Apply for recognition as a health and nursing professional with professional qualifications from the EU/EEA/Switzerland under the Nursing Act by 2024

Prerequisites

• You have successfully completed training as a registered nurse in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland and are entitled to work there as a self-employed registered nurse to work.
• You want to work as a nurse in Germany.
• Personal suitability: You are reliable for work as a registered nurse and have no criminal record.
• Medical suitability: You can work mentally and physically as a registered nurse.
• You have German language skills at the required language level. This is usually language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Documents required

• Application (available online)
• Documents according to leaflet (available online)
• Proof of language proficiency B2/ technical language test (see leaflet)
• Medical certificate (available online)
• Official certificate of good conduct according to § 30 Para. 5 BZRG

Please note

The permit procedure also includes an examination of equivalence (recognition procedure). You can apply for a separate notice of the result of the examination.

Your professional qualifications are not equivalent and the differences are too great? Then you may be able to work in the profession with partial professional access. With partial professional access, you can work in the profession without recognition. There are certain requirements for this. Your professional qualification must include at least one so-called reserved activity of the German professional qualification. Reserved activities may only be carried out by specially trained people.
You must also prove that you are personally suitable, medically suitable and have the required knowledge of German.

With partial access to the profession, you are only allowed to take on certain tasks as a health and nursing professional. You apply for partial access to the profession at the responsible authority.

Do you only want to offer services in Germany occasionally and for a short period of time? In this case, you usually do not need a state permit. You must meet the following requirements:

• You must be established in another EU, EEA or Switzerland country.
• You must provide proof of your professional qualifications.
• You must provide evidence of German language skills at the required language level.
• You must prove your personal suitability.
• You must report your activity in writing to the responsible authority.

The competent authority will inform you whether you are permitted to provide services or whether you have to take an aptitude test.

As a late repatriate, you can choose to go through the recognition process according to the laws mentioned here or according to the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. The responsible authority will advise you on which process is right for you.

Deadlines

No

Procedure

• You submit an application to the responsible authority for permission to use the professional title “health and nursing assistant”. Or you apply for the professional title “health and nursing specialist”. You can submit the application and the documents to the responsible authority, send them by post or upload them electronically. Do not send originals.
• The responsible body will then check whether you meet all the requirements. An important requirement is the equivalence of your professional qualification. The responsible body will check the equivalence of your foreign professional qualification. In doing so, it will compare your professional qualification with the German professional qualification as a health and nursing professional. The professional qualification is equivalent if there are no significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification.
• If your foreign professional qualification is equivalent, it will be recognized. The responsible authority can confirm the result to you in writing. You must still meet the other requirements. You will then be permitted to use the professional title “health and nursing specialist”, “health and nursing assistant” or “health and nursing assistant”.
  • Are there significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? Perhaps you can compensate for the differences with your professional experience, other knowledge or skills (lifelong learning). Knowledge and skills must be certified by an authority in the state in which you acquired the knowledge or skills.
  • However, it may be that the essential differences cannot be compensated for by your professional experience, knowledge or skills. In this case, the competent authority will tell you the essential differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification and why you cannot compensate for these essential differences. The competent authority will also tell you compensatory measures that you can take to compensate for the essential differences. If you decide not to take compensatory measures, your professional qualification will not be recognized and you will not be allowed to work as a health and nursing professional in Germany. There are various compensatory measures:
    • Adaptation period: The adaptation period lasts a maximum of 3 years.
    • Aptitude test: In the aptitude test, only those areas in which significant differences have been identified are examined. The aptitude test consists of a practical test combined with an interview.
  • If you successfully complete the compensatory measure and meet all other requirements, you will be permitted to use the professional title “health and nursing professional”, “health and nursing assistant” or “health and nursing assistant”.

Processing time

• up to 2 months in the accelerated procedure


• up to 4 months in the regular procedure

Fees

225,00 EUR - 600,00 EUR


plus 42.00 EUR for the certificate

Legal remedies

An objection to a negative decision can be raised within one month of notification at the office specified in the letterhead.

Legal basis

Section 66a paragraph 2 of the Nursing Professions Act (Nursing Professions Act - PflBG)

www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__66a.html


in conjunction with Sections 1 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 No. 1, 2 Paragraph 3a, Paragraph 4 and Paragraphs 5a-6, 25 of the Nursing Act (KrPflG) in the version valid on 31 December 2019


in conjunction with §§ 20, 20a, 20c of the Training and Examination Ordinance for the Nursing Professions (KrPflAPrV) in the version valid on 31 December 2019