Nurse profession data by country
Where nurse is a regulated profession, how foreign qualifications are recognised and which shortage lists name it, country by country, from official registers.
39 countries have an official record for nurse: 39 regulate it and 29 name it on a shortage list. Comparable country-level profession salaries are not published here, so a best-paying destination cannot yet be named.
- Countries
- 39
- Regulated in
- 39
- On a shortage list in
- 29
Country by country
Open a country for its full record and sources. A dash means the register has no entry for that field.
| Country | Regulation | Recognition route | Shortage list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Regulated | Complete the NMBA/Ahpra Self-check first; the qualification determines the assessment stream. Stream A, Stream B and applicants requiring qualification assessment follow different steps; some must pass a multiple-choice exam and OSCE before applying.Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), through Ahpra. | Listed2025 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022); Skilled occupation list |
| Austria | Regulated | General care nurse. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. EEA/Swiss recognition or third-country nostrification; qualification recognition and Health Professions Register entry are both required.BMASGPK for recognition; relevant FH for third-country nostrification; Health Professions Register for practice registration. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Belgium | Regulated | Specialist (and General care) Nurse. General care nurse. EEA/Swiss diploma: request Community professional recognition; the federal visa follows recognition. Non-EEA diploma: obtain academic equivalence from the chosen Community, then apply to FPS Public Health for the visa. Nurse is the basic general-care title; specialty titles are separate.Basic qualification recognition is handled by the competent Belgian Community (Flemish, French or German-speaking); the federal FPS Public Health issues the practice visa. The applicable professional register also applies. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Bulgaria | Regulated | Submit the prescribed qualification-recognition application to the Minister of Health. EU/EEA/Swiss and specified foreign-qualification routes are handled under the professional-qualification recognition procedure. A third-country national with a third-country medical degree uses a separate examination-admission route; admission is not itself recognition. General-care nurses and pharmacists may also have an optional EU Professional Card route when eligible. General care nurse.Minister of Health; applications are processed by the Ministry and reviewed through the statutory commission. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Canada | Regulated | Eligible internationally educated applicants submit records to NNAS, receive an Advisory Report, then apply to the selected regulator; alternate routes apply in Quebec, territories and some nurse types.The local nursing regulator issues registration; NNAS is an assessment step for most provinces, excluding Quebec and territories. | ListedCanadian Occupational Projection System — projected labour-market conditions |
| Croatia | Regulated | Specialist Nurse; General care nurse | — |
| Cyprus | Regulated | Apply to the Registrar for entry in the general Nursing Register and practice licence. The Council reviews the credential and good-standing documents; non-listed foreign titles may require KY.S.A.T.S. recognition and Council approval. EU nurses may use the European Professional Card route where eligible. General care nurse.The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Ministry of Health, examines registration; the Council maintains the Nursing Register and practice licence. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Czechia | Regulated | For non-EU-trained applicants: recognition application, written tests, supervised practice (40 days general nurse/midwife; 30 days practical nurse), then oral exam. Eligible EU/EEA/Swiss cases use the separate recognition route. General system of recognition - primary application. General care nurse.Ministry of Health (MZ ČR) handles non-medical healthcare qualification recognition; procedure depends on qualification origin and exact title. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Denmark | Regulated | Apply to STPS for the authorization matching the actual national profession. EU/EEA nurse and midwife routes request professional qualification and current-status documents; third-country routes include profession-specific qualification checks and may require language, tests or evaluation employment. ISCO 3221/3222 associate roles are not assumed to be nurse/midwife licences. Specialist Nurse. General care nurse.Danish Patient Safety Authority (STPS), for the protected nurse and midwife titles. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Estonia | Regulated | Apply to the Health Board using the route for the actual profession and country of qualification; its instructions separate EU/EEA/Swiss and third-country applicants. General care nurse.Estonian Health Board (Terviseamet) for registration of the listed healthcare professions. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Finland | Regulated | Apply to LVV for the practice right matching the actual nurse/midwife category; EU/EEA and third-country training follow different recognition routes. General care nurse. General system of recognition - primary application.Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) for healthcare practice rights/registration. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| France | Regulated | General system of recognition - primary application. General care nurse. Listed EU/EEA nursing diplomas may receive sectoral/automatic recognition followed by Order registration; non-listed diplomas require the applicable separate national/regional recognition route.For listed EU/EEA qualifications, registration is with the departmental Ordre des infirmiers; other diplomas follow a distinct national/regional recognition route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Germany | Regulated | Specialist Nurse. Apply to the relevant Land for professional qualification recognition and authorisation to use the nursing title. The state compares training; where substantial differences remain, an adaptation measure or knowledge test may be required. EU/EEA/Swiss automatic-recognition rules can differ. General care nurse.The competent health-profession recognition/licensing authority in the federal state where the applicant intends to practise; there is no single national application authority. Select the exact profession and intended place in the federal Recognition Finder. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Greece | Regulated | For EU/EEA professional qualifications, PD 38/2010 provides a professional-recognition framework through ATEEN or the profession-specific competent authority; automatic-recognition professions and permanent establishment may require separate national registration. This is not the general third-country route. General care nurse. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Hungary | Regulated | General care nurse. Specialist Nurse. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. Not applicable. The applicant requests recognition. The authority selects automatic, general-system or non-EEA procedure from the qualification and origin; the general system can require an adaptation period or aptitude test. After recognition, basic and operational registration may still be required.The National Directorate General for Hospitals (NDGFH/OKFŐ) handles the health qualifications assigned to it by the official matrix; the Educational Authority’s OH-MEIK handles specified non-EEA higher health qualifications. Select by exact qualification, origin and applicant category. | — |
| Iceland | Regulated | General care nurse. The Directorate of Health grants protected title/practice licences to the listed health professions. For foreign qualifications, the route differs by applicant/qualification origin; EEA/Swiss recognition documents and non-EEA education assessment are not interchangeable. EEA/Swiss and third-country routes request different documents. Applicants from outside the EEA/Switzerland submit degree, current professional licence, good-standing evidence and study records; evaluation may require an adaptation period or aptitude test.Directorate of Health (Embætti landlæknis). | — |
| Ireland | Regulated | Specialist Nurse. Foreign-qualified applicants apply first for NMBI recognition; the route depends on EU/non-EU qualification and may require assessment/adaptation or an aptitude test. Registration is a subsequent step. General care nurse.Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Italy | Regulated | General system of recognition - primary application. General care nurse. For health-professional qualification recognition, the Ministry of Health route depends on qualification origin and applicant status. Its published nurse service covers EU/EEA/Swiss qualifications; the checked non-EU service identifies a separate application route.The Ministry of Health's DGPROF office handles recognition of foreign nursing qualifications; origin of qualification and applicant status determine the application route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Japan | Regulated | The applicant submits documents for individual review against Japanese nursing education criteria. If recognised, the applicant may sit the Japanese nurse national exam; the foreign licence itself is not converted directly into a Japanese licence.MHLW handles exam-eligibility recognition for foreign-trained or foreign-licensed registered nurses. | — |
| Latvia | Regulated | General care nurse. General system of recognition - primary application. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. AIC first compares education and practical training, then the Health Inspectorate decides; EU general-care nurses may use the European Professional Card. Partial equivalence can require adaptation or an aptitude test.AIC is the information institution; the Health Inspectorate decides recognition for named nursing/assistant routes and maintains the practitioner register. | — |
