How to apply for a German work visa

By Nicolas Bouliane Verified by 1 expert

The German work visa is a residence permit to work in Germany.

With a work visa, you can…

This guide explains how to apply for a work visa in Berlin or in your country.

Who needs a work visa?

The work visa is a type of residence permit. You need a residence permit to live in Germany if you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

Who needs a residence permit

Work visa requirements

To get a work visa, you need…18

  • A job offer
    You must find a job before you apply for the work visa.15 It can be a short-term or part-time job. It can be a remote job. You must be an employee, not a freelancer.
  • A fair salary
    There is no minimum salary, but you can’t be underpaid.40 You must earn as much as Germans who have a similar job.30 – Compare your salary
  • Qualifications for this job
    You must know how to do your job. For example, to get a car mechanic job, you must know how to fix cars. Your job can be unrelated to your education.29
  • Permission to do this job
    You must have all the permits and special qualifications needed for the job.12 For example, doctors, engineers and lawyers need special qualifications. – Find the requirements for your job

If you are not a citizen of Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you must have…36

  • Vocational training or a university degree
    You must be trained to do this job. Your education or training must be recognised by the Agentur für Arbeit. It must be equivalent to 2 years of training in Germany. If you have a university degree, try to get a Blue Card; it’s better. Your job can be unrelated to your education.29

If you are not a citizen of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you must have…47

  • An employer in Germany
    Your employer must have an office in Germany, even it it’s a remote job.28

If you are over 45 years old, you must have…41

  • A net salary of at least 49,830€ per year
  • or a pension plan that guarantees an income after retirement

You do not need to speak German to get a work visa.26

Work visa alternatives

If you can’t get a work visa, there are other residence permits that let you work in Germany:

  • Blue Card 
    For skilled workers with a university degree, or IT specialists without a degree. There is a minimum salary. The Blue Card is better than the work visa: you get it faster, and you can get permanent residence faster. – How to apply
  • Working Holiday Visa and Youth Mobility Visa
    For young people from certain countries. Work in Germany for 1 year. No salary requirement. No education needed.
  • Opportunity Card
    For looking for work in Germany. It gives you 1 year to find a job. You can work 20 hours a week. To work full time, you need a work visa or Blue Card.
  • Job seeker visa
    For looking for work in Germany. It gives you 6 to 18 months to find a job. To start working, you need a work visa or a Blue Card. The opportunity card is usually a better option.
  • Internship visa
    For university students. Do an internship in Germany for up to 6 months.
  • Au pair visa
    Work as an au pair. Minimum income: 280€ per month. No education needed.
  • Family reunion visa
    For spouses and children of German residents. You can work, study or freelance in Germany.16 No minimum income. No education needed.
  • Permanent residence or EU citizenship
    You can already live and work in Germany. You don’t need a residence permit.

More residence permit options

How to apply in Berlin

You can apply for a work visa after you move to Germany:

  1. Come to Germany
  2. Apply for a work visa at your local Ausländerbehörde. You must apply at the Ausländerbehörde where you live. You can’t apply in another city.

You can apply in Germany if…

If you can’t apply in Germany, you must apply in your home country.

Usually, you can’t work while you wait for your work visa.33 You might wait a few months with no income. It’s cheaper and safer if you apply in your home country, then come to Germany when you have permission to work.

Need help? An immigration lawyer or a relocation consultant can take care of everything. It costs 500 to 2,000€.43 Your employer might pay for it, or hire someone to help you.

1. Come to Germany

Come to Germany and look for a job.

  • If you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States
    You can come to Germany without a visa. You can stay 90 days in Germany without a residence permit. You can look for a job, and apply for the work visa in Germany.9 You can’t work before you get your work visa.
  • If you have a German residence permit
    Your current residence permit stays valid until you get your work visa. If your residence permit expires after you sent your work visa application, you don’t need to leave Germany.
  • If you have an opportunity card
    You can come to Germany and look for a job. You can work 20 hours per week. To work full time, you must get a Blue Card or a work visa.
  • If you have a job seeker visa
    You can come to Germany and look for a job. To start working, you must get a Blue Card or a work visa.11
  • If you have a Schengen visa
    You can’t apply for a work visa with a Schengen visa. Your application will be rejected. You must apply in your home country.24

If these options don’t apply to you, you must apply for the work visa in your country.19

2. Find a job

You must find a job before you apply for the work visa.15 Your job offer must meet the work visa requirements.

How to find a job

3. Prepare your work visa application

Before you apply for the work visa, you must…

If you are not a citizen of Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you must also…

  • Get your education recognised
    Your professional training must be equivalent to 2 years of professional training in Germany. It must be recognised by the Agentur für Arbeit. The recognition process depends on your profession.21 It can take a few months.8 If you studied in Germany, your education is already recognised. – How to get your education recognised

If you bring your family to Germany, you can apply for their family reunion visa at the same time. You must prepare these documents too.

