Other routes: nursing, drivers, language course
Nurses (§§ 16a, 16d, 18a AufenthG)
Nursing is a regulated profession. There are three ways:
| Way | Main requirements |
|---|---|
| Work as a nurse | Full recognition, German B2, the licence (or its assurance) and a job contract |
| Recognition in Germany (§ 16d) | A deficit notice from the recognition body, German at least A2 by law, in practice often B1, a place in an adaptation course |
| Nursing training (§ 16a) | Training contract and German as required by the school, see Ausbildung |
In Berlin the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe decides on recognition, see Recognition. Employers with the seal Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland pay recruitment costs themselves. Whether the government programme Triple Win currently recruits in any of the six states was not checked.
Nursing assistants often come under the Western Balkans rule; the missions in Belgrade and Pristina then ask for German at B1.
Professional drivers (§ 24a BeschV)
- The BA can approve employment as a lorry or bus driver, also outside the Western Balkans quota.
- If you still lack the EU licence and driver qualification, approval is possible for up to 15 months (in justified cases 6 more) with one employer, when the contract obliges you to obtain them, a concrete job with the same employer follows, and you hold the relevant driving licence from your country. The Embassy in Belgrade has its own page on this.
Language course (§ 16f)
- A visa just to learn German: a course of usually at least 18 lessons a week, and €1,091 a month (§ 2 (3) sentences 5 and 6 AufenthG).
- Work up to 20 hours a week is allowed (§ 16f (3)). Whether LEA Berlin lets you switch to another permit from inside Germany depends on the case; do not plan on it.
- If you want to study, the preparatory course is usually part of the study visa – the safer way.
Short-term and seasonal jobs
The Embassy in Belgrade lists "short-term quota employment" (§ 15d BeschV, via employer and BA) as a visa category. Which sectors and quotas apply to citizens of the six states, and whether seasonal work under § 15a BeschV is open to them, was not confirmed. Ask the mission or the BA.
Anyone selling a "driver visa" or "nurse visa" package is not offering a legal shortcut. See Avoiding scams.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.