| Lithuania | Regulated | General care nurse. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. Submit the professional-qualification recognition application through the VASPVT route selected for the qualification origin and practice type; this is followed by the separate Lithuanian practice-licence step.VASPVT is the competent authority for the named general-care nurse recognition route; its catalogue separates permanent practice, temporary service and third-country applications. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Luxembourg | Regulated | Specialist (and General care) Nurse. General care nurse. A foreign diploma must be recognised before applying for the practice licence, except qualifying EU general-care nursing qualifications that meet the Directive's Annex V requirements and may apply directly. Recognition authority depends on qualification level.The Ministry of Health and Social Security issues the licence. For foreign qualifications, recognition is routed to MENEJ for secondary-level awards or MRES for higher-education awards; compliant EU general-care nurse qualifications can use the sectoral route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Malta | Regulated | Specialist (and General care) Nurse. General care nurse. General system of recognition - primary application. Non-EU-trained nurses submit the Council's required documents and complete a prescribed bridging course before the applicable registration; EU and third-country routes differ. Specialist Nurse.Council for Nurses and Midwives is the competent registration authority for nurses and midwives. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Netherlands | Regulated | Foreign healthcare qualifications follow origin-dependent BIG procedures; only qualifying EU/EEA/Swiss general-care nurse diplomas use automatic recognition with direct enrolment. Midwife and associate-role codes are distinct. Specialist Nurse. General care nurse.BIG-register / CIBG for protected nurse and midwife titles; associate-nursing unit groups may fall outside that register. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| New Zealand | Regulated | Apply to the Nursing Council under the overseas-qualified route for the exact nursing title; education and competence are assessed, and route-specific competence steps may follow. Midwives apply separately to the Midwifery Council.Nursing Council of New Zealand for nurse/enrolled-nurse registrations and Midwifery Council for midwife registration; authority follows the exact title. | ListedAppendix 13 Green List |
| Norway | Regulated | Apply to Helsedirektoratet for authorization under the route for the exact nursing title and country of education; applicants educated outside EU/EEA may have additional language, national-subject and proficiency-test requirements. Specialist (and General care) Nurse. General care nurse.Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) for protected nurse/midwife titles; exact title and education origin determine route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Poland | Regulated | For the cited non-EU route, apply for a limited right to practise tied to defined professional activities, a fixed time/place and statutory criteria; the cited route requires at least three years' relevant experience during the previous five years. Full recognition is separate. General care nurse.The Ministry of Health and the relevant regional chamber of nurses and midwives handle the cited professional-right route; competent body depends on applicant and scope. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Portugal | Regulated | Specialist Nurse. General care nurse. For the listed EU/EEA/Swiss regulated nurse route, apply to the sectoral competent authority for professional recognition before practice; recognition and professional registration are distinct steps and origin-specific routes differ.The relevant professional order is the Ordem dos Enfermeiros for registered nurse/midwife titles; other nursing-associate roles in this frozen family are not assumed to share the same registration route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Romania | Regulated | Specialist Nurse. General care nurse. General system of recognition - primary application. For the sectorally regulated general-care nurse/midwife route, apply to the competent nursing authority for qualification recognition; the automatic EU/EEA/Swiss recognition system is distinct from other-origin procedures. Frozen nursing-associate codes are not assigned this route by title alone.Order of General Care Nurses, Nurses and Midwives in Romania (OAMGMAMR) for general-care nurse and midwife titles; nursing-associate roles are not assumed to share this route. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Saudi Arabia | Regulated | Apply for SCFHS Professional Classification through Mumaris+ with authenticated qualifications, source-country professional registration/experience and any required assessment; this first step can be started from abroad. After classification, Professional Registration requires lawful Saudi residence. Nursing-associate categories are not assumed identical.Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) for classified health-practitioner nursing titles; nursing-associate roles require their own category check. | — |
