CV and application file for a nursing Ausbildung in Germany
Nursing training (Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann) needs a mittlerer Schulabschluss or ten years of general schooling, enough German for the job, health fitness and reliability. Hospital schools commonly ask for B2 and a recognised school certificate.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Check which of the three legal entry routes you meet
The nursing law, the Pflegeberufegesetz (PflBG), sets its own entry conditions in § 11. They are stricter than for most dual training, where no school certificate is legally required. Find your route before you write anything, because the school certificate line of your CV has to prove it.
- A mittlerer Schulabschluss (the German intermediate school certificate) or a qualification recognised as equivalent.
- A Hauptschulabschluss or equivalent plus one more step: a completed vocational training of at least two years, or a completed state-regulated nursing assistant or helper training of at least one year that meets the federal minimum standards, or one of two older helper qualifications the law lists.
- Another successfully completed ten-year general school education.
Where a Turkish lise diploma fits
A foreign school certificate counts once a German authority has confirmed what it is equal to. The Tübingen university hospital nursing school, for example, states that school certificates from outside Germany must be recognised by the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart. Apply for that recognition in the federal state where the school is, and put the result on your CV next to the diploma.
Three more conditions from the nursing law
§ 11 (2) PflBG applies § 2 numbers 2 to 4 to applicants as well: you must not have shown conduct that makes you unreliable for the profession, you must not be unfit for it on health grounds, and you need the German language skills the work requires. Schools turn these into documents: a medical certificate, and a language certificate.
How the generalist nursing training is built
§ 5 PflBG describes one generalist training for the care of people of all ages in acute and long-term, residential and home settings. Knowing the structure helps you write a CV that answers the reader’s real worry: will this person cope with three years of ward placements in German?
| Element | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Three years full time, at most five years part time | § 6 (1) PflBG |
| Classroom teaching | At least 2,100 hours of theoretical and practical lessons | § 1 (2) PflAPrV |
| Practical training | At least 2,500 hours; the practical share outweighs the classroom | § 1 (2) PflAPrV; § 6 (1) PflBG |
| Placements | Compulsory placements in acute hospital care, long-term residential care and home care, plus paediatrics and psychiatry, and one specialisation placement | § 7 PflBG |
| Interim exam | At the end of the second third of the training | § 6 (5) PflBG |
| Contract and pay | Contract with the Träger der praktischen Ausbildung, who pays an appropriate training allowance for the whole training | § 16 and § 19 PflBG |
You apply to the employer, often through its school
The training contract is signed with the Träger der praktischen Ausbildung: a hospital, a care home or a home-care service. Many hospitals run their own nursing school and take applications online through it, as the Ulm and Tübingen university hospitals do.
Earlier training can shorten the course
Under § 12 PflBG the authority can, on application, credit another completed training or completed parts of one, up to two thirds of the three years, as far as it is equivalent. A nursing assistant training that meets the federal minimum standards is credited with one third. If you studied part of a nursing programme in Türkiye, list the modules and hours on the CV so the school can judge it.
German level: law, visa and school are three different bars
| Who asks | What they ask | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| The nursing law | German language skills required for the profession; no CEFR level named | § 2 Nr. 4 with § 11 (2) PflBG |
| The residence permit for training | Proof of B1 for qualified training, unless the training institution has checked your German or a preparatory course is planned | § 16a (3) and § 2 (11) AufenthG |
| Ulm university hospital nursing school | Language certificate at least B2 for applicants with a foreign school certificate | Ulm academy flyer |
| Tübingen university hospital nursing school | Sprachniveau B2 Deutsch among the entry conditions | Tübingen school flyer, as of 01/2025 |
So a B1 certificate can satisfy the visa rule while still falling short of what the school will accept. Write the exact certificate, level and date on the CV; if you are in a B2 course, add the expected exam month.
Application dossier checklist for nursing training
Built from two hospital schools that publish their requirements and from the PflBG. A school may ask for less or more; this is the set that covers both.
| Document | What it must show | Who asks for it | From a Turkish applicant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anschreiben | Your motivation for nursing, in German | Tübingen (cover letter with a short explanation of motivation); Ulm | Written fresh; link it to a care experience on the CV |
| Tabular Lebenslauf | Schooling, care experience, German level, without gaps | Ulm; Tübingen | The CV this page is about |
| School-leaving certificate in German translation | The final certificate, or an interim one if you are still at school | Ulm (translated into German); Tübingen | Lise diploması or e-Devlet mezuniyet belgesi plus a sworn translation |
| Recognition of the foreign school certificate | Which German certificate it equals | Tübingen (by the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart); § 11 PflBG | Apply in the federal state of the school; allow time |
| German certificate | At least B2 at these schools | Ulm; Tübingen | Goethe, telc or ÖSD certificate with date |
| Medical certificate | Physical fitness for the profession | Tübingen; § 2 Nr. 3 PflBG | Ask the school at which stage it wants it |
| Further proof | Work references, internship certificates, FSJ or BFD | Tübingen | Staj belgesi, employer letters, volunteering letters, translated |
How to write care experience on the CV
A nursing school reads care experience for two things: that you have seen real care work, and that you stayed. Give the setting, the weeks or hours, and what you did under supervision. These lines are examples of the form; use only what you can prove.
