Recognition of professional qualification

In the recognition procedure, an equivalency test is carried out with regard to the existing nursing training and the German nursing training, in which the foreign qualification is compared with the corresponding German qualification.
As a result, an application for recognition can only be made if you have a professional qualification acquired abroad in the field of geriatric care or nursing.
Persons without a formal vocational qualification in the field of geriatric care or nursing cannot apply for the equivalence of their qualifications, i.e. unskilled or only semi-skilled nurses.
Important: If you want to immigrate to Germany from a non-EU country and have a professional qualification from abroad that does not correspond to a university degree in Germany, you must first have this professional qualification recognized before you can get a corresponding visa for Germany.
Recognition of a foreign professional qualification is not the same as a work permit.
There are certain additional requirements for issuing a residence permit that allows employment.

Recognition of foreign certificates

For whom is the recognition of foreign professional qualifications necessary? And how does the approval process work?
Costs for the approval process
The costs for the application for recognition of the foreign professional qualification as a nurse in Germany are between 100 and 600 euros.
There are other costs in the recognition process, such as costs for obtaining documents, translations, certification, travel expenses or language courses.

Who can apply for recognition of professional qualifications or permission to practice?

Anyone who has a corresponding professional qualification in the field of geriatric care or nursing can apply for a state permit to practice the profession.
 The competent body decides on the recognition of the professional qualification acquired abroad in the field of nursing or elderly care as part of the procedure for issuing the license to practice.
The nationality of the applicant, the origin of the degree and the current residence status are irrelevant for the application.How does the approval process work?
A distinction is made between degrees from the EU and non-EU.

Procedure for EU degrees

For EU / EEA / Switzerland degrees, the automatic recognition procedure according to Directive 2005/36 / EC applies. The professional qualification in the field of nursing or elderly care is recognized without an individual equivalency test if the diploma was issued after the EU country of accession.
Professional qualifications in the field of geriatric care or nursing that were issued before the deadline are automatically recognized if the applicant provides a certificate from the competent authority of the training state that the training completed before accession complies with the minimum standards of Directive 36/2005 / EC.

Procedure for degrees from non-EU countries

In the procedure for professional qualifications in the field of nursing or elderly care from non-EU countries, the responsible body checks whether the professional qualification acquired abroad is equivalent to the corresponding German professional qualification.
The foreign vocational qualification in the field of nursing or elderly care is recognized as equivalent if there are no significant differences between the foreign qualification and the corresponding German nursing qualification.
 In addition to vocational training, the responsible body also takes into account the professional experience acquired in the home or abroad in the field of elderly care or nursing. Significant differences in the vocational qualification can be compensated for by relevant professional experience in nursing.

Result of the equivalence test

Permission to practice a profession as a nurse or geriatric nurse or nurse is granted if the equivalence of the foreign professional qualification is determined and the other requirements are met (including sufficient knowledge of the German language).

If there are significant differences between the foreign and German professional qualifications in nursing or elderly care, it is possible to take part in an adaptation measure (examination or adaptation course) in order to achieve equivalence:
You can choose whether you want to take an exam or take a three-year adaptation course. The exam relates to the content of the state final exam in the field of elderly care or nursing. The adaptation course is concluded with an examination of the content of the course. After successful completion of the examination or the adaptation course, permission to practice the nursing profession is granted.