While you wait for an Ausländerbehörde appointment, you should also…

4. Apply for the work visa

To apply in Berlin, you must send your documents online. Use the Ausländerbehörde contact form to send all the required documents, and wait for them to contact you. A few weeks later, they will give you an appointment.

This is the only option. You can’t go to the Ausländerbehörde without an appointment. You only get an appointment after you send your documents through the contact form.

If your current residence permit expires soon, ask for a Fiktionsbescheinigung. It allows you to travel with an expired residence permit.

5. Wait

The Ausländerbehörde will process your application. If you send your documents online, it takes a few weeks to get a response. Then they will invite you for an appointment.

In most cases, your current National Visa or residence permit usually stays valid while you wait. If it expires, you don’t have to leave Germany. You might get a Fiktionsbescheinigung that allows travel outside of Germany with an expired residence permit.

If your visa or residence permit expires soon

How the Fiktionsbescheinigung works

If you wait more than 3 months, you can sue the Ausländerbehörde for inaction, but it might not help.20

6. Go to your work visa appointment

Later, the Ausländerbehörde will email you. They will invite you for an appointment.

When you go to your appointment, bring…7

  • The required documents
    Bring all your application documents, even if you already sent them online.45 In your appointment invitation, the Ausländerbehörde might ask for more documents.
  • Your appointment confirmation, printed
    You can’t enter the Ausländerbehörde without it. They check at the door. You must print it.
  • Passport photo (35 × 45 mm)
    You do not need to cut the photos yourself; they have a tool for this. The photo should be less than 6 months old.34 – Where to get passport photos.
  • Cash, Visa, Mastercard or Girocard
    You must pay the 100€ application fee.42 You must sometimes pay later, when you pick up your work visa. This fee is tax-deductible, so keep the receipt.
  • A translator (optional)
    Many Ausländerbehörde employees only speak German. If you don’t speak German, bring an interpreter or a German-speaking friend.53 It’s not required, but it helps. I recommend Red Tape Translation. Relocation consultants and immigration lawyers can also translate for you.

The appointment takes 15 to 60 minutes. You spend most of that time waiting. During the appointment, they take your fingerprints for your work visa.

If they approve your work visa, they must print the plastic card. You will get a second appointment to collect your work visa in in around 8 weeks. You might get a temporary document that confirms that your work visa was approved. It allows you to start working, but it’s not a valid travel document. It does not allow you to leave and re-enter Germany.

What happens at the Ausländerbehörde

What happens after your appointment

7. Get your work visa

Go to your second Ausländerbehörde appointment to pick up your work visa. Bring your passport and your old residence permit.

Check if the information on your work visa is correct. The Ausländerbehörde sometimes makes mistakes.

Your work visa is a plastic card. The expiration date is written on it. It’s usually valid for 3 years.17 If you have a limited work contract, your work visa is valid for a shorter time. For example, if you have a 2 year work contract, your work visa is valid for 2 years + 3 months.3

You also get a Zusatzblatt. It describes the conditions of your work visa. For example, it can say that you can freelance, or that you can only work for your current employer.

You will also get a letter with the activation code for your eID. You need it to activate the eID function of your work visa. This lets you use your work visa to log into online government services.

8. Start working in Germany

Starting a new job in Germany

Your first month in Germany

How to apply in your country

You can also apply for a work visa in your country, before you move to Germany.25 This is cheaper and safer, because you can start working as soon as you arrive in Germany.32

To apply in your country:4

  1. Get your vocational training recognised.
  2. Get an appointment at the German embassy or consulate in your country.
  3. Go to your appointment and give your documents. The required documents are different in each country. Find the list on your embassy or consulate’s website.
  4. Receive a National Visa. It lets you to come to Germany and start working.
  5. After you arrive in Germany, convert your National Visa into a work visa.

1. Get your education recognised

To apply for the work visa, you must have a university or vocational training. Your education must be recognised in Germany. It must be equivalent to 2 years of training in Germany.44

You must get your training recognised before you apply for your work visa. The process depends on your profession.21 It takes a few weeks to a few months.8 There might be an interview or a competence test, and you might need to pay for it.23

How to get your education recognised

If you are a citizen of Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you don’t need a degree or vocational training. Skip this step.

If you studied in Germany, your education is already recognised.

2. Find a job

You must find a job before you apply for the work visa.15 Your job offer must meet the work visa requirements.

How to find a job

3. Get an appointment at the German embassy or consulate

Get an appointment at the German embassy or consulate in your country. It can take months to get an appointment.31

At some embassies and consulates, you can apply for a work visa online, without an appointment.

