Please visit the website “Make it in Germany” for in-depth information on the “Opportunity Card” for job search.
Flight reservations are not required to apply for a visa – please only book when you have received your visa.
The visa section reserves the right to request further documents.
Incomplete applications delay the process and can result in your application being rejected. So please try to submit your application in full, that is, with all required documents. If you have questions as you complete your application, we are happy to help.
Please note: Starting 11th of September the embassy will solely accept online applications for opportunity card. Please register on this waiting list and not through the old appointment system.
All registration before the 11th September will be processed from the old appointment system. New applications for opportunity card that are registered in the “old” system after 11th September will be deleted.
Please prepare the following documents:
- application form, completed online with VIDEX, printed out and duly signed by you
- valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and with at least 2 empty pages for visa)
- 1 current passport photo according to biometric specifications (current = not older than 6 months)
- 1 copy of the data page of your valid passport
- signed declaration of consent
- Proof of vocational or academic training (e.g. University degree further information down below)
- If applicable: prior work experience in the form of confirmation letters by previous employers
Motivation letter/ statement of purpose that must contain the following information:
• What type of work or job you intend to do in Germany
• If and since when you learn German
• Why you intend to move to Germany and not another EU country
• If you have already applied for jobs (at which company) or have already been invited to job interviews
- Curriculum Vitae
- Proof of sufficient financial means to cover the costs of living for the duration of your stay by one of the following documents:
• Proof of a “Sperrkonto” (blocked account) in Germany with sufficient funds currently amounting to at least 1,027/- EUR/month plus sufficient funds for the return flight
OR
• “Verpflichtungserklärung” Declaration of commitment: Proof in the form of a formal declaration of commitment pursuant to Sections 66 and 68 Residence Act to the German foreigners’ authority in which a third person undertakes to cover all costs (original document)
OR
• Secondary employment: If you have a concrete opportunity for secondary employment in Germany, you can present an employment contract or a binding job offer detailing the weekly working hours and your monthly wage.

- Proof of health insurance for the duration of your stay - (proof to be provided at the latest when collecting the visa!)
• Proof of a private German health insurance which (so-called incoming travel insurance) valid in the entire Schengen area for the entire period of validity of the opportunity card, minimum coverage of 30,000/- euro
OR
• Proof of a public German health insurance, which consists of a letter from your German healthcare provider, as well as a travel health insurance for the first three weeks.
- Proof of accommodation in Germany (such as a written invitation by friends or family, hotel booking or similar) – must include the actual complete address with street name, name of town and postal code
There are two options to obtain an opportunity card:
Option 1: Proof of full recognition of your qualification for Germany
Have you completed German vocational training or a degree from a German university? Or foreign vocational training or a degree from a foreign university which are recognised in Germany?
Then you are considered a skilled worker pursuant to Section 18 III Residence Act and you do not need to collect points to get the opportunity card. Please provide proof of your qualification as a skilled worker in the form of:
- Certificate of vocational training in Germany (original document + copy)
OR
- Certificate of degree from a university in Germany (original document + copy)
OR
- Recognition of the equivalence of the foreign vocational qualification from the respective agency responsible for recognition (original document + copy)
OR
- Certificate of degree from a foreign university (original document + copy)
AND
- Recognition of equivalence of the foreign university degree
o Either through a printout from the anabin database for your university degree and university (Please note: It must be the exact same degree and university).
OR
o Statement of comparability by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) (original document + copy) (if the qualification is not assessed as “entspricht” (comparable) or “gleichwertig” (equivalent) and/or the institution is not classified as “H+” or it is not the same degree that is shown in the database)
OR
in the case of regulated professions in which permission is required to exercise the profession, for example, doctors, engineers; complete list is available from the Federal Employment Agency or the European Commission:
- Permission to exercise a profession issued by the authority responsible for recognising qualifications, or assurance of permission to exercise a profession (for example, for medical professions: decision of the licensing authority in the federal territory, i.e. assurance of permission to exercise a profession or issuing of medical licence (original document + copy)
Please more information here
Option 2: Score of a minimum of six points
If you are not a skilled worker (see above for definition), you have to meet and prove the following requirements:
Mandatory Education
- Completed vocational training of at least two years that is recognised by the state in which it was obtained (original document + copy)
AND
- Confirmation from the German Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)
OR
- Completed university degree that is recognised by the state in which it was obtained (original document + copy)
AND
- Confirmation from the German Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)
Applications for the confirmation from the German Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) can be made through this website
Mandatory Language Skills
- Certificate (original document + copy) of your knowledge of the German language – at least A1! issued by Goethe Institute
AND / OR
- Certificate (original document + copy) of your knowledge of the English language – at least B2! The issuer of the certificate must be certified by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE); alternatively, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is also accepted.
Note: The documents listed above are also relevant for calculating your points for the opportunity card! You can be awarded points for knowledge of German and English at certain levels, as well as for partial recognition of your foreign vocational qualification.
You can also collect points for the opportunity card (details on the number of points awarded are available on our website and at Make it in Germany) by proving the following:
- Partial recognition of vocational qualification: Proof in the form of notification of partial recognition (Teil-Anerkennungsbescheid) is necessary

- Proof of your professional experience in the last 5 or 7 years insofar as this is connected to your vocational qualification: employment references, confirmation of employment from your employer, etc. (original documents + copy)
- If you have been legally resident in Germany for an uninterrupted period of at least 6 months in the last 5 years (short stays under the Schengen Agreement do not count!), please prove this by providing suitable documents, for example, (valid rental contracts, terms of employment, service contracts, etc. passports with visas and entry stamps)
- Does your spouse/registered partner also want to apply for an opportunity card – or have they already done so – to then enter Germany together with you? If yes, one of you can collect 1 additional point for the opportunity card. Please enclose proof of the opportunity card application submitted by your spouse/partner.
- If your age is below 35 or between 35 and 40 and the time of application
- If your qualification is in one of the “Shortage Occupations” (this will be checked by the visa section during your application process)
The regulations have been issued by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and are subject to change without prior notice.