23 source-led programme profiles. Licensing, visa and hands-on eligibility vary by institution and candidate; always confirm with the programme and regulator.
Germany coverage
Germany coverage includes plastic and reconstructive training, hand surgery, aesthetic and facial-plastic pathways, and research funding routes. A visiting fellowship does not itself grant a German medical licence. Current vacancy, language, hands-on scope and appointment funding require programme confirmation.
Browse by destination
Training locations in Germany
Listed destinations reflect documented opportunities, not every hospital with a plastic surgery department.
Evidence filters describe the available information. Published criteria do not guarantee eligibility, funding or a vacancy; missing information does not mean you are ineligible.
ISAPS lists Institut UNIQ at Schloss Bensberg near Cologne as a fellowship host, co-founded by Dr Dirk Richter and Dr Maria Wiedner. Dr Richter is known for facial surgery, especially periorbital rejuvenation, and also works in body contouring. Fellows can expect to observe periorbital surgery, facelift and midface lift, body contouring, breast surgery and abdominoplasty.
ISAPS fellowship hostDr. Dirk Richter
Aesthetic surgeryFacial plastic surgeryBreast surgery
University Hospital Würzburg is listed as an IBRA Upper Limbs training centre within the Department of Trauma, Hand, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (Surgery II). The IBRA page lists two options, a short-time resident visit and a resident and scientific fellowship, and names Univ. Prof. Dr. Rainer Meffert as Fellowship Director.
Host-centre clinical leadershipRainer H. Meffert, MD
Hand
Pathway
Short-term training
Duration
IBRA scholarship formats: Program B clinical residential visit 1–4 weeks; Program C scientific residential stay 4–12 weeks. The host's own term is not stated on the IBRA centre page.
Sankt Vincentius Krankenhaus Speyer offers observerships (Hospitation) for medical students and licensed physicians, and lists its Department of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery among the departments. Visitors can join patient conversations, learn diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and attend ward rounds and case conferences.
Head of hosting Reconstructive, Plastic and Hand Surgery departmentCarnac Yazdandust
IBRA lists the Ravensburg hand centre, part of the 540-bed St. Elisabeth Hospital with a 24-hour emergency service, for short resident visits and resident/scientific fellowships. Training covers acute hand and wrist trauma with microsurgery, nerve injuries, fractures, posttraumatic reconstruction, congenital and rheumatoid deformities and tumour surgery, with osteosynthesis of the hand and wrist as the main focus.
A three-month self-funded fellowship/observership in the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery at Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, covering chronic hand and wrist pathologies and their treatment. The unit has 2 heads of department, 3 consultants, 5 residents and 26 beds; English or German is required.
Named training-centre contact (FESSH host-submitted listing)Lucian Jiga
Annual DGPRÄC travel scholarship that lets qualified Associate Members visit an international plastic surgery centre to broaden their surgical experience. Awardees are honoured at the DGPRÄC annual congress and must write an article for the journal 'Plastische Chirurgie'.
Aesthetic surgeryHandBurn surgery
Pathway
Travelling fellowship
Duration
Duration not published; confirm with the programme
UKE's hospital-wide 'hands off' observership lets physicians from non-EU countries observe in a chosen department, which can include the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Applications are routed by HR to the requested department for approval.
Chief physician of hosting Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery departmentM. Blessmann
Breast surgeryAesthetic surgery
Pathway
Observership
Duration
Duration not published; applicants state their desired period
The EAFPS runs an observership scheme in which active members spend one to three months observing at accredited European facial plastic surgery centres. The Academy publishes a list of observership centres (24 named surgeons in several countries, including Germany, Croatia, Italy and Türkiye) but contact details are held in the members area. Host specialties include plastic surgery and ENT, with the focus on facial plastic surgery.
Accredited EAFPS observership centre hostAdrian Agius
München Klinik Bogenhausen is named in the EURAPS Institutions directory as a host department for the EURAPS Residents Scholarship, a funded one- or three-month study visit for European plastic surgery trainees. The directory gives no programme content of its own, so this is a society-listing entry rather than a published fellowship curriculum.
Complex reconstruction
Pathway
Travelling fellowship
Duration
One or three months (EURAPS Residents Scholarship)
An AO CMF fellowship host centre in the LMU Munich oral and maxillofacial and facial plastic surgery department (OMFS host specialty), listed with 24 beds and about 2,600 surgical cases a year. The AO host listing is the only page reviewed.
CraniofacialFacial plastic surgery
Pathway
Short-term training
Duration
Placement length is not stated on the host-centre sheet
The Klinik für Plastische Gesichtschirurgie is part of the Zentrum Plastische Chirurgie at Marienhospital Stuttgart and treats exclusively plastic-reconstructive and aesthetic problems of the face. Its page offers Hospitationen, Famulaturen and Praktika for foreign doctors seeking recognition; applications go through the hospital's online job portal, not by email or post.
