Employment opportunities/positions
As a nurse, you care for and support people in every phase of life. The areas in which you work include:
- General nursing
- Paediatric nursing
- Geriatric nursing
The facilities in which you may be employed include:
- Nursing homes or retirement homes
- Residences for people with disabilities
- Childcare facilities
- Specialist clinics and hospitals
- Outpatient services
- Health centres
Access requirements for international nurses
Any individual seeking to work in a nursing profession in Germany requires a government licence to practice their profession. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs provides information on the formal requirements that generally need to be met to be able to work as a nurse in Germany:
- Recognised qualification: The nursing qualification that you obtained in your country of origin must be recognised in Germany. The competent authority reviews whether your professional qualification is equivalent to German qualifications. If this is not the case, you can complete an assessment test or an adaptation course to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge. The application for professional recognition is submitted to the competent body in the federal state in which you are seeking employment. The German recognition issued by this state is valid throughout Germany.
- Adequate German language skills: Depending on the federal state, you will need level B2 or B1 language skills based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (GER).
- Medical suitability: You need a medical certificate from a German doctor to verify that you a physically and mentally fit and healthy to confirm your suitability for a nursing profession.
- Personal aptitude/reliability: To verify your reliability you will need to provide evidence that you have no criminal record. Depending on the situation, this is verified by a certificate of good conduct from your home country or a German police clearance certificate.
Any recognition is based on where the qualification was obtained, not your nationality.
As a citizen of the European Union, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, you do not need a visa or residency permit to work in Germany. Nationals of other countries require a residency permit to work in Germany.