Find your German embassy or consulate

4. Prepare for your interview

Before your embassy or consulate appointment, you must…

If you bring your family to Germany, you can apply for their family reunion visa at the same time. Prepare these documents too.

5. Go to your National Visa appointment

Go to your appointment at the embassy or consulate, and give your documents. If you have all the required documents, it only takes a few minutes.

6. Receive your National Visa

In a few weeks (or a few months), you must go to the embassy or consulate again. They will give you a National Visa. This temporary visa lets you come to Germany and start working.

7. Come to Germany, start working

With your National Visa, you can travel to Germany and start working.38

After you arrive in Germany, register your address, get a tax ID and open a bank account. These things will be useful later.

How to move to Berlin

Starting a new job in Germany

8. Convert your National Visa into a work visa

Your National Visa is valid for 3 to 12 months.27 After your arrive in Germany, you must convert it into a work visa at the Ausländerbehörde.

In Berlin, you must convert your National Visa 8 weeks before it expires, not sooner.37

To convert your National Visa into a work visa:

  1. Contact the Ausländerbehörde
    Write to the Ausländerbehörde 3 to 4 months before your National Visa expires. They take a really long time to reply. When they reply, they will give you an appointment.
  2. Go to your appointment
    During the appointment, they take your fingerprints for your work visa. It takes around 15 minutes. You get a second appointment around 8 weeks later to pick up your work visa.
  3. Pick up your work visa
    Go to your second Ausländerbehörde appointment to collect your work visa. Bring your passport and your old residence permit.
  4. Activate your eID (optional)

Your work visa is a plastic card. It’s valid for up to 3 years. You can renew it before it expires.

Required documents

These are the required documents in Berlin.2 If you apply elsewhere, they require different documents. Check the website of the Ausländerbehörde, embassy or consulate where you apply. – Find your embassy or consulate

  • Passport
    If you send your documents online, include a colour scan of your passport. If you go to the Ausländerbehörde, bring your passport. You get it back during the appointment; they do not keep it.
  • Passport photo (35 × 45 mm)
    The photo should be under 6 months old.34 You do not need to cut the photos yourself; they have a tool for this. – Where to get passport photos
  • Job contract or job offer
    Bring the original, not a copy.
  • Residence permit application form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels)
    Download the form here or on Berlin.de.
  • Job description form (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis)
    Your employer should fill this form and sign it. Download the form here or on Berlin.de.
  • Proof of health insurance
    You need valid health insurance. Travel insurance is not accepted. Ask a health insurance broker to help you choose health insurance.
    • Health insurance card
    • or proof of public health insurance
      Get a Mitgliedsbescheinigung nach 175 SGB V from your health insurer or your health insurance broker.
    • or proof of private health insurance
      Bring your insurance contract, a Mitgliedsbescheinigung, and bank statements that show health insurance payments. Get these documents from your health insurer or your health insurance broker.6
  • Proof of housing
    You need a place to live where you can register your address. If you apply in Berlin, your home address must be in Berlin.
    • Lease
      It must show the size of your apartment. Your apartment must be big enough (9 m² per adult, 6 m² per child).52 You must make enough money to pay your rent. It can be a temporary lease, a WG or a sublet.
    • and tenancy confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
      Some temporary apartments and sublets don’t give you this document. You might not get a work visa without it.1
    • and registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung)
      You must register your address to get this document. If you don’t have it, your lease and tenancy confirmation are sometimes enough. At least bring proof that you have a Bürgeramt appointment.5
  • Occupation practice permit (Berufsausübungserlaubnis)
    You must have all the permits and special qualifications needed for the job.12 For example, doctors, engineers and lawyers need special qualifications. – Find the requirements for your job
  • Translations
    If your documents are not in German, bring translations. For certificates and official documents, bring certified translations. They sometimes accept untranslated documents, but don’t take the risk. Get translations from Red Tape Translation or Lingoking.

If you are not a citizen of Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you also need…

  • Proof of vocational training
    A certificate or a degree that proves that you received professional training to do this job.
  • Certificate of equivalence
    Proof that your professional training is recognised in Germany. If you got professional training in Germany, you don’t need this.48

If you send your documents online, use PDF files or photos. Don’t use word documents or other file formats.35 If you have too many documents, merge them or make them smaller. You can also mail your documents.

If you apply in person, print everything. Use A4 paper. Do not staple the pages together.

After you get your work visa

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Bring your family to Germany

The family reunion visa lets you bring your family to Germany. If they have a family reunion visa, your family members can work, study, freelance or start a business in Germany.

You can apply for it at the same time as your work visa.

