeptierkunde exam in Vienna: what is tested and how do you prepare?
- German for doctors in Austria: when do you need C1, and when the Medical Chamber's language exam?
- SIP 4a and SIP 5a in Vienna: which exam parts do nostrification candidates take?
- Nostrification in Innsbruck: which exams come after the Stichprobentest?
- After nostrification: how do you get into the Ärzteliste and the right to practise in Austria?
- Specialist or general practice training in Austria: does your training from abroad count?
- Stichprobentest and SIP while working: how do you plan your preparation?
More short answers
- Where are the exam announcement and the exam calendar published?
- What does exam registration for the SIP, Rezeptierkunde, Gerichtsmedizin and the Stichprobentest need?
- What does “eliminiert” mean in the SIP result and feedback?
- When is it known whether the SIP is held as MC or KAF?
- Stichprobentest: what do the MedUni Vienna and Innsbruck deadlines say?
- SIP, Stichprobentest, Kenntnisprüfung: what is the difference?
- What does the MedPrüf free sample include?
Sources
- Anlaufstelle für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen, Infoblatt Nostrifizierung Humanmedizin, read on 19 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Nostrifizierung: Ermittlungsverfahren, read on 19 October 2026
- MedUni Wien, Merkblatt Nostrifizierung Humanmedizin, read on 19 October 2026
- Österreichische Ärztekammer, Informationen zur Aufnahme der ärztlichen Tätigkeit in Österreich, read on 19 October 2026
Content checked on 19 October 2026