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In Germany, nursing is a protected profession. For this reason, professional recognition is a central and very important issue for foreign qualified professionals.
All healthcare professions in Germany are regulated and thereby “protected”. In order for you to be allowed to work as a “nursing professional” in Germany, you need to have your professional qualifications acquired abroad recognised in Germany.
The “Recognition Finder of the Federal Ministry” gives a good overview of protected professions: www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de
You can apply for recognition either at your place of residence or your place of work. Every authority (or federal state) in Germany has their own requirements, which is why there is no uniform rule for the specific documents you need to submit.
The Recognition Finder offers an overview by place and federal state.
This list provides a general overview – but it is non-binding!
You usually have to submit officially certified copies of your original documents. An official certification is an official confirmation that the copy and the original document are identical. The confirmation is provided by an authority or a notary. In Germany, any public authority carrying an official seal is allowed to carry out the official certification. Authorities carrying an official seal include the Residents’ Registration Offices, for example.
If officially certified copies are not expressly required, you can also submit simple copies.
Please note that each document that is not available in German has to be translated by a sworn and publicly appointed translator. Simple translations are not sufficient!
You can find sworn and publicly appointed translators on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice: www.justiz-dolmetscher.de
Tip: This topic is very complex. If you have any doubts in individual cases, you can ask your mentor at the hospital.
The procedure distinguishes between EU/EEA countries and third countries. If you are a citizen of an EU country, you can receive automatic recognition if you have acquired your professional qualifications after your country of origin joined the EU.
In all other cases, there is no automatic recognition, but an equivalence assessment is carried out:
The authority will assess whether the training contents in your country of origin are similar to the requirements in Germany. To this end, you need to provide proof of the following: number of training hours, type and scope of theoretical and practical subjects, course contents (study records, learning concepts, etc.).
After the assessment, you will receive a notice showing whether your professional qualifications are fully recognised in Germany, you need to undergo adaptation qualification or your profession is not eligible for recognition in Germany.
This notice specifies to what extent you need to catch up on or verify the missing contents. There are two possibilities:
This is a comprehensive oral and written test to assess whether the training contents in your home country meet the requirements of the German system. A preparatory training course (=voluntary) to prepare you for this test is usually offered in addition.
(For people from EU countries, this test is called an aptitude test.)
In contrast to the knowledge test, this training consists of various courses (or course modules) providing comprehensive post-qualification. You will receive theoretical and practical training that meets the criteria of the final examination and, consequently, those of the training and examination regulations for nursing professions. Depending on the course provider, the duration of the course ranges from several weeks to several months.
Helios offers you professional training for your professional qualification throughout Germany. At these locations, you can attend refresher training and/or preparatory training for the knowledge test:
Expert in the field of professional qualification measures
Christine Barth
Head of Advanced Training and Continuing Education Helios Hospital Aue
Education and Personnel Development Manager
Helios Region East
Phone: +49 3771 58 – 1404
Mobile: +49 15254777647
E-Mail: christine.barth@helios-gesundheit.de