Visa-free travel

British citizens may apply to the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for their residence permits after arrival in Germany and without having obtained a visa prior to travelling to Germany. Please note that you need to register your new residence (Anmeldung) with the authorities (Meldebehörde) within 2 weeks of having moved in and apply to the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for your residence permit within the first 90 days of your stay in Germany. We strongly recommend contacting the local immigration office as soon as possible after your arrival in Germany in order to secure a timely appointment.

The visa-free privilege is also extended to citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Korea (Republic) and the United States of America.

All other nationalities require a visa prior to travelling to Germany.

General information

General information about migration of qualified professionals can be found here.

This visa will be issued with a validity of six months and provides a seamless transition into a residence permit once you have secured permanent employment and enabling you to apply for your residence permit with the local immigration office.

The Jobseeker visa category requires you to hold a German, a recognised or a comparable foreign academic degree. If you hold a foreign degree, please check whether both your degree and the awarding academic institution are listed as comparable in the official Anabin database. If either is not listed please have the degree formally assessed through a “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications” issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).

Some regulated professions such as medical doctors, nurses, teachers, architects, auditors, tax advisors and more require a formal license to practise their profession in Germany. Please consult the database on recognition in regulated professions.

Under German law, all residents must have sufficient health insurance cover. Please read our additional information on health insurance requirements.

How to apply for your D-Visa:

1. Complete the VIDEX online application form, print one copy of the form including the barcode page (page 7) and sign the form on pages 5 and 6. Separate application forms are required for each applicant; all children also require separate forms.

2. Compile your supporting documentation to bring to your appointment:

• Printout of the online application form including barcodes (as under #1)
• Valid passport signed by the holder, issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least six months. The passport needs to have at least 2 consecutive blank pages (i.e. a blank double page spread).
  Plus 1 photocopy of the passport biodata page
• Current UK residence permit (BRP)/ visa (non-British applicants only).
  Plus: 1 photocopy of the permit/ visa
• 2 fully biometric passport photos, size 35 x 45 mm. Consult our FAQs for detailed requirements.

• Academic degree
  We will need to see the original degree certificate or a copy either notarized by a notary public or certified by the issuing academic institution. Any original will be returned to you during your appointment. Any document in a language other than German, English or French needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator

  • photocopy of the original/certified copy and translation (if applicable)

  • Print-outs from the official database showing that both the qualification and the academic institution are listed as comparable - 1 copy each
    

  • OR “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications”, issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).

• If available: any additional evidence of further preparations for finding a job in Germany (i.e. correspondence with prospective employers, job offers, agency enquiries etc.) - two copies

• Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay, such as

  • German or UK bank statements for an account in your name for a minimum of three months showing that you hold a continuous and sustainable balance equalling EUR 6,162 (2023 requirement, subject to change)
  • OR blocked account holding minimum EUR 1,027/ month (2023 requirement, subject to change)
  • OR formal obligation Verpflichtungserklärung
  • OR combination of the above
• Confirmation of health insurance cover commensurate with the level of statutory German public health insurance (gesetzliche Kankenversicherung).
• Professional/ academic curriculum vitae.

• Prepaid, self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery return envelope (up to 500g) in order to return your passport after processing (not applicable for applications submitted to a Visa Application Centre run by our external service provider, TLScontact).

• Visa fees apply
• Processing time: For some visa categories, we will require approval by other German government agencies, such as the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) or the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde). If you have previously lived in Germany this will add to processing times, as the immigration office may need to look into your previous immigration record. Once a decision on your application has been taken, we will contact you.
  In this visa category, based on previous experience most applications will usually be processed within 2 weeks.
  Although we will provide you with a file number, please understand that we cannot respond to questions regarding the status of your visa application. Should we have any questions or should we require additional documentation to process your application, we will contact you.

3. Book an appointment to apply for your visa.

Where to book your appointment/ apply for your visa:

Please apply directly with the German Mission having jurisdiction for your place of residence.

Additional Information

Further information on living and working in Germany is available here.