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D-Visas: Chancenkarte (“opportunity card”)
The Chancenkarte is aimed at Non-EU nationals who hold an academic degree or a professional qualification. It will enable holders to remain in Germany for a period of 12 months in order to find appropriate employment or to pursue additional qualifications with a view to finding employment.
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 Chancenkarte visa prior to travelling to Germany.
General information
Chancenkarten are issued initially for a maximum of one year. The opportunity card allows you to look for gainful employment in Germany, i.e. you can seek employment or become self-employed. While you are looking for gainful employment, you are allowed to have one or more part-time jobs totalling 20 hours a week. You can also do job trials for a maximum of two weeks per employer as part of your job search. The aim of the job trial must be either to obtain qualified employment, an apprenticeship or a qualification programme.
The Chancenkarte provides two pathways to looking for a job in Germany:
Under the skilled professionals pathway, you must have a foreign professional or academic qualification that is fully recognised in Germany.
In this pathway
- You must hold a German academic degree or a comparable foreign academic degree. Your degree course must have taken a minimum of 2 years to complete. In order to find out whether your foreign degree is deemed comparable, 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 you need to obtain a “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications” issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
or
- You must have undergone professional training in Germany or overseas. Your training must have taken a minimum of 2 years to complete. Any professional qualification obtained overseas must have been fully recognised by the competent body in Germany and you must be able to provide the formal recognition notice. To find out more about having your qualification recognised please refer to this database.
The points-based pathway provides a separate option for individuals holding an academic or professional qualification that is not deemed comparable or has not (yet) been fully recognised.
In this pathway
- You must hold an academic degree. Your degree course must have taken a minimum of 2 years to complete and your academic degree qualification must be fully recognised in the country where it has been awarded. Additionally, your degree must have been assessed by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
or
- You must have undergone professional training. Your training must have taken a minimum of 2 years to complete and your qualification must be fully recognised in the country where it has been awarded. Additionally, your qualification must have been assessed by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). If you completed a category A vocational education and training at a German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) that meets the requirements of the Vocational Training Act [BBiG], this qualification may also be suitable.
Additionally
- You must have at minimum basic German language proficiency (level A1 CEFR - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or at minimum advanced English language proficiency (level B2 CEFR). Higher proficiency levels than the minimum requirements in either language are an additional advantage in the point-based system.
and
- You must score a minimum of 6 points in the points-based system. For additional information on the points-based system including a self-check, please click here.
Some regulated professions such as medical doctors, nurses, teachers, architects, auditors, tax advisors and others require a formal licence to practise their profession in Germany. Please consult the database on recognition in regulated professions here.
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 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.
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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 13,092 (subject to change)
- OR blocked account holding minimum EUR 1,091/ month (subject to change)
- OR formal obligation Verpflichtungserklärung
- Confirmation of health insurance cover commensurate with the level of statutory German public health insurance (gesetzliche Kankenversicherung).
- 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.)
- Professional/ academic curriculum vitae.
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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).
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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)
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Print-outs from the official database showing that both the qualification and the academic institution are listed as comparable - 1 copy each
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OR “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications”, issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
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Evidence of your professional qualification
We will need to see the original certificate or a copy either notarized by a notary public or certified by the issuing 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).
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Photocopy of the formal assessment notice by the competent body in Germany confirming that your qualification has been recognised.
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- Academic degree or evidence of professional qualification
We will need to see the original degree certificate or a copy either notarized by notary public or certified by the issuing 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).
- Photocopy of the confirmation that your degree/qualification has been assessed by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
- Evidence of German and/or English language proficiency
Certificates issued by any institution testing in accordance with the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) are accepted for both German and English. IELTS and TOEFL are also accepted as evidence for English. The tests may not be older than one year. - Evidence of professional experience in relation to your formal qualification within the last 7 years (if applicable in the points-based system)Confirmation in writing by your previous employer/s confirming the dates of employment as well as providing a description of the responsibilities.
- Evidence of previous residence in Germany within the last 5 years (if applicable in the points-based system)Confirmation of registration (Meldebescheinigung), rental agreements, employment contracts and/or similar
- Visa fees apply.
- Processing time: For some visa categories, we will require approval from 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 has been made on your application, we will contact you.
In this visa category, most applications are typically 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
The German missions overseas are unable to provide individual advice. For any additional information on the qualifications required, the recognition of qualifications etc. please contact the advisory service set up by the Federal Government; details are available here.
Further information on living and working in Germany is available here.