Activate your eID

You can use your work visa to log into online government services. For example, you can use it to apply for unemployment benefits. You must activate this feature at the Ausländerbehörde. Activate your eID before you need it.

How to activate your eID

If you change jobs

When you change jobs, tell the Ausländerbehörde. You might need their permission to work for a different employer.

What happens to your work visa

If you lose your job

If you lose your job, your work visa stays valid. Tell the Ausländerbehörde as soon as you can. In Berlin, they give you 6 months to find another job.

While you are unemployed, you can get unemployment benefits.

What happens to your work visa

How to get unemployment benefits

If you travel with a work visa

Your work visa lets you visit other Schengen area countries without a visa.

With a work visa, you can leave Germany for up to 6 months.22 To travel longer, you need permission from the Ausländerbehörde.

Self-employment with a work visa

Your work visa might allow self-employment. Look on your residence permit, and on the Zusatzblatt. If it says Selbständige Tätigkeit gestattet or Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt, you can be self-employed in addition to your job. You must keep your job, and it must be your main source of income.50

Make a tax declaration

Your immigration expenses are tax-deductible, so keep all your receipts and proofs of payment. Include them in your tax declaration. You will pay a little less income tax. If you hire a lawyer or a relocation consultant, their fee is also tax-deductible.

Renew your work visa

Your work visa is valid for up to 3 years. You must renew it around 8 weeks before it expires.

Apply for permanent residence

If you have a work visa, you qualify for permanent residence after 24 to 60 months. Permanent residence is better than a work visa, because it’s not tied to your job.

How to apply for permanent residence

Need help?

An immigration lawyer or a relocation consultant can answer your questions. Some organisations can also help you for free.

Where to ask immigration questions

Sources and footnotes

  1. Elliot Herman (October 2023), multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  2. Berlin.de, Business Immigration Service ⤴

  3. §18 Abs. 4 AufenthG, Berlin.de, Fiona Macdonald (August 2023) ⤴

  4. DARE Consulting (page 8) ⤴

  5. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (December 2023), Berlin.de ⤴

  6. Berlin.de, Business Immigration Service ⤴

  7. Berlin.de ⤴

  8. DARE Consulting (page 9), BAMF ⤴

  9. §41 AufenthV, Berlin.de ⤴

  10. §18c Abs. 1 AufenthG ⤴

  11. §20 AufenthG, Berlin.de, Make it in Germany ⤴

  12. §18 AufenthG ⤴

  13. europa.eu, ind.nl, HousingAnywhere ⤴

  14. §29 AufenthG ⤴

  15. §18 Abs. 2 AufenthG ⤴

  16. germany-visa.org ⤴

  17. §18 Abs. 4 AufenthG ⤴

  18. Berlin.de ⤴

  19. Multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  20. §75 VwGO ⤴

  21. DARE Consulting (page 9), BAMF ⤴

  22. §51 Abs. 1 AufenthG ⤴

  23. BAMF ⤴

  24. Auswärtiges Amt, §3 AufenthG, reddit.com/r/germany, facebook.com, einwanderer.net ⤴

  25. make-it-in-germany.com ⤴

  26. make-it-in-germany.com, DARE Consulting ⤴

  27. Ina Bozhilova at Noah Mobility (July 2023), Berlin.de ⤴

  28. Berlin.de ⤴

  29. New in November 2023. Make it in Germany, §18a AufenthG, §18b AufenthG, Red Tape Translation ⤴

  30. DARE Consulting (page 10), Agentur für Arbeit ⤴

  31. DARE Consulting (page 14) ⤴

  32. Berlin.de, Multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  33. Berlin.de ⤴

  34. It depends on the case worker. Multiple relocation consultants (November 2023) ⤴

  35. Berlin.de ⤴

  36. §26 BeschV, DARE Consulting (page 25) ⤴

  37. Berlin.de, Elliot Herman (October 2023), Anja Kunzke (October 2023) ⤴

  38. Berlin.de ⤴

  39. make-it-in-germany.com ⤴

  40. Auswärtiges Amt ⤴

  41. Berlin.de, BAMF ⤴

  42. Berlin.de ⤴

  43. Multiple relocation consultants (November 2023) ⤴

  44. make-it-in-germany.com ⤴

  45. Elliot Herman, relocation consultant (December 2023) ⤴

  46. Emily at Archer Relocation (November 2023) ⤴

  47. §26 BeschV ⤴

  48. Berlin.de, §26 BeschV ⤴

  49. Multiple relocation consultants (November 2023), German embassy (US), visaguide.world ⤴

  50. Red Tape Translation ⤴

  51. Kathleen Parker, relocation consultant (March 2024) ⤴

  52. VAB A2.4 (July 2024) ⤴

  53. Touring Artists ⤴