Foreign Nurses and Caregivers in Austria: How Qualification Recognition Works

Foreign Nurses and Caregivers in Austria: How Qualification Recognition Works Nurse qualification recognition in Austria explained: Nostrifizierung, Red-White-Red Card points, German B2, salaries and the Gesundheitsberuferegister. Topics: Work, Labor Market, Healthcare.

Austria’s care sector is so short of staff that the country openly recruits nurses and caregivers from around the world. But a nursing diploma alone is worth little here: without formal recognition of your qualification, working in the profession is prohibited by law. This guide walks through the entire route step by step: how the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte for shortage occupations works, what Nostrifizierung actually involves, which German level you really need, and what to expect in salary. Every key fact comes from official sources, from the government portal oesterreich.gv.at to the Gesundheitsberuferegister. By the end you will know exactly which documents to gather and in what order to act.

Why Austria recruits nurses and caregivers from abroad

Austria’s population is ageing fast, and the domestic workforce cannot cover the care system. According to a forecast by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG), the country will lack roughly 200,000 care and support workers by 2050. That is why care professions have stayed on the national Mangelberufe (shortage occupations) list for years.

By 2050, Austria will be short of around 200,000 care and support workers.

— Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG), Pflegepersonalbedarfsprognose staff forecast

For applicants this translates into tangible advantages. The federal shortage list for 2026 includes three care occupations at once: diplomed nurses (DGKP), nursing assistants (PFA) and health assistants (PA). Being on that list opens the fastest legal route into the country — the Red-White-Red Card. The employers hiring for these professions are hospitals, nursing homes, mobile care services and private households. For the broader picture, see our overview of working in Austria as a foreigner.

Three career levels: from Pflegeassistenz to DGKP

Austrian care work has three official qualification levels, and the differences matter enormously for recognition. Pflegeassistenz (PA) is the entry level: a care assistant after roughly one year of training. Pflegefachassistenz (PFA) is the intermediate level with wider duties and about two years of training. DGKP (Diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege) — diplomed nurse — is the top level with full professional responsibility.

Level	Training length	Core duties	German for the register
Pflegeassistenz (PA)	~1 year	Basic care, daily support	B1
Pflegefachassistenz (PFA)	~2 years	Medical care under supervision	B1
DGKP	3+ years	Full nursing care, treatment, documentation	B2

Note that these are regulated professions. You cannot simply “work in care” — you need an approved qualification and an entry in the official register, covered below. For migrants from third countries, the chosen level determines both the diploma requirements and the speed of the process.

A separate question is how to grow your existing diploma to the next level. A nurse with a mid-level foreign diploma can complete Zusatzausbildung (supplementary training) and rise to DGKP while already in Austria. Pflegeassistenz and Pflegefachassistenz courses are run by care schools and hospitals, and the public employment service AMS often funds them — especially when an employer is ready to hire you. This is the most realistic scenario for those whose diploma is not recognised in full straight away.

Who must recognise your diploma: EU citizens vs third countries

The first question every applicant must answer: the recognition path depends on citizenship. For EU and EEA citizens, a simplified Anerkennung procedure applies — an equivalence check under European rules. Once documents are approved, the professional can work straight away.

For third-country citizens (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Serbia and others), two separate processes run side by side. The first is recognition of the qualification itself — Nostrifizierung (nostrification, declaring a foreign diploma equivalent to the Austrian one). The second is obtaining the right to live and work — the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte. A diploma from a third country almost always requires nostrification rather than a simple check. Doctors face a similar logic, which we explain in our guide on foreign doctor recognition in Austria.

Prepare your documents early — and sceptically. Austrian authorities check completeness strictly: work references must state hours and duties, diplomas must come with curricula. If anything is missing, the review simply stalls for months. So the first practical step is to request full copies with study programmes from your hospitals and schools while you are still there and the doors are open.

Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte for shortage occupations: residence and work permit in one

The Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte (Red-White-Red Card) is both a residence permit and a work permit tied to one specific employer. For workers in shortage occupations — which include all three care levels — there is a dedicated version: the card for “Fachkräfte in Mangelberufen” (skilled workers in shortage occupations). According to oesterreich.gv.at, the card is issued for up to two years, the application fee is €218, and the authority must decide within eight weeks.

The core conditions: a binding job offer from an Austrian employer, completed vocational training in a shortage occupation, and a minimum of 55 points under the criteria system. The usual requirements for housing and financial means are relaxed for this card — your employment contract covers them. After two years you can switch to the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus with unrestricted labour-market access: you need to have worked at least 21 of 24 months. For the full permit landscape, see our guide to residence permit types in Austria and the budget details in our article on residence permit costs.

