Route: nursing and the Triple Win programme

The government-to-government route: free German course, no placement fee, recognition after arrival.

Who can apply

• Completed nursing education: a 3-year diploma (D3) or a 4-year bachelor (S1).
• A valid registration (STR).
• At least 1 year of work experience.
• Indonesian citizenship or residence.

Midwives, physiotherapists and masseurs are not part of the programme. For nursing-assistant routes we found no reliable federal source, because the rules are state law; ask the employer or the Berlin state authority.

Steps

1. Call for applications by KP2MI, two rounds a year. You apply through SISKOP2MI.
2. Formal check and interview with ZAV and GIZ.
3. German course A1 to B1 in Bandung, up to 12 months, free.
4. Short nursing course (4 days) and 1 day of orientation.
5. Bilingual employment contract and approval by the German Federal Employment Agency.
6. Visa under § 16d (4) AufenthG. Your documents need apostille and translation, see Documents from Indonesia.
7. Arrival in Berlin: register your address, health insurance, residence permit at LEA Berlin in the first months. See After arrival.
8. Recognition of your nursing qualification: apply for an equivalence decision, which takes about 4 months, then an adaptation course or a knowledge exam. German B2 is required for the professional licence.

Total time from interview to departure is about 12 to 14 months. Recognition should ideally be finished within 12 months, but up to 36 months is possible.

Where recognition happens in Berlin

For nursing and the other health professions, the Berlin body is the Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe; for doctors it is LAGeSo. Berlin state fees and current processing times are not confirmed – ask the office directly. See Recognition of your qualification.

What it costs you

• Free: the German course A1 to B1 and the translations; the employer pays the medical check. The programme material also mentions a €500 bonus.
• You pay: KP2MI fees and the psychological test.
• The programme brochure dates from 2021/22, so cost details may have changed. Confirm on the programme page before you count on any figure.

What you earn before recognition

Until your qualification is recognised you work as an assistant, and you must be paid at least the nursing minimum wage for qualified assistants with one year of training: €17.80 an hour from 1 July 2026 (Federal ministries' press release, 25 November 2025; the regulation text itself was not found). It does not apply to hospitals. After recognition you are paid as a nurse under the collective agreement that applies to your employer – in Berlin that is often a public-sector agreement.

Applying outside the programme

You may also apply directly to a German employer. Then look for the seal "Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland", which commits the employer or agency to pay all recruitment and language-course costs themselves. Under Indonesian law you may not be charged placement costs in any case, see Indonesian rules.