German for nurses and doctors from Pakistan: which level do you need?

Nursing is a regulated profession in Germany, so a foreign nursing qualification must be recognised before you can work as a fully qualified nurse. For German, the usual path looks like this:

The exact requirements can depend on the German state and on your case, so check with the authority that handles your recognition. The official recognition portal helps you find the right one.

Doctors are also a regulated profession. To practise in Germany, you need a licence to practise medicine, called the Approbation, issued by the competent authority of the German state where you apply. Make it in Germany explains it in its glossary entry on the Approbation.

The authority also decides which German level and which language exams it requires. Requirements can differ between states, so confirm them with the authority before you plan your German studies.

Recognition means a German authority checks whether your qualification is equivalent to the German one. Make it in Germany explains each step of the recognition procedure, and the Anerkennung in Deutschland portal shows which authority is responsible for your profession and state.

Documents, fees, processing times and visa options for recognition are all set out on those official pages. Rules change, so rely on them rather than on agents' summaries.

• You talk with patients and their families all day, often when they are worried or in pain.
• Shift handovers and care documentation are in German.
• Mistakes in understanding can affect patient safety, which is why the requirements are higher than for many other jobs.

That's why it helps to learn healthcare words from the start, alongside everyday German, instead of adding them only after B1.

You don't need to wait until B1 to start using healthcare German. These are the kinds of sentences learners can practise early on, alongside everyday grammar (our own examples):

Topics that help most: the body, symptoms and pain; medication and daily care; talking with patients and their families; shift handovers with colleagues; and the basics of care documentation. Patients are addressed formally with Sie, so practise the polite forms from the start.

The Goethe-Institut estimates 350–650 lessons of 45 minutes to reach B1 from zero. In our classes each level takes 6–8 weeks, so A1 to B1 takes about 6 months with 5 one-to-one classes a week. Read how long it takes to learn German for the full breakdown.

1. Check the requirements for your profession and the German state you're aiming for on the official recognition portal.
2. Find out which German level and language certificate the authority asks for, and when.
3. Plan your German studies backwards from that date: about 6–8 weeks per level in our classes.
4. Book the language exam early, because seats are limited.
5. Follow the official recognition and visa steps on Make it in Germany.

Starting from zero? The German for a work visa course takes you from A1 to B1 in about 6 months, with vocabulary for your own field built in. Already at A2? The B1 German course takes 6–8 weeks. Every class is one-to-one on Zoom, with grammar explained in Urdu. For other work routes, see what German level you need for a work visa.