Health certificate for restaurant, café & bar jobs in Germany
Gastronomy is the number-one reason people need the German health certificate — and the number-one job market for newcomers, students and working-holiday visitors. If you are about to start as a waiter, cook, barista, kitchen help or dishwasher, you need the Gesundheitszeugnis before your first shift with open food. Online it takes 10 minutes and costs 25 €.
Who in a restaurant needs it
- Kitchen: cooks, kitchen assistants, prep staff, dishwashers and kitchen porters.
- Service: waiters, food runners, buffet and breakfast staff, room service.
- Bar & café: bartenders, baristas, anyone handling ice, garnishes, pastries or sandwiches.
- Delivery kitchens & fast food: everyone who prepares, packs or hands over food.
The rule of thumb: if you touch or serve open food or drinks, you need it — as a full-time employee, a mini-jobber, a student on the side or a one-night event helper. Only staff with zero food contact (reception, cleaning outside kitchen hours) are exempt.
What German employers expect from you
Almost every restaurant will ask you to bring the certificate to your first day — many already to the trial shift. Chains like McDonald’s, Vapiano or L’Osteria and hotel groups check it during onboarding without exception. The certificate is issued in German (that is the format inspectors and HR departments know) — you simply forward the PDF.
How to get it fast
Four steps online: pay 25 €, watch the instruction video in English, answer a few questions, verify your ID — and the PDF is in your inbox. No appointment, no visit to the health office, no German required. It never expires and stays valid for every future job.
Frequently asked questions
I only serve drinks at a bar — do I still need it?
Yes. Bar staff handle ice, garnishes, fruit and bar snacks, all of which count as open food under §43 IfSG. Practically every bar and club in Germany requires the certificate from bartenders.
What about a trial shift (Probearbeiten)?
Strictly speaking you need it as soon as you handle open food — which usually happens on the trial shift. Most restaurants therefore ask for it before the trial day. Online it is ready in 10 minutes, so it is never a blocker.
Do dishwashers and kitchen porters need it?
In practice yes. They clear plates with food residues, prepare clean dishes for the pass and typically help in the kitchen during rush hour. Almost all employers require it for the whole kitchen team.
Does my employer pay?
By law the first certificate is the employee's responsibility. Many restaurants reimburse the 25 € — ask when you sign. Follow-up instructions every two years are organised and paid by the employer.
Is it valid if I change restaurants?
Yes. The first instruction is issued once and never expires — it stays valid for every future employer, in every federal state, whether restaurant, hotel, catering or supermarket.
Starting a restaurant job? Get cleared today.
10 minutes, in English, 25 € once — accepted by every restaurant, hotel and café in Germany.
Start now