You are hereThe Germany nurse route. 12 steps. How long this takes: we do not know yet.
- 1See where you standYou are hereStart this route
- 2Learn German and pass your examYou can start this now
- 3Get your papers outYou can start this now
- 4Apply for recognitionOnly if you apply for recognition before the visa
- 5Your recognition decisionOnly if you apply for recognition before the visa
- 6Win a job offerYou can start this now
- 7Prepare and submit your visa fileCannot start yet: opens when you have a job offer and your employer's agreement
- 8Bring your familyOnly if someone comes with you
- 9Travel and arriveCannot start yet: opens when your visa is granted
- 10Pass the knowledge test or finish the adaptation courseCannot start yet: opens when you are in Germany
- 11Get your licence to work as a nurseCannot start yet: opens when you pass the knowledge test or finish the adaptation course
- 12Your first payslipCannot start yet: opens when you start work in Germany
I am stuck
I am stuck
The desk explains what a step means and where the official answer lives.
Become a nurse in Germany
For nurses trained in Nigeria. Twelve steps to your first German payslip.
Why this order?
Your German, your papers and your job search can start now. Recognition is decided by the authority of the Land where you will work, under section 40 of the Pflegeberufegesetz: your training is equal, or you close the gap with a knowledge test or an adaptation course, your choice. With a two-year training recognised at home, A2 German, a job offer, an employer fit to train in a recognition partnership and the Federal Employment Agency's approval, the law allows a permit to carry out recognition in Germany while you work (Residence Act, section 16d). The licence comes last, then the payslip. Read 8 October 2026.
Free. About two minutes.
- 1Start here
See where you stand
Six questions, about two minutes, no account.
See what this step needs
No number comes from your answers on this route: no verified rule set grades it. Your answers set your first move.
A general nurse (Pflegefachperson) is a regulated profession in Germany. Read on the Recognition Finder, 8 October 2026.
To use the title Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann you need a licence. It is given on application when you have completed the training and passed the state examination (a training from abroad counts once it is recognised), you are reliable and fit in health to work, and you have the German the work needs. The Act names no German level. Read in the Pflegeberufegesetz, sections 1 and 2, 8 October 2026.
Make it in Germany: "For recognition, you must have at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)". A recognition partnership asks instead for a nursing training of at least two years, or a degree, recognised by the government where you earned it, a German employment contract, an employer in a recognition partnership with you, and German at A2. "The EU Blue Card does not apply to nursing professionals". Read on make-it-in-germany.com, 6 October 2026.
Source: Pflegeberufegesetz, section 2, read 8 October 2026.
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
The Pflegeberufegesetz, section 1
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Answer six short questions. Germany asks for a recognised nursing training and German: B2 for recognition, or A2 if an employer takes you on in a recognition partnership.
Where the official answer lives: The Recognition Finder's general nurse page holds the profession; the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 2, holds the licence's conditions.
- 2You can start this now
Learn German and pass your exam
Reach the German level your way asks for, and pass a Goethe-Institut or ÖSD exam.
See what this step needs
The levels, as the Residence Act defines them: A1 is simple German, A2 sufficient, B1 adequate and B2 good German. Read in the Residence Act, section 2, 8 October 2026.
If you sit your exam in Nigeria, the German missions accept only certificates from the Goethe-Institut or the Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (ÖSD), never older than one year. You may sit the four modules (reading, listening, speaking, writing) separately; the certificate is complete when all four are passed, and the oldest module must not be older than one year. Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 8 October 2026.
The exam fees, the dates and the centres in Nigeria at the Goethe-Institut: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Goethe-Institut Nigeria's exams page. If goethe.de will not open on your phone, open it on a computer or another connection; the German missions' language page, this step's source, holds the rules for the certificates they accept.
ÖSD's fees, dates and centres in Nigeria: we do not know this yet; the German missions' language page names it, read 8 October 2026.
Source: German Missions in Nigeria, language skills, read 8 October 2026.