There is one important nuance for nurses: the DGKP-level card can only be granted after nostrification is complete. In certain cases, working at the lower level — as Pflegeassistenz or Pflegefachassistenz — is allowed while full nostrification is still in progress.

The employer-change mechanics matter in practice too. The card is tied to one specific company, so switching jobs requires a new application to change the purpose of your permit. Under the rules of the official portal, with a complete set of documents you may already start the new job 45 days after filing. The cardholder’s family, by the way, receives the “Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus” straight away — a strong argument for relocating together.

The points system: 55 out of 90 — where to earn them

The points system looks intimidating, but for care professionals it is generous. The criteria table is published on the official portal migration.gv.at, and nurses usually clear the threshold comfortably.

Criterion	Maximum points	How points are awarded
Qualification in a shortage occupation	30	Completed training in the field
Work experience	20	1 point per half-year, 2 per half-year in Austria
Languages	25	German A1 — 5, A2 — 10, B1 — 15; English B1 — 10
Age	15	Up to 30 — 15, up to 40 — 10, up to 50 — 5
Total	90	Threshold — 55

Here is a worked example. A 32-year-old nurse with a DGKP diploma, eight years of experience and A2 German receives: 30 for education, 16 for experience, 10 for language and 10 for age — 66 points in total. The threshold is passed. Note that even A1 German is enough for the points themselves, so do not delay your application over language — you will need the full level later, at the register stage.

Three more details save weeks. First, language certificates must be no older than five years — an outdated diploma means re-testing. Second, not every school counts: officially accepted certificates come from ÖSD, Goethe-Institut, telc and the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) — check accreditation before paying for a course. Third, all foreign-language documents go with certified translations, and it is best to have apostilles placed on originals while still at home.

Nostrifizierung step by step: documents, practice, decision

Nostrifizierung (nostrification) is the heart of the journey for a third-country nurse. In this procedure the Austrian health ministry compares your curriculum with the Austrian standard and decides what needs to be supplemented. The official navigation portal, created on behalf of the ministry, is Nursing in Austria — it explains the application and documents step by step.

The sequence looks like this. First you submit an application with your diploma, transcript, work references and translations — documents from most countries require an apostille and certified translations. The authority then assesses equivalence: how many hours of theory and practice your training included. If the gaps are small, compensatory measures are assigned: an Anpassungslehrgang (adaptation course, supplementing missing theory and practice hours) or an Eignungsprüfung (competence exam). Successful completion leads to a decision granting full nostrification.

In time, the process usually takes from six months to a year and a half — the deciding factors are the volume of differences and the authority’s workload. Practical advice: start collecting documents before you move, because references from CIS hospitals are much harder to obtain later. Budget for translations and fees — typically a few hundred euros.

One more thing — funding and support. Dedicated counselling services for diploma recognition exist in every region, and for certain applicant groups the cost of nostrification is partially covered by integration funds and the employment service. If you have already found an employer, they will often take the preparation course upon themselves — large nursing-home chains do exactly that, because every recognised professional counts for them.

German B2 and the Gesundheitsberuferegister: the final gate

Language is not a soft recommendation but a formal condition of licence. Entry into the Gesundheitsberuferegister (the Austrian health professions register) requires proof of German: level B2 for diplomed nurses (DGKP) and B1 for Pflegeassistenz and Pflegefachassistenz. The requirements are set out in the official information sheet of the GÖG register: certificates from ÖSD, Goethe-Institut, telc or ÖIF all qualify, and German-language training documents may also count.

Employers can view the register, and without an entry a contract in the profession simply cannot be signed. That is why most successful applicants study German to B2 in parallel with nostrification, not afterwards. A2 German is enough for Red-White-Red Card points, but that only postpones the issue: at the register stage a high level is unavoidable. A bonus — fluent German immediately unlocks night-shift supplements and more senior positions.

24-hour caregiver or employed position: two different worlds

Two legal models of care work exist in Austria, and the differences are fundamental. The first is employment (Anstellung): a contract with a hospital, nursing home or mobile care service, full social insurance, paid leave and 14 salaries a year. This is the model the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte is issued for.

The second is 24-Stunden-Betreuung (round-the-clock home care), where the caregiver usually works self-employed. According to the Social Ministry, this field is governed by the Hausbetreuungsgesetz (home care act), while freelance care is regulated under trade law: a trade licence (Gewerbeschein) and your own insurance are required. The typical format is two-week rotations living in the client’s household. Families receive state support for some costs, and workers should know their rights to sick pay — see our guides on sick pay in Austria and care leave.

