Nursing visas: the categories German law provides — and who decides

There is no single German visa. This article reports what the official bodies publish.

Reviewed by: Hazem Ibrahim (M. Sc.) · 2026-08-15 Reviewed

The Federal Foreign Office publishes several national visa categories, each with its own basis in the Residence Act and its own document list.

What this article is — and is not

What follows describes the categories as the official bodies define them. It does not assess anyone’s individual case. Which category applies in a given case is decided by the competent German mission abroad alone.

§ 18a Residence Act: classified by the Federal Foreign Office among skilled-worker visas and linked in its published material to completed recognition and an employment contract.
§ 16d Residence Act: described by the federal portal as entry to complete recognition measures after a partial-recognition decision.
Job-seeker route / Opportunity Card: described by BAMF for people with a completed qualification but no contract yet, requiring proof of means of subsistence.

Ask before booking

Appointments are scarce. The question of which category applies belongs to the mission abroad, because the mission is what decides it.

The bodies list these as frequent causes of delay: pending approval from the Federal Employment Agency and the foreigners authority, uncertified translations, and inconsistencies between documents.

After arrival, the foreigners authority decides on issuing the electronic residence permit.

Checklist

Ask your mission which visa category applies
Use your own mission’s document list
Check that names and dates match
For a legal assessment: a migration-law specialist or accredited migration advice service

Official sources

Auswärtiges Amt — Visum zur ArbeitsaufnahmeGerman Federal Foreign Office · 2026-08-15
Make it in Germany — Visum für qualifizierte BeschäftigungOfficial portal للحكومة الاتحادية · 2026-08-15
BAMF — FachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetzFederal Office for Migration and Refugees · 2026-08-15

⚖️ Limits of this information — who decides, and what we do not do

The decision rests with the authorities: the competent German mission abroad decides on visas, the federal state recognition authority on equivalence of qualifications, the foreigners authority on residence permits, and the Federal Employment Agency on approval of employment. This article reports what those bodies publish; it does not assess any individual case.

What DokTing does not provide: no legal advice within the meaning of the German Legal Services Act (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz), no legal examination of your individual case, no selection of a residence title or legal basis on your behalf, and no representation before embassies, authorities, courts or employers. Our service is organisational and administrative.

Where to obtain legal advice: from a lawyer specialising in migration law (Fachanwalt für Migrationsrecht), from accredited migration advice services in Germany, or from the competent authority itself — whose answer is the only binding one.

General organisational information — not legal advice and not representation before authorities.

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