Host department leadership (as listed)Sebastian Haack
Facial plastic surgeryRhinoplasty
Pathway
Observership
Duration
Hospital notice: a four-month internship is offered to foreign doctors preparing for the Fachkenntnisprüfung; no duration is stated for observation (Hospitation) placements.
The Markgröningen hand and plastic surgery centre is registered with FESSH as offering observer attachments and fellowships, with a listed special interest in wrist arthroscopy. The centre's own page highlights wrist arthroscopy, Dupuytren's disease and congenital hand surgery.
Medical DirectorMax Haerle, MD
Hand
Pathway
Observership
Duration
Duration not published; confirm with the programme
A short observership at a private aesthetic surgery clinic in Kassel, offered through the ISAPS Expert Programme. The visit covers surgical and non-surgical aesthetic work, including deep plane facelifts, eyelid surgery, breast surgery and body forming.
ISAPS Expert Programme hostErnst-Magnus Noah
Aesthetic surgeryBreast surgeryFacial plastic surgery
A cranio-maxillofacial surgery department (oral and maxillofacial host specialty) that offers fellowships to international surgeons, including through the AOCMF Fellowship Programme. Training covers facial trauma, head and neck oncology, orthognathic and craniofacial surgery, skull base navigation and TMJ surgery.
Surgeon in charge of AO CMF fellowsMichael Neuhaus
CraniofacialHead & neck reconstruction
Pathway
Clinical fellowship
Duration
Not stated on the MHH page; the AOCMF Fellowship Programme route lasts 6 to 8 weeks
An IBRA-listed training centre in cranio-maxillofacial surgery (oral and maxillofacial host specialty) offering a short resident visit or a resident and scientific fellowship. Clinical areas include craniofacial malformations, orthognathic and reconstructive microsurgery, and clinical evaluation of cleft lip and palate. The listing is an IBRA profile, not a departmental page.
Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Fellowship DirectorJohannes Kleinheinz
CraniofacialCleftComplex reconstruction
Pathway
Hybrid clinical and research
Duration
Short and long-term visits are possible; the page gives no fixed length
A year-long facial-plastic fellowship with consultations, perioperative care and research. Shorter observerships may also be considered through the same contact.
Runs the 12-month Regensburg Fellowship in Facial Plastic Surgery (practice-site description)Prof. Dr. med. Holger Gassner
The hand, plastic and aesthetic surgery department in Nürtingen is registered (2025) as a FESSH training centre offering observer attachments, research and self-funded fellowships. Listed interests include trauma, microsurgery, Dupuytren's disease, wrist instability, arthroscopy and joint replacement.
Named programme or training-centre contactValeriu Buga
HandMicrosurgery
Pathway
Observership
Duration
Duration not published; confirm with the programme
Magdeburg's medical faculty allows international graduates to complete observerships of up to one month, arranged directly with individual clinics such as the University Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery. Research periods are also possible depending on the department.
Host department leadership (as listed)Manfred Infanger
The TUM Section of Hand Surgery is registered with FESSH as a training centre offering research and self-funded fellowship places in trauma, microsurgery and wrist instability. The FESSH entry dates from 2020 and the section's leadership has since changed, so availability should be confirmed.
Host department leadership (as listed)Haydar Kükrek
HandMicrosurgery
Pathway
Hybrid clinical and research
Duration
Duration not published; confirm with the programme
The Regensburg plastic, hand and reconstructive surgery department is listed by FESSH as offering observer attachments and self-funded fellowships, with a focus on hand trauma and additional interest in peripheral nerve and brachial plexus surgery. The listing is older (2012) but the department and its chief are unchanged.
Named in official programme listingMarcus Spies
HandPeripheral nerve
Pathway
Observership
Duration
Duration not published; confirm with the programme
How many plastic surgery fellowships are listed in Germany?
PlasticFellow currently lists 23 source-backed programme profiles in Germany at 23 institutions in 20 locations. This is a verified-source list, not a census of every hospital offering training.
What types of plastic surgery training are available in Germany?
Listed formats: clinical fellowship (6), hybrid clinical and research (2), observership (10), short-term training (3), travelling fellowship (2). The most represented focus areas are hand, facial plastic surgery, aesthetic surgery, rhinoplasty, breast surgery. Observerships and short courses do not grant hands-on operating rights.
Can international surgeons apply for fellowships in Germany?
Eligibility differs by host. Medical registration, language, visa and supervision rules in Germany decide whether a visiting surgeon can operate. Each profile states what the official source publishes; confirm current intake and eligibility directly with the programme before applying.
Deadline passed
ISAPS fellowship hostDr. Dirk Richter
