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 “nurse” and work in the profession. You can also apply for the job title “nursing professional”.
Even if you have a professional qualification from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you can still obtain state permission from the responsible authority in Germany. To obtain permission, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized. In the recognition process, the responsible authority 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.
A professional qualification from the EU, EEA or Switzerland is usually automatically recognised when you apply for recognition. This means that no equivalence assessment is carried out. It is assumed that the training is equivalent. However, there may be exceptions to this rule. This depends on which country you completed your training in and when. If you started your vocational training after your training country joined the EU/EEA, your professional qualification is usually automatically recognised.
If your professional qualification does not come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, different rules apply.
In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must also fulfill other requirements for the permit to be granted.
You can also apply for the procedure from abroad.