How to Apply for a German Job Seeker Visa
This page details how, where and when to apply for a German Job Seeker Visa at a German consulate or embassy. Explore our guide below and discover exactly what you need to know for a smooth and successful visa application.
Who is this guide for?
🎓 The German Job Seeker Visa is only available to university-educated applicants. It allows you to live in Germany for up to 6 months in order to search for a job.
🌎 Only citizens from certain countries are permitted to apply for the German Job Seeker Visa at an immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) after their arrival in Germany. If you are from Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, or the United States, you can enter Germany without a visa for 90 days. During this 90-day period, you can apply for a German Job Seeker Visa. We have explained how to do this in the following guide:
🛑 Citizens from all other countries must apply for the German Job Seekers Visa before arriving in Germany. This must be done at a German consulate or embassy outside of Germany. This guide is for you.
We get a lot of questions about this visa. To help you out, we have compiled a list of FAQs for the German Job Seeker Visa as well as a German Job Seeker Checklist that you may find useful when planning your move.
German Job Seeker Visa: Application Process
1️⃣ Book a German Job Seeker Visa appointment at your local German embassy or consulate
2️⃣ Apply for the German Job Seeker Visa at your local German embassy or consulate
We have expanded on these steps below.
1️⃣ Book a German Job Seeker Visa appointment at your local German embassy or consulate
You must apply for the German Job Seeker Visa at your local German embassy or consulate. To do this, you must first schedule a suitable visa appointment at your local embassy or consulate:
Find your local German embassy or consulate using this search tool.
Once on the relevant embassy/consulate website, you should navigate to their visa appointment booking platform. This can be hard to find.
Once on the visa appointment booking platform, simply select the visa type you would like to apply for, and a time and date that suits you.
Alternatively, here is a quick link to the appointment booking platform for a wide range of German embassies and consulates around the world. Note: not all German embassies/consulates are shown in this list.
📅 Top tip! Visa appointment slots often fill up months in advance. To avoid unexpected visa delays, we suggest starting to search for a suitable appointment 3 months before your intended move date to Germany.
Once you have secured a suitable visa appointment, you will receive an email detailing the time, date and location for your appointment. You can now start preparing the relevant paperwork for step 2; applying for your German Job Seeker Visa at your local German embassy or consulate.
2️⃣ Apply for the German Job Seeker Visa at your local German embassy or consulate
❗ Note: Each German embassy/consulate tends to have slightly different application requirements. However, the documents listed below are the standard, minimum application documents required for the German Job Seeker Visa. Prior to your appointment, we recommend that you double-check with your local embassy or consulate to see if they have any additional requirements on top of what is listed below
To apply for a German Job Seeker Visa at your local German consulate or embassy, you will be required to submit:
✅ A passport
Your passport must:
Have at least 2 free pages.
Be valid for 3 months longer than the intended visa duration.
Have been issued within the last 10 years.
You should also provide a photocopy of your passport’s data page.
✅ A passport photo
Guidelines for taking compliant biometric passport photos can be found here. Some embassies/consulates will request multiple photos so we recommend taking at least 3 identical passport photos to your appointment.
✅ Health insurance
You must have suitable health insurance cover to apply for the German Job Seeker Visa. The insurance must cover:
The entire duration of the 6-month visa.
At least €30,000 in medical expenses.
Repatriation to your home country.
Top tip! To ensure you meet the health insurance requirements for the German Job Seeker Visa, our favourite option is Feather’s expat health insurance. This policy not only meets the requirements for the visa and is approved by German embassies and consulates but is also competitively priced and can be quickly signed up for online.
For further info, see our guide to Feather Insurance.
✅ University degree certificate
You must submit your original degree certificate. You must also bring proof that your university degree is recognised in Germany – to prove this, you have 2 options:
Find your qualification on the Anabin online database. Print the relevant screenshots showing that your qualification is recognised in Germany and bring these to your appointment. See our Anabin Guide for instructions on how to use the database.
Obtain a Statement of Comparability from ZAB (Central Office for Foreign Education).
✅ Proof of a secure livelihood
You must show that you have sufficient savings to live off for the duration of the 6-month German Job Seeker Visa. For this, most German embassies and consulates accept the following:
Bank Statement.
The easiest way to show that you have sufficient funds is via a recent bank statement that shows:
Your name
The account balance
The date of the balance (if possible, the bank statement should be no older than 5 days old at the time of your visa appointment)
The amount of savings that you are required to show varies depending on where you are applying for the German Job Seekers Visa. However, in general, you require at least €934 per month. For a 6-month visa, this amounts to €5604.
Blocked account (escrow account).
Instead of a regular bank account, the embassy or consulate may require that your funds are in a blocked account. This blocked account should have the required amount deposited in it at the time of application.
Our top suggestion for a blocked account is Fintiba, which combines a simple sign-up process with lower fees than most of its competitors.
Declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung).
Alternatively, you may be able to provide a formal declaration from a friend or relative in Germany that they will act as a financial guarantor during your time in Germany. Here is some additional info on how to obtain a declaration of commitment.
Prior to applying, check what documents are accepted by your local German embassy or consulate to demonstrate proof of a secure livelihood as these can vary considerably.
✅ Cover letter
Your cover letter should detail your motivations for job seeking in Germany. Good things to include are:
Your plan for finding a job in Germany.
The region and sector where you will be focusing your job-seeking efforts.
Details of specific employers that you hope to work for.
Any steps you have already taken to secure a job in Germany.
Details of where you will be living in Germany during your job hunt.
Information on your career plan should you fail to land a job in Germany.
✅ Proof of any additional preparations
If you have already made a start on your job hunt, then you should provide evidence of this. This can be email correspondence with potential employers, invitations to interviews, etc.
✅ CV
You should provide a CV detailing your full professional experience and education.
✅ Visa application form
You must complete and submit a visa application form. The German embassy or consulate may request that you do this via an online form called VIDEX.
Alternatively, you can download a PDF copy of the visa application form here.
✅ Visa application fee
The fee for the visa varies depending on where you apply. However, in most cases, the visa fee charged by the German embassy or consulate is €75 (payable in local currency).
🎉 Congratulations! You have now completed all the steps for applying for a German Job Seeker Visa at a German embassy/consulate! Once approved, you have 6 months in which to move to Germany and find suitable employment.
For further tips on how to move to Germany as a job seeker, see our German Job Seeker Checklist.