Your clock: how long your test result stays valid, worked out from the date of your German exam, or of your oldest module if you sat them separately, which you enter in your plan: the missions take a certificate up to one year old. Enter it in your plan
Open the Goethe-Institut Nigeria's exams page
Open the Goethe-Institut Nigeria's exams page
The Residence Act's language levels, section 2
Free. Rekoja does not sell a course.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Learn German and pass a Goethe-Institut or ÖSD exam. A2 is the least for a recognition partnership; B2 for recognition. The certificate must be under one year old.
Where the official answer lives: The German missions' language page holds the rules for certificates; the Goethe-Institut Nigeria books its exams. If goethe.de will not open on your phone, open it on a computer or another connection.
- 3You can start this now
Get your papers out
Put your nursing papers in one folder, and ask the NMCN what it can send to Germany.
See what this step needs
First: does your name and date of birth match on your birth certificate, passport and nursing certificates? Fix any difference before you pay a fee.
For a skilled worker's visa the German missions list: a passport issued in the last 10 years, your CV, a letter of motivation, proof of your work experience, your school results in order, your transcript, your birth certificate (the NPC certificate if you were born on or after 15 December 1992, or the register extract with a declaration of age), and an affidavit for any change of name. With them go the application form, the declaration under section 54 of the Residence Act and proof of your money. From age 45 you also show provision for old age, unless your salary is at least €55,770 a year gross (about ₦83.5m). Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
From the NMCN: the general verification of certificates of registration is ₦66,875, a letter of good standing on its own ₦8,750, and authentication ₦8,750, each paid to the NMCN through REMITA. The ₦17,500 combined fee is for the UK's regulator only. Read on nmcn.gov.ng, 7 October 2026.
What the German authority asks from the NMCN, and in what form: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Recognition Finder, checked 8 October 2026.
Where the NMCN's verification form comes from and how papers reach it: the NMCN does not publish this. Ask it: (234) 702-923-4588 or info@nmcn.gov.ng, 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Read 7 October 2026.
Source: German Missions in Nigeria, Blue Card EU and skilled worker, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the day your passport is 10 years old, worked out from the date your passport was issued, which you enter in your plan: the missions ask for a passport issued in the last 10 years. Enter it in your plan
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Open the missions' skilled worker page
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Rekoja charges nothing to do it yourself; the NMCN's fees go to the NMCN.
The desk can get your transcript out for you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Put all your certificates in one folder, make sure your name is spelt the same on every one, and ask the NMCN how to get your papers verified for Germany.
Where the official answer lives: The German missions' skilled worker page holds the visa papers; the NMCN answers on (234) 702-923-4588 and info@nmcn.gov.ng, 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; its Lagos zone office is at No. 8 Harvey Road, Yaba, on 08064703003 and lagoszo@nmcn.gov.ng.
- 4Cannot start yet: opens when your papers are in one folder
Apply for recognition
Find the authority for the Land where you will work, and apply to have your nursing training recognised.
See what this step needs
The Recognition Finder chooses the authority by the place you will work: pick the Land of your job, or of the job you are aiming for. Read 8 October 2026.
Three ways the application starts, by law: you apply to the Land's authority yourself (Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40); in a recognition partnership you agree with your employer to start it straight after you enter Germany, at the latest (Residence Act, section 16d(3)); or your employer asks the foreigners authority for the accelerated skilled-worker procedure, which starts it for you (section 81a). Read 8 October 2026.
The authority should take into account model assessments by the Gutachtenstelle für Gesundheitsberufe. An expert opinion from the ZAB may be asked for by the authority; you do not apply for it. Read 8 October 2026.
The Länder may hand this task to another Land or to a joint body. Read in the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40(5), 8 October 2026.
The authority for your Land, its document list, its fee and how long it takes: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Recognition Finder, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, read 8 October 2026.
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
The accelerated skilled-worker procedure, section 81a
The Residence Act, section 16d
Rekoja charges nothing here. You apply and pay the authority yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Use the Recognition Finder to find the office for the German state where you want to work, and send it your nursing papers so it can compare your training with the German one.
Where the official answer lives: The Recognition Finder names the authority for your Land once you choose where you will work; that authority answers on your own application.
- 5Cannot start yet: opens when the authority decides on your application
Your recognition decision
The authority compares your training with the German one: it is equal, or you close the gap by a knowledge test or an adaptation course. In a recognition partnership your recognition comes after you arrive, at Step 10.
