Decorative, but not part of the name!

After completing my doctorate in the Netherlands in 1999, in accordance with German habits and with a view to a new professional future in science, I had the two letters "Dr." entered in my identity card, passport and driver's license – they were about to expire anyway.

As usual, the certificate was issued in Latin - today, English is the language of science and internationally, such certificates are now issued in English, as has been the case for twenty years with the Diploma Supplement, which is attached to all Bachelor's and Master's certificates in the EU – in other words also in Germany: only in English.

By the way, for the residents' registration office in my German hometown of Münster, the Latin certificate was no problem back then – they already knew it.

Today, on the other hand, some German states even require certified German translations for the registration of the name affix if the document is not written in the local language. The official language is just and only German.

It is really only an addition!

If one looks at my documents identity card, passport and driver's license together, one sees rather a German confusion instead of order: The Dr. stands in the driver's license behind the name (without point), but in the identity card and in the passport before the name (with point).

This alone shows already that the "Dr." cannot be a part of the name, but only an addition, because otherwise there would be no different spellings here!

Logical, isn't it?

In fact, both the German Federal Supreme Court in 1962 and before that the Federal Administrative Court in 1957 ruled that the doctoral degree is an academic designation, but not a name component.

Basta.

And it is only since 1986, in other words many years later on, that one can have the two letters entered in one's identity card in Germany under the Passport Act. Nowhere else in the world is this possible.

Some one could / was allowed / had to regard the Dr. in other words nevertheless again as name component, as it was usual before the two fundamental court decisions of 1957 and 1962.

And one more addition, too...?

Yes. The extraordinary in this country continues:

If someone brings a PhD from a non-EU or other non-privileged country (so now also from the UK, since the Brexit...!), the German legislator forcibly requires something on top: an indication of origin, which must be attached as an abbreviation.

As droll (or trollish) as one may find this: it is so.

And so these two things exist exclusively in Germany:

• a) the possibility to have the "Dr." (or even the "PhD") added to the ID card (although it is not a name component), and
• b) the necessity to add the designation of origin in brackets, if for example one has acquired one's PhD in Cambridge or London and not in Cologne or Utrecht or Madrid and if one now wants to indicate this in the ID card or even only on the business card, the website, in the letterhead and in the mail footer.

Attention - the compulsory proof of origin also applies to the "leadership" of bachelor and master degrees as well as prof. titles, as soon as they originate from all the many and exciting countries outside the own German and EU/EEA world!

Also that, you guessed it already, exists only with us in Germany.

The unavoidable as an individual speciality

It is definitely worthwhile to look beyond one's own nose in order to see things in a completely different way than just from the typical German perspective.

Perhaps this will result in new, different ways of looking at things:

1. It might be more advantageous to take one's degree – be it a bachelor's, master's or doctorate – not in one's preferred foreign country, but in a completely different one, because it does not have to be worse for that, but can even be of better quality, provided that the courses offered there are accredited according to comparable standards.
2. It might be more advantageous to aim for a "PhD" instead of a German "Dr.", because PhD is often more highly regarded internationally (which you wear after your name, not before it).
3. It might be more advantageous to consciously "carry" degrees from different countries with their different additions of origin, thus demonstrating one's internationality.
4. And perhaps it would be more advantageous to live without that misleading entry in the ID card - then some debates when entering some countries would also be unnecessary.

For example, a deliberately international portfolio could be created this way:

B.A. in Integrated Studies (FCGU), MBA (MUL), PhD (GHU).

Instead of using university name abbreviations, you can also use country abbreviations:

B.A. in Integrated Studies (USA), MBA (UK), PhD (AI).

No need to worry in other words! If you live in Germany, you can look forward to many a nice addition to your international scientific CV that you won't find in any crossword puzzle...

But before you get cocky now and come up with creative ideas that could harm you: It is expressly not allowed to add an origin suffix to domestic degrees!

In other words, B.A. (RFH), M.Sc. (FOM) and Dr. (UzK) are not possible. Also the constructs B.A. (D), M.Sc. (D) and Dr. (D) are not possible.

If you have already obtained degrees in a preferred foreign country (EU, EEA, etc.), you can omit the suffixes of origin. Can means but not must... 😉 Below you can see it – for fun – below at my doctorate degree obtained in the Netherlands 😀.

Have fun and best success working on your own international academic portfolio!

Yours

Prof. (GHU)* Dr. (KUN) Martin Gertler

bzw. Prof. (AI)* Dr. (NL) Martin Gertler

* there are also two appointments from Germany, these are not to be provided with origin information