Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann (registered nurse, Germany)

Section 1 of the PflBG says anyone who wants to use the title Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann needs a permit (Erlaubnis). It is the German equivalent of a registered nurse, and the training prepares nurses to care for people of all ages in hospitals, long-term care and home care (section 5). Training lasts three years full time, or up to five part time, and the practical part is the larger share (section 6). Graduates of the university route carry the title with their academic degree.

Section 64a lets anyone who qualifies choose the gender-neutral title Pflegefachperson. Permits issued under the old laws, such as Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger, remain valid and count as a permit under the PflBG (section 64).

Section 4 reserves three tasks for holders of the permit: assessing a person's care needs and planning care, organising and steering the care process, and analysing and assuring the quality of care. Employers may not give these tasks to anyone without the permit. Until you hold it, you work in a supporting role; the BA's Triple Win brochure, for example, shows recruits working first as a Pflegehelfer (nursing assistant).

Section 2 says the authority must grant the permit on application if you have completed the training the law requires and passed the state exam, have not behaved in a way that shows you are unreliable to practise, are not unfit for health reasons, and have the German needed for the job. For a nurse trained abroad, the first condition is met once your training is found equivalent or you pass the compensation measure, so the other three checks still follow.

1. Apply to the authority in the state where you will work, such as LAGeSo in Berlin. Section 43 says equivalence is checked first, and you can ask for a separate notice on it.
2. The authority compares your training with German training (section 40). Experience and formally recognised lifelong learning can make up differences.
3. If substantial differences remain, you choose between a Kenntnisprüfung and an adaptation course of up to three years ending in an exam. You can also waive the comparison and go straight to one of these (section 40(3a)).
4. Prove German. LAGeSo asks for a B2 certificate no older than three years, such as telc Deutsch B2 Pflege.
5. Show you are reliable and medically fit, then receive the permit.

Section 40 tells authorities to take account of model reports from the Gutachtenstelle für Gesundheitsberufe. LAGeSo says the permit allows permanent, independent practice anywhere in Germany. Our nursing recognition guide and the nurses in Germany page cover each step.

• Calling yourself a Pflegefachfrau too early. The title is protected until the permit is issued.
• Old language certificates rejected because they are more than three years old in Berlin.
• Not knowing your options. The authority must explain the consequences of waiving the comparison and your right to choose the exam or the course.