See what this step needs
Your training is recognised when it is equivalent. Where it is not, you show equivalent knowledge by a knowledge test (Kenntnisprüfung) on the content of the state examination, or by an adaptation course (Anpassungslehrgang) of at most three years that ends with an examination. The choice between the two is yours. If you waive the equivalence check, you show your knowledge the same way, and the authority must tell you what that means. Read in the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, 8 October 2026.
The Residence Act gives a permit for a qualification analysis of up to six months (section 16d(6)) and a permit to come and sit the recognition examinations, which allows no work (section 16d(5)). Read 8 October 2026.
How long the decision takes, what the test or the course costs, and where the knowledge test is sat: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Recognition Finder, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, read 8 October 2026.
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Read section 40 of the Pflegeberufegesetz
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
The Residence Act, section 16d
Free. Rekoja does not advise on your own case; the authority answers on it.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
The office tells you if your training equals the German one. If not, you choose: a knowledge test, or a course of up to three years that ends with an exam.
Where the official answer lives: The authority that wrote your decision answers on it; the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, holds the rule.
- 6You can start this now
Win a job offer
Find a German employer that takes on nurses from abroad, and know who pays for the recruiting.
See what this step needs
Employers with the fair recruitment seal (Gütezeichen Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland) follow the employer-pays principle: the recruiting costs are carried by the employer, never passed on to the nurse. Its site for nurses: "no fees, no deposits, and no need to pay for language courses." The seal's holders are listed on its site. Read 8 October 2026.
A private agent who places you in a job: the contract must be in writing and state the agent's fee. You owe it only if the job contract comes about through the agent, the agent may take no advance, and the fee, VAT included, may not pass €2,000 (about ₦3.0m), unless a regulation sets a different figure for certain occupations. Read in Social Code III, section 296, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Nigeria is on the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list of 2023; the 2026 update was not published as of WHO's news item of 29 May 2026. Read on who.int, 7 October 2026. The seal's own rule on recruiting from a country on that list: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the seal's site, checked 8 October 2026.
Triple Win, the programme of the GIZ and the Federal Employment Agency, names the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Tunisia, not Nigeria. DeFa, Saarland's agency, offers its service to employers and states none for nurses. Read 8 October 2026.
Rekoja cannot get you the job or apply for you.
Rekoja checks, signposts, prepares and practises with you, and introduces you to no one. Rekoja never sells a job.
Source: Gütezeichen Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland, read 21 October 2026.
Open the fair recruitment seal's site
Open the fair recruitment seal's site
The seal's site for nurses, in English
Social Code III, section 296: an agent's fee
Triple Win, at the Federal Employment Agency
WHO's news item of 29 May 2026
Free. Rekoja never sells a job and introduces you to no employer.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Look for a German employer that holds the fair recruitment seal: it pays the recruiting. A private agent may charge you at most €2,000 unless a regulation sets another figure, only if you get the job through that agent, and never in advance.
Where the official answer lives: The fair recruitment seal's site lists the employers that hold it; Social Code III, section 296, holds the rule on an agent's fee.
- 7Cannot start yet: opens when you have a job offer and your employer's agreement
Prepare and submit your visa file
Apply at the German missions in Nigeria for the visa your recognition calls for, with your job offer.
See what this step needs
Recognised already: the skilled worker visa asks for "Proof of full recognition of your qualification or degree", a declaration of employment signed and stamped by your employer, and the contract or binding job offer; you can apply online through the Consular Services Portal. After recognition the permit is for any qualified work (section 18a). Read on nigeria.diplo.de and in the Residence Act, 8 October 2026.
A recognition partnership (section 16d(3)): a concrete job offer, an agreement in which you start recognition straight after you enter at the latest and your employer lets you do what the authority asks within your job, an employer fit to train, German at A2 at least, and the Federal Employment Agency's approval. The permit runs for the approval's length, one year at most at first, and can be extended to three years in all; you may also work up to 20 hours a week on the side. You must have a competent body in Germany confirm that your qualification meets these conditions. Where the job needs a licence, as a nurse's does, an employer bound by a collective agreement, a church employer paying its own tariff, or an approved care facility may take you on in a job that leads to nursing. Read in the Residence Act, section 16d(3), 8 October 2026.
