Step-by-Step Relocation Guide

The Anabin database is run by the German Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) and is entirely in German, so the exact menu labels to look for are flagged below.

How to check a Pakistani university

1. On the anabin homepage, click “Institutionen” in the top menu, then “Suchen” (or go straight to the institution search — sometimes linked as “Suche nach Institutionen”).
2. In the “Länder” (country) field, select Pakistan.
3. In the search box (“Ihre Suche” / free text field), type the university's name in English — anabin lists them under their English names (e.g. “University of the Punjab”, “COMSATS University Islamabad”). Try a partial name if the full one doesn't match, since spacing and abbreviations vary.
4. Click the university in the results list to open its detail record.
5. Look at the “Status” field. That is the rating that matters:
   • H+ fully recognised; the degree is generally accepted in Germany.
   • H+/- recognised with caveats; some programs at that institution may need individual checking (this often applies to distance-learning or specific campuses).
   • H- not recognised as a proper higher education institution in Germany. A degree from here will very likely not be accepted.
6. If the university shows H+, you should also separately search the “Abschlüsse” (degrees) section for the specific degree/program title, since university-level and degree-level recognition are checked independently.

Most mainstream Pakistani public and HEC-recognised universities (Punjab, NUST, LUMS, COMSATS, QAU, GIKI, FAST, etc.) carry H+ status. A small number carry H- (e.g. Al-Khair University AJK, American International University, Global Institute Lahore, Karachi Institute of Information Technology) or H+/- (e.g. Preston University, Isra University, Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship) — worth double-checking if your university is one of the less common private ones.

Ratings change, and anabin itself is the only authority on them. Treat the examples above as a prompt to look your own institution up, not as a current verdict on any of them.

If the university doesn't appear in anabin at all

Not being listed isn't an automatic rejection — anabin simply doesn't cover every institution worldwide. In that case you need a ZAB Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung), an official document from the same ZAB office comparing the foreign degree to its German equivalent:

1. Start with the ZAB Pre-Check on zab.kmk.org to confirm you're eligible and see the exact document checklist for Pakistan.
2. Gather documents: signed application form, certified copy of the degree/diploma, official transcripts (sent directly from the university in a sealed envelope, or via the university), secondary school certificates, and a passport copy.
3. Create a BundID login and submit everything through the ZAB online portal.
4. Pay the fee — €208 for a new statement (€104 for a replacement) — payable by PayPal, card, or SEPA transfer.
5. Processing normally takes around 3 months from when all documents and payment are received (can be faster for EU Blue Card / skilled-worker visa applicants).
6. Once ready, download the statement from the portal — this becomes the substitute proof of degree recognition wherever anabin's H+ status would otherwise have been used.