After 22 Years as a Government Nurse in Mumbai, Rupali Chose Germany

Most nurses who move to Germany are in their twenties. Rupali did it after 22 years of nursing. Her move as a nurse from Mumbai to Germany shows it is never too late.

She trained in GNM at JJ School of Nursing in Mumbai and spent more than two decades as permanent staff at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation General Hospital. It was a secure government job with a good salary, holidays and sick leave. In her early forties, she decided to start again in Germany.

It started with a Facebook ad

About two years before her visa, Rupali saw a Welcare Overseas ad on Facebook. She admits she did not fully trust anything she found on social media. She called anyway, just out of interest, to ask how the process worked.

That one call changed her mind. Once she understood the procedure, she did not think twice. She registered straight away and started the process.

“After working so many years in a permanent government job, I took this decision,” she says. “It is a very big thing for me.”

German: the big hurdle

Rupali calls the German language the biggest hurdle on the way. At the start it feels very difficult. But as you clear one level after another, it gets easier.

“It is not impossible. Anyone who works hard can definitely do it.”

She passed her language exams and her visa was approved on time, without delays to her travel plans.

A process that was mostly online

Rupali lived in Mumbai while Welcare’s office is in Bengaluru. Almost all of her process happened online; she met the team in person only twice. She says she never once felt that being online meant something might go wrong.

When there were delays in the documentation, she was told in advance and given a timeline, and the reply always came by that time. She never felt she was being asked for unnecessary money either. The only costs were the ones every candidate expects, such as document translations and language classes.

A message for Marathi nurses

At the end of her video Rupali speaks directly to nurses from Maharashtra, in Marathi. She notices that nurses from the south are often focused on going abroad, while many Marathi nurses settle for a government or good private job with a decent salary.

Her message is simple: if you really want to grow your career, there is huge demand for your profession overseas right now. Take that opportunity, find a good institute, work a little hard, and good jobs are waiting.

Why her move as a nurse from Mumbai to Germany matters

Rupali gave up security that most people would never leave: a permanent post, a strong salary and full benefits. She did it because she wanted international exposure and growth, and she proved that age and years of experience are not barriers if the dedication is there.

To fresh nursing graduates in their early twenties, her story is a nudge: if Rupali could do this after 22 years, there is no reason to wait. To experienced nurses who feel their careers have stalled, it is proof that the move is still possible.

She recommends anyone who dreams of working overseas to join Welcare. “It is a very trustworthy institute, and everything is systematic,” she says. “Nothing is fake.”

Nurse from Mumbai to Germany: the route at a glance

Rupali’s story proves age is not a barrier. This is the route she followed. The figures below are the ones we quote on our nurse jobs in Germany page.

Step	What it involves
Who can apply	GNM (minimum 3 years), B.Sc, Post B.Sc or M.Sc Nursing, with registration in India
German level	B1 is often enough to start; our direct work-visa route asks for B2, which most hospitals expect for ward work
English test	Not needed. No IELTS or TOEFL
Recognition	Anerkennung by the nursing authority of the German state where you will work
Visa	Work visa for a nursing job, or a visa for recognition measures while you complete recognition in Germany
Starting salary	€2,500–3,000 a month on our direct work-visa route
After full recognition	€3,000–3,800 a month as a registered nurse; €3,800–4,500+ in ICU, OT or dialysis
Family	Spouse and children can join after 6 months of work

Want to know if your nursing profile qualifies? Get a free profile check or message our nurse team on WhatsApp.

Step by step: how a nurse from Mumbai moves to Germany

1. Profile check. A 1-on-1 consultation looks at your qualification, experience, German level and family plans. Rupali called after seeing a Facebook ad and registered once she understood the procedure.
2. German to B1, then B2. This is the longest step: several hundred hours of classes plus daily speaking practice. She calls German the biggest hurdle, but says it gets easier with every level.
3. Documents and Anerkennung. Your certificates, syllabus, registration and experience letters are translated and submitted. If the authority finds gaps, it lists them in a Defizitbescheid. When there were delays in documentation, she was told in advance and given a timeline. Our nursing recognition guide for Indian nurses explains each step, the costs and the knowledge test.
4. Employer interviews. German hospitals and care homes interview you online, in German.
5. Visa. With the job offer and recognition papers, you apply at the German mission in India.
6. Full licence in Germany. You close any gaps through an adaptation course or a knowledge test while working, then receive your licence as a registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann).

Documents you will need

• Nursing degree or diploma, mark sheets and syllabus with hours of theory and practice
• Registration certificate from your state nursing council
• Experience certificates from every hospital you have worked in
• German language certificate (B1 or B2, from Goethe, telc, ÖSD or ECL)
• Passport, birth certificate and, if married, marriage certificate
• CV in German and certified German translations of all documents

What experienced nurses can learn from Rupali

• Thinking you are too old or too settled. Rupali left a permanent government job after 22 years.
• Dismissing online processes. She met the team in person only twice and never felt anything was at risk. Sharathbabu, a nurse from Karnataka, says his family checked the process the same way before he started.
• Paying for things you cannot explain. Her only costs were the expected ones, such as translations and language classes.
• Settling for a comfortable job. Her message to Marathi nurses: there is huge demand overseas right now. Ritu Kumari from Haryana took a nursing job in Slovenia without a language certificate up front.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Recognition of foreign qualifications: Recognition in Germany (German government portal)
• Nursing jobs in Germany: Make it in Germany: nursing

Written by the Welcare Overseas team, Bengaluru, from Rupali’s video interview. Last updated: 20 October 2026.