A recognition measure (section 16d(1)): where the authority found you need an adaptation course or more training, a permit for it of up to 24 months, extended by up to 12 to three years in all; German at A2 as a rule; other work up to 20 hours a week. The missions ask €1,091 net a month (about ₦1.6m) for recognition measures. Read 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Your employer can ask the foreigners authority for the accelerated skilled-worker procedure for a section 16d or 18a stay (section 81a). Its fee: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, section 81a of the Residence Act; the foreigners authority your employer applies to answers on it, checked 8 October 2026.
The visa fee is €75 (about ₦112,000 at the rate above), paid in naira at the mission's own current exchange rate, in cash or by POS, not refunded if refused. The Consulate General in Lagos is responsible as a rule, the Embassy in Abuja in some cases. In some cases you can apply online through the Auslandsportal. Processing "may vary"; no question on your file is answered in the first 4 weeks. Once the visa is approved you show an incoming health insurance. Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 8 October 2026.
The Consulate does not work with agencies or third parties that book appointments for a fee. The missions' own X account is @GERinNigeria. Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 6 October 2026.
Booking an appointment is free, with "longer waiting times" and a waiting list worked in date order. How long the wait is, and which category a section 16d visa takes (the missions' categories page lists none for it): we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the missions' booking page, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: German Missions in Nigeria, national visa, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of the first 4 weeks, before which the missions answer no question on your file, worked out from the day you hand in your visa application, which you enter in your plan: the missions answer no question on your file in the first 4 weeks. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the end of one year, the longest a recognition partnership permit runs at first, worked out from the date your first permit in Germany started, which you enter in your plan: a recognition partnership permit runs one year at most at first. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the end of 24 months, the longest a recognition measure permit runs at first, worked out from the date your first permit in Germany started, which you enter in your plan: a recognition measure permit runs up to 24 months at first.
Book an appointment with the missions
Open the missions' national visa page
The accelerated skilled-worker procedure, section 81a
Book an appointment with the missions
The missions' skilled worker page
The money the missions ask for
The Residence Act, section 16d
Free to do yourself.
The desk can prepare this file with you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
With your job offer, book a free appointment and apply for your visa in Lagos. It costs €75, paid in naira. Which visa depends on where your recognition stands.
Where the official answer lives: The German missions in Nigeria's national visa and booking pages hold the official answer; the Residence Act, section 16d, holds the recognition permits.
- 8Cannot start yet: opens when you apply for your own visa
Bring your family
Your spouse and children apply for their own visas, at the same time as yours or later.
See what this step needs
A spouse may join you when you are both 18 or over and your spouse can speak simple German (A1), unless a listed exception applies. On a section 16d or 18a permit, your marriage must have existed when your permit was issued and your stay must be expected to last over a year. Read in the Residence Act, section 30, 8 October 2026.
Your employer's accelerated procedure also covers your spouse and your unmarried children under 18, when their visa applications are made at about the same time as yours. Read in section 81a, 8 October 2026.
The missions answer no question on a family reunion file in the first 12 weeks. Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 8 October 2026.
The rules for children, and the money a family must show: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, Make it in Germany's family reunification page.
Source: Residence Act, section 30, read 8 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of the first 12 weeks, before which the missions answer no question on a family file, worked out from the day your family hands in their visa applications, which you enter in your plan: the missions answer no question on a family reunion file in the first 12 weeks. Enter it in your plan
Open Make it in Germany's family reunification page
Open Make it in Germany's family reunification page
Read section 30 of the Residence Act
Free. Rekoja does not advise on your own case.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Your husband or wife can join you if you are both 18 or over, they speak simple German (A1), you married before your permit was issued and you will stay over a year.
Where the official answer lives: The Residence Act, section 30, holds the rule for a spouse; the German missions in Nigeria answer on a family reunion file.
- 9Cannot start yet: opens when your visa is granted
Travel and arrive
Fly once the visa is granted, register your address, and get your health insurance and tax number.