For third-country migrants the model affects immigration status: a self-employed 24-hour caregiver from outside the EU usually cannot obtain a Red-White-Red Card for self-employment. The realistic order is an employed position first; 24-hour work models become available once you have unrestricted labour-market access.

Factor	Employed position	24-hour caregiver
Status	Contract employee	Self-employed
Insurance	Full social insurance	Own, via SVA
Pay	Tariff + supplements	Flat fee per rotation
Housing	Your own	In the client’s household
Third-country access	Red-White-Red Card	Only with labour-market access

Choosing a model is choosing a lifestyle, not just an income. An employed position brings predictability and career growth but requires paying rent. The 24-hour format saves on housing and lets you save faster, yet two-week rotations and living “in someone else’s home” do not suit everyone. Many start employed to regularise their status and consciously return to rotations later.

What nurses and caregivers earn in Austria

Pay depends on qualification level, type of employer and shift pattern. The average starting salary for a diplomed nurse (DGKP) is about €2,900 gross per month according to Medi-Karriere, while the public employment service cites a wider entry range of roughly €2,070 to €3,800. On top come night and weekend supplements, 14th and 13th salaries, and progression with seniority.

Care assistants (PA and PFA) earn less — typically €2,200–2,700 gross — but with the same supplement structure. In private households with 24-hour arrangements, income is calculated differently: a fee per rotation, out of which the self-employed caregiver pays her own insurance and taxes, though room and board are usually included. For the broader context, see our overview of salaries in Austria, which also covers taxes and net income.

It helps to understand where this predictability comes from: with few exceptions, care salaries are fixed by collective agreements (Kollektivvertrag). Minimum tariffs are renegotiated annually, and seniority supplements are built into the pay grid automatically. Negotiating at a private clinic’s interview is therefore almost pointless — but neither can an employer legally undercut the tariff.

For honest planning: at the start, focus on net pay and the cost of living, not the gross figure. Austrian collective agreements protect pay levels, so the race to the bottom seen in some EU countries does not exist here.

Housing and the first weeks: prepare in advance

Housing is the most underrated part of a relocation plan. The reference minimum income used by Austria’s migration system from 2026 is €1,308.39 per month for a single person and €2,064.12 for a couple. In Vienna and Salzburg a small apartment easily rents for €700–1,000, so many medical employers offer Mitarbeiterwohnheim (staff housing) or subsidised flats for the first months.

On arrival: register your residence immediately — the Meldezettel (registration of residence form) is due within just three working days — sign the contract and clarify who pays the Kaution (deposit), usually three months of rent. For a faster start, consider serviced apartments and shared flats. Our full guide is the article on renting housing in Austria.

Your employer will often help with paperwork — use that. HR walks you through registration, insurance and opening a bank account, and some nursing homes organise the first weeks for new hires in their own staff housing. Don’t hesitate to ask about it already at the interview: in a shortage field, such questions are welcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I come to Austria as a caregiver without medical training?

The Red-White-Red Card requires completed training in a shortage occupation — at least Pflegeassistenz level. For third-country citizens without a diploma or course certificate, there are almost no legal options: you would need to study in Austria or qualify under a different permit type.

How long does diploma recognition take?

A realistic corridor is six months to a year and a half. Professionals whose curricula are close to the Austrian standard move faster; those who must complete an adaptation course take longest.

Which German level do I need — B1 or B2?

For Red-White-Red Card points, A1–A2 is enough. But for entry into the Gesundheitsberuferegister, a diplomed nurse needs B2, while care assistants need B1. In practice, employers prefer to see B2 even from PAs.

Can I work while nostrification is still pending?

The DGKP-level card is granted only after nostrification is complete. In certain cases, however, working one level down — as Pflegeassistenz or Pflegefachassistenz — is permitted if your qualification for that level is confirmed.

What comes next: a checklist for nurses and caregivers

The path from abroad into Austrian care is structured and predictable — it simply demands discipline at every step. Your plan looks like this:

• Check which level really fits you: PA, PFA or DGKP.
• Assemble the nostrification package: diploma, transcript, work references, apostilles and translations.
• Submit your Nostrifizierung application and start a German course immediately — aim for B2 if you are DGKP.
• Find an employer and apply for the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte (€218, decision in 8 weeks, 55 points).
• Once recognition is granted, register with the Gesundheitsberuferegister.
• Sort out housing early — only then plan the family’s move.

Care is one of the few fields where Austria genuinely opens its doors to foreign professionals: demand is enormous, the rules are transparent, and the ladder from PA to DGKP within a few years is a reality. All that remains is the first step: gather your documents and apply while care professions are again on the shortage list.