Job seeker visa Germany
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) to look for work
Run by German missions abroad (Federal Foreign Office) and the Federal Employment Agency; information from Make it in Germany (Federal Government)
Skilled people with a degree or at least two years of vocational training who want to come to Germany and look for a job for up to one year.
- Job offer
- Not required. Part-time work and trial work are allowed while you search.
- Language
- With a fully recognised qualification, none. On the points route, German at level A1 or English at level B2 (CEFR).
- Education
- Either a qualification fully recognised in Germany, or a vocational qualification of at least two years or a university degree recognised by the country where it was earned, plus six points.
- Work experience
- Not required for the fully recognised option. On the points route, work experience earns points.
- Government fee
- EUR 75 for a national (long stay) visa, EUR 37.50 for minors
- Processing time
- Several months, depending on the purpose of stay (Federal Foreign Office)
- Money you must show
- A blocked bank account with at least EUR 1,091 net per month (2026 amount), or a declaration of commitment.
- When and to whom you pay
- At the German mission when you apply for the visa.
Checked on 18 October 2026. What the page says
Read on make-it-in-germany.com on 2026-10-18: "German language skills of at least level A1 ... or English language skills of at least level B2 (CEFR)"; "blocked bank account (containing a minimum of €1,091 net per month, amount applicable in 2026) or a declaration of commitment". Fee read on auswaertiges-amt.de: "für nationale Visa (zum längerfristigen Aufenthalt) 75 Euro". Another official page.