See what this step needs
Health insurance is mandatory in Germany. German cover starts only once, for example, you start your job or register your address, so the missions ask for an incoming policy to cover the gap. Employees are insured by law. Read on nigeria.diplo.de and in Social Code V, section 5, 19 October 2026.
Register your address with the registration office within two weeks of moving in. Your tax number (IdNr) is sent to you once the registration office passes your data on; if none has come three months after you registered, send the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) a copy of your ID and your registration certificate. Read in the Federal Registration Act, section 17, and on bzst.de, 19 October 2026.
A residence permit issued in Germany costs €100 (about ₦150,000); extending it €96 (about ₦144,000) for up to three months or €93 (about ₦139,000) for longer. Read in the Residence Ordinance, section 45, 19 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Once you are in Germany, contact the foreigners authority responsible for you (Ausländerbehörde) straight away: if all the requirements are met, it issues your residence permit for the purpose of your stay. Read on the German missions' national visa page, 19 October 2026.
Never sell what you live on, and never borrow against your first payslip.
Source: German Missions in Nigeria, health insurance, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of your first days in Germany, worked out from the day you land in Germany, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the last day to register your address, two weeks after you move in, worked out from the day you move into your home in Germany, which you enter in your plan: register within two weeks. Enter it in your plan
Your clock: the day to ask the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) for your tax number, three months after you register, worked out from the day you register your address, which you enter in your plan: if no tax number has come in three months, write to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt). Enter it in your plan
Open the missions' health insurance page
German Missions in Nigeria, national visa
Make it in Germany: first steps
Registering your address, section 17
Your tax number, the Federal Central Tax Office's questions
The residence permit fee, section 45
Free. The desk is not offered once you land.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
When your visa comes, show your incoming health insurance and fly. Register your address within two weeks; your tax number is then sent to you.
Where the official answer lives: The registration office of your town; the German missions' health insurance page; the Federal Central Tax Office's questions page for your tax number.
- 10Cannot start yet: opens when you are in Germany
Pass the knowledge test or finish the adaptation course
If your decision asked for one, pass the knowledge test or finish the adaptation course and its exam. In a recognition partnership, your recognition starts here.
See what this step needs
If your decision found your training equivalent, this step is done: mark it. Otherwise the knowledge test covers the content of the state examination, and the adaptation course lasts at most three years and ends with an examination on its content. Read in the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, 8 October 2026.
In a recognition partnership your recognition starts here: you agreed with your employer to start it straight after you enter Germany, at the latest, and your employer lets you do what the authority asks within your job. A section 16d permit runs three years at most. Read in the Residence Act, section 16d, 8 October 2026.
The Recognition Finder chooses the authority by the place you work: pick the Land of your job. The authority compares your training with the German one: it is equivalent, or you show equivalent knowledge by the knowledge test or the adaptation course, and the choice between the two is yours. An expert opinion from the ZAB may be asked for by the authority; you do not apply for it. Read 8 October 2026.
The authority for your Land, its document list, its fee and how long it takes, and the test's or the course's dates, fee and place: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Recognition Finder, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: Pflegeberufegesetz, section 40, read 8 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of three years, the longest a section 16d permit runs, worked out from the date your first permit in Germany started, which you enter in your plan: a section 16d permit runs three years at most. Enter it in your plan
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
The Residence Act, section 16d
Rekoja charges nothing here. The test's or the course's fee: we do not know this yet.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
If the office said your training is not equal, pass the knowledge test, or finish the course of up to three years and its exam, in Germany. In a recognition partnership, apply for recognition here, once you arrive.
Where the official answer lives: The authority that wrote your decision answers on the test or the course; in a recognition partnership, the Recognition Finder names the authority for your Land once you choose where you work.
- 11Cannot start yet: opens when you pass the knowledge test or finish the adaptation course
Get your licence to work as a nurse
Apply for the licence to use the title Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann (Erlaubnis zum Führen der Berufsbezeichnung).
See what this step needs
The licence is given on application once your training is recognised, you are reliable and fit in health to work, and you have the German the work needs. Read in the Pflegeberufegesetz, sections 1 and 2, 8 October 2026.
In your employer's accelerated procedure, the licence to practise is obtained within the procedure. Read in the Residence Act, section 81a, 8 October 2026.
