Working as a nurse in Germany

Anerkennung is the process of having a foreign degree formally recognised in Germany, and it is mandatory only for regulated professions. For a Blue Card application it is enough to show that the degree is "comparable". These three are frequently confused:

Comparability (anabin)

The normal route for the Blue Card. Two separate checks are needed in the KMK anabin database: the university must be listed with H+ status (H+/− brings additional conditions, H− is not accepted), and the degree itself must be listed under that university. Most Turkish state universities are listed; foundation and newer universities vary — check rather than assume.

Zeugnisbewertung (ZAB)

The fallback route if the degree is not in anabin. It costs €208 (€104 for a second copy) and takes up to three months once the documents are complete. The most common cause of delay is starting this step too late.

Anerkennung (actual recognition)

Only for regulated professions: doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, vets and teachers. Neither anabin nor ZAB replaces it.

The level is B2, the same in every state checked.

The B2 certificate is required when the licence is granted, not at the point of application. If you are coming from abroad for an adaptation course under §16d, B1 is required beforehand for the residence permit.

A Fachsprachenprüfung Pflege exists in Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate and Lower Saxony — but as an alternative to the general B2 certificate, not an extra exam stacked on top of it. That is what makes it different from the doctors’ route. Bavaria has no such exam.

If the qualification falls short there are two ways to close the gap: an Anpassungslehrgang (adaptation course, up to three years) or a Kenntnisprüfung (written and practical exam).

In Bavaria the processing fee is €40–70 plus €40 for the document. The processing fee is charged even if the application is refused. Translation, notary, language exam and course costs come on top.

Certificates accepted in Bavaria: Goethe B2, Goethe B2 PRO Pflege, TestDaF (TDN 3), telc B2, telc B2 Pflege, ÖSD B2, ECL, BAMF DTB B2.

The Blue Card is a work and residence permit for people with a university degree and a job offer above a set salary threshold. For 2026 the standard threshold is €50,700 and the threshold for shortage occupations and career starters is €45,934.20 gross a year.

Federal Employment Agency approval required. At the lower threshold the employment contract must run for at least six months. The Federal Employment Agency also carries out a comparability check: pay and working conditions may not be worse than those of a local employee.

Someone who graduated within the last three years qualifies for the lower threshold even if their profession is not on the shortage list.

Residence law sets no specific German requirement for the Blue Card itself. German enters indirectly in two places: permanent residence (after twenty-seven months with A1, twenty-one months with B1) and, in regulated professions, the language requirement set by the licensing authority.

§18g(1) sentence 2 no. 1 AufenthG defines shortage occupations by reference to ISCO-08 groups: 132, 133, 134, 21, 221, 222, 225, 226, 23 and 25. Among these, 21 covers natural scientists, mathematicians, engineers and architects; 221 doctors; 222 academic nursing and midwifery; 23 teachers; and 25 IT professionals — software developers, systems analysts, web developers, database administrators, systems administrators and network specialists.