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Visas for Employment, Research, Skilled worker/ Vocational training
If you intend to take up an employment in Germany - regardless of the duration of your intended employment - you are required to apply for an employment visa.
The offical website of the Federal Government of Germany contains a lot of helpful information about working and living in Germany.
Compile the required documents according to the purpose of your stay by using the following checklists:
Please note the following basic information:
- Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German translation. A translation of the personal data page of the passport is not necessary.
- Please note that the Embassy must see the originals, but does not keep them on file. Therefore, please always bring a copy of the original that you present at your appointment, including the data page of your passport. Certificates must be presented with Apostille/ legalization where necessary.
- Processing time is approx. 4 - 8 weeks, but it can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for the visa. Please book your flight only after you have received your visa.
- The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documents delays the processing of the application and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contac the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such enquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and will not be answered.
The following documents have to be submitted with every application:
| Fully completed and signed application, including declarations pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act |
| One recent biometric passport photo |
| Valid passport with at least two empty pages |
Completed form signed by your Employer: Declaration of employment There is Minimum salary requirement for the EU Blue Card which is set once a year by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In 2024 minimum salary requirements are:
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| Proof of qualification: University degree |
Proof of recognition of the qualification: - Printout from the Anabin database on the qualification and on the institution or if the qualification is not assessed as “entspricht” (comparable) or “gleichwertig” (equivalent) and/ or the institution is not classified as “H+” - Statement of Comparability by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) or in the case of regulated professions in which permission is required to exercise the Profession, e.g medical doctors, engineers etc. A complete list is available from the Federal Employment Agency or the European Union. - Permission to exercise a profession issued by the authority responsible for recognising qualifications or assurance of permission to exercise a Profession + 2 copies More Information on recognition of professional qualifications: www.anerkennung-in-Deutschland.de |
Proof of adequate health insurance cover If as an employee you are subject to mandatory health insurance, you must bear in mind that this insurance can only begin once you take up residence in Germany and enter into employment. If you enter Germany beforehand, private health insurance must be taken out prior to the beginning of the employment. In its terms and conditions, travel health insurances can exclude protection if a long-term or permanent stay is planned. |
Please note the following basic information:
- Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German translation. A translation of the personal data page of the passport is not necessary.
- Please note that the Embassy must see the originals, but does not keep them on file. Therefore, please always bring a copy of the original that you present at your appointment, including the data page of your passport. Certificates must be presented with Apostille/ legalization where necessary.
- Processing time is approx. 4 - 8 weeks, but it can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for the visa. Please book your flight only after you have received your visa.
- The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documents delay the processing of the application and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such enquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and will not be answered.
The following documents have to be submitted with every application:
| Fully completed and signed application form including declaration pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act |
| One recent biometric passport photo |
| Valid passport with at least 2 empty pages + one copy of data page |
Signed Research Agreement or relevant contract with a German Research Institute The Research Agreement/ relevant contract needs to contain certain Information. You can find a specimen HERE |
| Proof of qualification: proof of doctoral degree or university degree that allows access to doctorate programmes (all pages) |
| Written committment to cover costs emerging for public agencies up to 6 months after the end of the Admission Agreement - this is not required if the work of the Research Institute is primarily public funded or there is a specific public interest |
Proof of adequate financial means To stay in Germany, the applicant must have at their disposal at least 947€ per month if they are not entering into a contract of employment. Proof of these financial means can be provided through the Admission Agreement/ relevant contract. If a contract of employment is planned, proof of the statutory minimum wage of at least 9,50€ per month must be provided. When submitting an application, proof of financial means must be provided for the entire duration of the stay. In the case of financing in the form of a blocked bank account: Open the blocked bank account in good time before applying for your visa. When applying for a visa, only the official confirmation of the bank account including Information on the amount paid in and the amount available per month will be accepted. A confirmation which does not include this Information is not sufficient. |
Proof of adequate health insurance cover If as an employee you are subject to mandatory health insurance, you must bear in mind that this insurance can only begin once you take up residence in Germany and enter into employment. If you enter Germany beforehand, private health insurance must be taken out prior to the beginning of the employment. In its terms and conditions, travel health insurances can exclude protection if a long-term or permanent stay is planned. |
Please note the following basic information:
- Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German translation. A translation of the personal data page of the passport is not necessary.
- Please note that the Embassy must see the originals, but does not keep them on file. Therefore, please always bring a copy of the original that you present at your appointment, including the data page of your passport. Certificates must be presented with Apostille/ legalization where necessary.
- Processing time is approx. 4 - 8 weeks, but it can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for the visa. Please book your flight only after you have received your visa.
- The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documents delay the processing of the application and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such enquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and will not be answered.