Once your training is recognised, the Residence Act gives a skilled worker with a vocational training a permit for any qualified work (section 18a). Read 8 October 2026.
The licence's fee and how long it takes: we do not know this yet. Here is the official page, the Recognition Finder, checked 8 October 2026.
Source: Pflegeberufegesetz, section 2, read 8 October 2026.
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
Open the Recognition Finder for a general nurse
The Pflegeberufegesetz, section 1
The skilled worker's permit, section 18a
Free. You apply and pay the authority yourself.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Once your training is recognised, apply for your licence. With it you can call yourself a nurse in Germany and work as one.
Where the official answer lives: The authority named in the Recognition Finder for your Land gives the licence; the Pflegeberufegesetz, section 2, holds its conditions.
- 12Cannot start yet: opens when you start work in Germany
Your first payslip
Know the pay table your employer uses, and keep your years towards settling.
See what this step needs
Municipal hospitals pay by the TVöD P table. From 1 May 2026, P 7 runs from €3,510.30 a month at stage 2 (about ₦5.3m) to €4,305.40 at stage 6 (about ₦6.4m), and P 8 from €3,701.21 (about ₦5.5m) to €4,488.98 (about ₦6.7m), gross, before tax and insurance; stage 3 comes after three years in stage 2. Read in the VKA's TVöD BT-K, as of 1 January 2026, 8 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Which pay group a recognised nurse is placed in, and what nurses earn across Germany: we do not know this yet. Your contract says your pay. Here is the official page, the VKA's hospitals page, checked 8 October 2026.
As an employee you are insured by law for health. Read in Social Code V, section 5, 8 October 2026.
Settlement: a settlement permit after three years on a skilled worker's permit (section 18a) and 36 months of pension contributions, with the other conditions the law lists. Read in the Residence Act, section 18c, 8 October 2026.
Send home what you can spare, not what you need. Never borrow against your next payslip.
Source: VKA, TVöD BT-K, as of 1 January 2026, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the day your years towards a settlement permit count from, worked out from the date your skilled worker's permit (section 18a) started, which you enter in your plan: the settlement permit asks three years on it and 36 months of pension contributions. Enter it in your plan
The settlement permit, section 18c
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Check your pay against your contract and the hospital pay table. After three years on your skilled worker's permit, with 36 months of pension paid, you may be able to apply to settle.
Where the official answer lives: Your employer's payroll answers on your payslip; the VKA's hospitals page holds the municipal pay table.
See everything about this route
Cost. About ₦112,000 for the visa (€75); about ₦262,000 with the residence permit in Germany (€100). Recognition fees: we do not know yet. If you come for a recognition measure, the missions ask €1,091 net a month (about ₦1.6m), enough for your planned stay in Germany, up to a maximum of one year. The money a family must show: we do not know yet. Not the German exam, the NMCN's fees or flights. Fees read 19 October 2026.
Who pays the recruiting. An employer with the fair recruitment seal pays it. A private agent may charge you at most €2,000 (about ₦3.0m), unless a regulation sets a different figure for certain occupations, in a written contract, only if you get the job through that agent, and never in advance (Social Code III, section 296, read 8 October 2026).
How long. How long this takes: we do not know yet. The German missions say processing "may vary"; the authority for your Land answers on your recognition. Read 8 October 2026.
Who it fits. Nurses with German at B2 for recognition, or A2 with an employer in a recognition partnership, as Make it in Germany states it, read 6 October 2026. The Pflegeberufegesetz itself names no German level. Here is the official page, checked 8 October 2026.
Family. A spouse may join with simple German (A1), both of you 18 or over (Residence Act, section 30). The rules for children and the money a family shows: we do not know yet. Read 8 October 2026.
Your papers. A passport issued in the last 10 years, your CV, a letter of motivation, proof of your work experience, your school results in order, your transcript and your birth certificate, as the German missions list them; a German certificate sat in Nigeria counts only from the Goethe-Institut or ÖSD and only under one year old. Read on nigeria.diplo.de, 8 October 2026.
The official page for this route. Checked 8 October 2026. Naira at the official rate of 20 October 2026.
I am stuck? Message the desk on WhatsApp
Free. About two minutes.