- 06/2025 – 08/2025: Pflegepraktikum, Innere Medizin, Devlet Hastanesi Izmir, 8 Wochen, 40 Std./Woche. Unter Anleitung: Vitalzeichen gemessen, bei Körperpflege und Mobilisation unterstützt.
- 2023 – 2025: Betreuung der Großmutter (Pflegebedarf nach Schlaganfall) im eigenen Haushalt, abends und am Wochenende.
- 10/2024 – 05/2025: Ehrenamt, Seniorenzentrum, 1 Nachmittag pro Woche: Vorlesen, Begleitung bei Spaziergängen.
- 04/2025: Erste-Hilfe-Kurs, 16 Unterrichtseinheiten, Türkischer Roter Halbmond (Kızılay).
The school line, written for this reader
State the diploma, the years of schooling and the recognition result in one entry, for example: "Lise Diploması, Anadolu Lisesi Izmir, 12 Schuljahre; als mittlerer Schulabschluss anerkannt, Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Bescheid vom 05/2026." If recognition is still pending, write "Anerkennung beantragt am" with the date. A reader who sees the route at a glance moves on to your care experience.
What each source says, checked on 12 October 2026
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| Three entry routes; § 2 Nr. 2 to 4 apply | § 11 PflBG, gesetze-im-internet.de |
| Reliability, health, German skills | § 2 PflBG |
| Three years full time, five part time; interim exam | § 6 PflBG |
| 2,100 hours teaching, 2,500 hours practice | § 1 PflAPrV |
| Credit for earlier training up to two thirds | § 12 PflBG |
| Contract with the Träger; training allowance | § 16 and § 19 PflBG |
| B2, translated certificate, online application | Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Akademie für Gesundheitsberufe, flyer for applicants with a foreign school certificate |
| B2, medical certificate, recognition by the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart | Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Schule für Pflegeberufe, flyer as of 01/2025 |
| B1 for qualified training unless the school tested it | § 16a (3) AufenthG |
Who this checklist does not fit
- Nurses who already hold a nursing qualification apply for recognition, not training; the nurse CV and recognition page covers that route.
- For other dual training, such as a trade or office job, the general Ausbildung CV page applies; its rules on school certificates are looser.
- Nursing helper jobs have their own visa leaflet at the German missions in Türkiye (Merkblatt 31F, Pflegehilfskraft); this page does not cover them.
- The rules here are federal; schools and states add their own steps. Check the school page and the linked law before applying.
Next steps once the file is ready
Ulm invites applicants whose file it rates positively to an interview before a provisional offer, and says it supports applicants from that point to the final contract. Prepare to talk through every care line on your CV in German.
For the motivation letter, the Anschreiben page explains the German letter layout. If you want the CV drafted in German, CitedCV can write it with German conventions from the facts you enter, keeping each line tied to a fact you gave.
Questions people ask
What are the requirements for nursing Ausbildung in Germany?
A mittlerer Schulabschluss or ten years of general schooling (or a Hauptschulabschluss plus a further qualification), the German skills the job needs, health fitness and reliability, all set in § 11 and § 2 PflBG.
What German level do I need for nursing Ausbildung?
B2 at the hospital schools in Ulm and Tübingen. The law names no level, and the training visa requires B1 unless the school has already tested your German.
Is a Turkish lise diploma enough for Pflegeausbildung?
Only once a German authority has recognised it. Tübingen, for example, requires recognition of foreign school certificates by the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart.
How long is the nursing Ausbildung in Germany?
Three years full time and at most five years part time, with at least 2,100 hours of lessons and 2,500 hours of practical training.
Do nursing trainees get paid in Germany?
Yes, § 19 PflBG obliges the Träger der praktischen Ausbildung to pay an appropriate training allowance for the whole training. Tübingen published 1,517 euros a month for the first year, valid from 1 May 2024.
Do I need a medical certificate for nursing training?
Yes, health fitness is a legal condition under § 2 PflBG, and Tübingen asks for a doctor’s certificate of physical fitness for the profession.
Can my Turkish nursing studies shorten the training?
Possibly: § 12 PflBG lets the authority credit equivalent completed training or parts of it, up to two thirds of the duration, on application.
Sources
- § 11 PflBG: Voraussetzungen für den Zugang zur Ausbildungwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__11.html
- § 2 PflBG: Voraussetzungen für die Erteilung der Erlaubniswww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__2.html
- § 6 PflBG: Dauer und Struktur der Ausbildungwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__6.html
- § 12 PflBG: Anrechnung gleichwertiger Ausbildungenwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__12.html
- § 19 PflBG: Ausbildungsvergütungwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflbg/__19.html
- § 1 PflAPrV: Inhalt und Gliederung der Ausbildungwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflaprv/__1.html
- § 16a AufenthG: Berufsausbildungwww.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004/__16a.html
- Universitätsklinikum Ulm: nursing training with a foreign school certificate (PDF)akademie.uniklinik-ulm.de/fileadmin/default/09_Sonstige/Akademie/Dokumente/Flyer_Ausbildung/Flyer_Pflege_Bewerbung-mit-nichtdeutschem-Schulabschluss.pdf
- Universitätsklinikum Tübingen: Ausbildung Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann (PDF)www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/files/download/L6vOxqk92J4dMWJ0EGnY5Nbo/Flyer_PFachfrau-mann.pdf