Detailed description
The profession of nursing is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a nursing professional in Germany, you need a state permit. With the permit, you can use the job title "nursing professional", "nurse woman" or "nursing professional" and work in the profession.
Even if you have a professional qualification from a so-called third country, you can still obtain state permission from the responsible authority in Germany. Third countries are all countries that are not part of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. To obtain permission, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized. In the recognition process, the responsible authority generally compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and checks their equivalence. The equivalence of the professional qualification is an important prerequisite for the granting of state permission.
You can also forgo the equivalence test and complete a knowledge test or an adaptation course directly. In this case, the responsible body will not carry out an equivalence test.
In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must also fulfill other requirements for the permit to be granted.
If your professional qualification comes from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, different rules apply.
You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.