The following documents have to be submitted with every application:
| Fully completed and signed application form including declarations pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act | |||
| One recent biometric passport photo | |||
| Valid passport with at least two completely empty pages + one copy of data page | |||
| Completed form signed by your employer: Declaration of Employment | |||
From the Age of 45: Proof of adequate provision for old age Only if salary does not amount to at least 55% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling for the General Pension insurance scheme (2024: 49.830 € gross per annum) | |||
| Proof of qualification: University qualification (all pages) | |||
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Proof of adequate health insurance cover If as an employee you are subject to mandatory health insurance, you must bear in mind that this insurance can only begin once you take up residence in Germany and enter into employment. If you enter Germany beforehand, private health insurance must be taken out prior to the beginning of the employment. In its terms and conditions, travel health insurances can exclude protection if a long-term or permanent stay is planned. |
Please note the following basic information:
- Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German translation. A translation of the personal data page of the passport is not necessary.
- Please note that the Embassy must see the originals, but does not keep them on file. Therefore, please always bring a copy of the original that you present at your appointment, including the data page of your passport. Certificates must be presented with Apostille/ legalization where necessary.
- Processing time is approx. 4 - 8 weeks, but it can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for the visa. Please book your flight only after you have received your visa.
- The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documents delay the processing of the application and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such enquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and will not be answered.
The following documents have to be submitted with every application:
| Fully completed application form including declarations pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act | ||
| One recent biometric passport photo | ||
| Valid passport + one copy of data page | ||
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| Letter of motivation for seeking employment: From the information supplied, it must be recognisable what fields of work and Jobs interest you, where you want to apply and what accommodation you will use | ||
| In case of skilled workers with recognised vocational training: proof of German language skills at B1 Level in the form of a recognised language diploma | ||
| C.V in tabular form indicating professional experience to date | ||
Proof of adequate financial means To stay in Germany, the applicant must have at their disposal at least 947€ per month if they are not entering into a contract of employment. Proof of these financial means can be provided through a blocked bank account or formal German declaration of commitment (“Verpflichtungserklärung”) If a contract of employment is planned, proof of the statutory minimum wage of at least 9,50€ per month must be provided. When submitting an application, proof of financial means must be provided for the entire duration of the stay. In the case of financing in the form of a blocked bank account: Open the blocked bank account in good time before applying for your visa. When applying for a visa, only the official confirmation of the bank account including the amount available per month will be accepted. A confirmation which does not include this Information is not sufficient. | ||
| Health insurance in line with EU Standards (covering the entire Schengen area, Minimum coverage of 30,000€) valid from the day of entry for the entire stay. |
Please note the following basic information:
- Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German translation. A translation of the personal data page of the passport is not necessary.
- Please note that the Embassy must see the originals, but does not keep them on file. Therefore, please always bring a copy of the original that you present at your appointment, including the data page of your passport. Certificates must be presented with Apostille/ legalization where necessary.
- Processing time is approx. 4 - 8 weeks, but it can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for the visa. Please book your flight only after you have received your visa.
- The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documents delay the processing of the application and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such enquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and will not be answered.
The following documents have to be submitted with every application:
| Fully completed application form including declarations pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act |
| One recent biometric passport photos |
| Valid passport + one copy of data page |
| Letter of motivation + one copy |
| Training contract (where applicable recognised by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce) signed by the employer and the trainee |
Proof of German language skills (at least B2 for qualified vocational training, otherwise at least A1 or Proof of Registration for a preparatory intensive language course Sufficient to prove your language skills is submitting a language certificate which has been acquired on the Basis of the Standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE Standard). These ALTE Standards apply to certificates issued by any Goethe Institute (GI) for the A1 language examination “Start Deutsch 1” (or a higher certificate of the Goethe Institute) Certificates from other language Schools not meeting the ALTE Standard cannot be accepted. As there is currently no Goethe Institute or certified Institute in Zambia or Malawi to take specific language tests., we suggest to contact the Goethe Institute in the neighboring countries: Harare/ Zimbabwe Johannesburg/ South Africa Windhoek/ Namibia Additionally, you may consider online courses or self-learn language courses and apps, books etc. |
Proof of adequate financial means Proof of financing of at least 752€ net/ 939€ per month for the first year. If an unpaid preparatory language course is being completed or if the trainee wage is lower, prove of the monthly shortfall of funds must be taken separately, for examply in the form of a blocked bank account. |
Where applicable, authorisation to take up employment issued by the Federal Employment Agency/ Central Placement Office of the Federal Employment Agency (ZAV) Note: German employers can apply for the authorisation needed for the visa application directly from the Federal Employment Agency/ ZAV by presenting the Training contract. If this authorisation is presented with the visa application the visa section can process the application quicker. |
Proof of adequate health insurance cover If as an employee you are subject to mandatory health insurance, you must bear in mind that this insurance can only begin once you take up residence in Germany and enter into employment. If you enter Germany beforehand, private health insurance must be taken out prior to the beginning of the employment. In its terms and conditions, travel health insurances can exclude protection if a long-term or permanent stay is planned. |