Bildungsgutschein for the Kenntnisprüfung: How International Nurses in Germany Can Get Exam Prep Funded

The short answer

If you trained as a nurse abroad, live in Germany and are registered with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter as looking for work, a training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) can pay for your Kenntnisprüfung preparation course. You get the voucher after a consultation, and only for a course that is approved for funding.

Already working for an employer in Germany? Then there’s a separate route through your employer, which our post on funding the knowledge exam explains.

What a Bildungsgutschein is

A Bildungsgutschein is a written promise from the Agentur für Arbeit to pay for a specific training. Its legal basis is § 81 SGB III. The voucher is usually valid for a limited time, for a certain region and for one training goal (Agentur für Arbeit).

If you receive support from the Jobcenter, your Jobcenter advisor is still your first contact. Since January 2025, the Agentur für Arbeit has also handled the financial support for Jobcenter customers.

Who can get one

You need to be registered in Germany as unemployed or looking for work (Anerkennung in Deutschland). The training also has to be necessary to get you into work or to keep you from becoming unemployed, and your advisor checks your individual situation in a consultation.

For a nurse whose qualification isn’t recognised yet, the Kenntnisprüfung is usually what stands between you and work in your profession. Explain that clearly in your appointment.

Both the provider and the course must be approved by an accreditation body under Germany’s funding rules (AZAV). Without that approval, the voucher can’t be used.

If you receive basic income support from the Jobcenter, new rules have applied since 1 July 2026 that put more weight on getting people into work (BMAS). Be ready to explain why recognition as a nurse is your best route into lasting work.

Photo: Unsplash+. Licensed under the Unsplash+ License.

What the voucher can cover

According to the Agentur für Arbeit, funding can cover:

• course fees, including learning materials, work clothing and exam fees
• travel costs
• childcare while you’re in the course
• accommodation and meals, if travelling there every day isn’t reasonable

Your advisor tells you the exact amounts. Ask whether the fee for the Kenntnisprüfung itself is included in your case, because fees are set by each federal state. If you receive unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld), it’s usually paid on during the training.

Step by step

1. Book an appointment with your Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter. You can request one online.
2. Bring the documents that show your situation: the recognition authority’s decision letter (Bescheid), your language certificate, your CV and the course offer.
3. Find an approved course, for example in the Agentur für Arbeit’s “mein NOW” search, and ask the provider for the course details your advisor needs.
4. Get the voucher before the course starts, and register with the provider while the voucher is still valid.
5. Give the voucher to the provider, which confirms your place on it. Then your course can start.

Other support worth knowing

The IQ network (Integration durch Qualifizierung) offers free qualifications to close gaps found in the recognition procedure. If you’re working and have a limited income, you may also be able to apply for the federal recognition grant (Anerkennungszuschuss) (Anerkennung in Deutschland).

How CareSteps helps

The CareSteps education centre is an AZAV-approved provider and prepares internationally trained nurses for the knowledge exam, for the oral case as well as the practical care situations. Before your appointment, we can give you the course details your advisor will ask for.

Next steps

Have an appointment coming up, or already holding a voucher? Email us and we’ll check whether it fits our course.