| Slovakia | Regulated | Apply to CRD for recognition of the exact nurse or midwife professional qualification. EU sectoral automatic recognition applies only to eligible harmonized nurse/midwife credentials; third-country route may require formal recognition, a Slovak supplementary examination, then professional recognition. General care nurse.Ministry of Education Centre for Recognition of Diplomas (CRD) for professional-qualification recognition; health registration follows under the applicable nursing title. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Slovenia | Regulated | General care nurse. EU/EEA/Swiss harmonised general-care nurse and midwife titles follow sectoral recognition; third-country applications go to MZ with qualification, curriculum, internship/exam and good-standing documents as applicable. Slovene translations/certified copies are required; associate roles are separate.Ministry of Health (MZ) is the recognition authority; nursing/midwifery practice registration and licences are maintained through the relevant professional chamber/association. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| South Korea | Regulated | After foreign-school recognition review, an eligible foreign-trained nurse applies for and passes the Korean nurse national examination; the MOHW flow does not add a preliminary exam for the nurse profession.Kuksiwon receives and conducts individual review of a foreign nursing school for exam eligibility; MOHW approves the review result. | — |
| Spain | Regulated | Specialist (and General care) Nurse. General care nurse. First identify the exact Spanish profession and country where the qualification was issued. Eligible EU/EEA listed titles use the applicable RD 581/2017 recognition route; third-country qualifications require the separate Spanish qualification-homologation route and any profession-specific registration or adaptation steps.For EU/EEA professional recognition, the competent health authority is the Ministry of Health; third-country degree homologation is a separate university-qualification route, and regional registration/collegiate requirements may also apply. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Sweden | Regulated | Nurse and midwife routes differ by qualification origin: EU/EEA applications use professional-qualification recognition; third-country applicants follow education assessment and the Socialstyrelsen adaptation/licence steps. Midwives are distinct; nursing-associate codes are not silently assigned the nurse route. General system of recognition - primary application. General care nurse. Specialist (and General care) Nurse.Socialstyrelsen for licensed nurse and midwife titles; the frozen associate occupations and protected assistant-nurse title have distinct scope. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| Switzerland | Regulated | Complete the free compulsory PreCheck; after a positive result submit the full recognition dossier and fee. SRC assesses equivalence and may require compensatory measures. General care nurse.Swiss Red Cross (SRC) handles foreign qualification recognition for nursing; the relevant cantonal regulator grants any required practice authorisation. | ListedEURES labour shortages and surpluses dashboard — National Coordination Office submission |
| United Arab Emirates | Regulated | Submit qualifications and supporting documents for professional evaluation; prescribed examinations apply where required. The relevant authority evaluates the title under the unified PQR and issues the professional practice licence.MoHAP, Department of Health–Abu Dhabi (DoH), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and Sharjah Health Authority (SHA), through the unified health-professional qualification framework. | — |
| United Kingdom | Regulated | Apply under the NMC international route for the exact nurse or midwife register. It begins with eligibility/qualification evaluation; the NMC may require CBT and OSCE competence tests before the registration application. General care nurse. General system of recognition - primary application.Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the registered nurse, midwife and nursing-associate titles named by the UK government list; check the exact register and nation-specific role. | — |
| United States | Regulated | — | — |
How this list is built
The list holds the 39 countries with at least one official record for nurse: a regulated-professions register entry, a recognition record or a shortage-list row. National occupation names are joined to this profession through a reviewed crosswalk, country by country; a name the crosswalk does not match is left out rather than guessed. Salaries are not shown until a profession-level salary is collected for the country.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 25). Nurse profession data by country [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 71b97d19c7ab94c54b157a3528a6b57e]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/move-as/nurse/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_nurse-profession-data-by-country_c256c2194418,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Nurse profession data by country},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-25},
version = {71b97d19c7ab94c54b157a3528a6b57e},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/move-as/nurse/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Nurse profession data by country](https://immigrationdb.com/move-as/nurse/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 71b97d19c7ab94c54b157a3528a6b57e; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) / Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
- Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Government
- Australian Department of Home Affairs
- ILO
- European Commission Regulated Professions Database
- Austrian public health portal / BMASGPK
- European Labour Authority / EURES
- Austrian Federal Government, migration.gv.at
- Eurostat
- European Commission Regulated Professions Database