Vietnamese Nurses in Japan and Germany: Recognition and Language Certification Requirements
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Fields of Study, Study in Southeast Asia
Vietnam sends nursing and care worker candidates to Japan through the EPA program run with JICWELS, and to Germany through the Triple Win program run by the Federal Employment Agency and GIZ. Both routes need language certification before candidates start work, and both build toward a foreign professional qualification rather than transferring a Vietnamese nursing license directly.
🎓 Japan's EPA route requires N3-level Japanese before candidates get introduced to hospitals for selection.
⏱️ Nursing candidates in Japan work under supervision for up to 3 years, with annual extensions, while studying for Japan's national nursing exam.
Germany's Triple Win program is run by the Federal Employment Agency's ZAV together with GIZ.
Triple Win nurses need German language certification before departure, then complete a recognition process once working in Germany.
Neither program transfers a Vietnamese nursing license directly. Both build toward the destination country's own qualification.
Japan: the EPA nurse and care worker program
Vietnam has sent nursing and care worker candidates to Japan since 2012 under the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Vietnam's Department of Overseas Labour Management, under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), coordinates recruitment and pre-departure Japanese language training, then works with Japan's Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) to place candidates with hospitals and care facilities, according to Nhan Dan's coverage of the program .
Candidates need to pass N3 level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test before Japanese hospitals and facilities can select them through the EPA process. The Japan Foundation runs pre-training language programs to help EPA candidates reach that level before they travel.
Once selected, nursing candidates work in Japan for up to 3 years, with annual extensions, performing supervised nursing support work at a hospital while studying toward Japan's national nursing qualification exam. Passing that exam lets a candidate stay in Japan and work as a licensed nurse under Japanese law. Care worker candidates follow a parallel track toward Japan's national certified care worker qualification within their permitted stay.
Germany: the Triple Win program
Germany's Triple Win program started in 2013 as a joint initiative between the Federal Employment Agency's International Placement Services (ZAV) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), aimed at filling Germany's nursing shortage with qualified recruits from partner countries. A dedicated Vietnam track, Recruiting Trainees from Viet Nam, ran from 2019 to 2023, combining preparatory courses inside Vietnam with practical traineeships inside Germany, and trained both general nurses and geriatric care nurses.
Triple Win candidates complete German language training before departure and continue building language skills after arrival, since German nursing employers and licensing authorities require a working command of German for patient safety and formal recognition. Before departure, candidates complete a roughly 12-month preparatory course in Vietnam covering German language study and intercultural training. After passing German language certification, they travel to Germany and begin a three-year nursing apprenticeship at a German hospital or nursing home, with GIZ supporting their integration, according to Global Skill Partnerships' coverage of the Vietnam Triple Win nurse track .
How the two routes differ
| Japan (EPA) | Germany (Triple Win) | |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating agencies | MOLISA Department of Overseas Labour Management and JICWELS | Federal Employment Agency (ZAV) and GIZ |
| Language needed before selection | Japanese, N3 level | German, working proficiency, exact level set by employer and state |
| Recognition path | Study toward Japan's national nursing exam while working under supervision | Three-year nursing apprenticeship in Germany, preceded by a 12-month German-language/intercultural prep course in Vietnam |
| Maximum stay before full qualification | 3 years, with annual extensions, for nursing candidates | Three-year apprenticeship in Germany, after the pre-departure prep course |
Do you get paid during training
Both routes place you in paid work rather than unpaid study. EPA nursing and care worker candidates in Japan work at their host hospital or care facility as employees while studying toward their national qualification exam, earning a salary set by their employer under EPA program terms. Triple Win nurses in Germany likewise work under an employment contract from the start, with GIZ and ZAV supporting the parallel recognition process rather than running it as a separate unpaid course. Confirm exact salary and contract terms with your specific employer and program batch before you commit, since these vary by hospital, facility, and German state.
What to prepare before applying
Start language study early. Both programs require a language certificate before you count as eligible for selection or a full recognition track, and language training takes months, not weeks.
Get your nursing transcripts and Vietnamese credentials ready. Both Japan's national exam route and Germany's recognition process check your original nursing education against their own standards.
Confirm which government office runs recruitment for your batch. In Vietnam, MOLISA's Department of Overseas Labour Management manages official placement for both programs, protecting you from unlicensed recruitment agencies charging inflated fees.
Plan for a multi-year commitment. Neither program hands you full professional status on arrival. Japan's EPA route builds toward its national nursing exam over your working years, and Germany's Triple Win builds toward formal recognition over roughly a year, then continued employment.