The visa that lets you move to Germany without a job offer to look for qualified work: eligibility, the points system, the money you must prove, the document checklist and the path to a residence permit.
Last verified: 6 October 2026 · General information, not legal advice. The embassy and the Ausländerbehörde decide.
If you search for “germany job seeker visa” you will mostly find pre-2024 information. Since 1 June 2024, the old job-seeker visa (Section 20 of the Residence Act) has been replaced by the Chancenkarte (“Opportunity Card”, Sections 20a and 20b AufenthG), introduced by the Skilled Immigration Act.
The idea is unchanged, but much more flexible: a qualified professional from a non-EU country can enter Germany without a signed contract, stay up to 12 months looking for qualified employment and, unlike before, work part-time while searching (up to 20 hours a week, across one or more jobs) and take trial jobs of up to two weeks per employer.
The practical difference is large: the old permit gave six months and no right to work. The Opportunity Card gives twelve months plus the right to earn, and can be extended by up to two further years at the local immigration office — so the money you need does not depend on an employer who does not exist yet.
If your foreign qualification is fully recognised in Germany as equivalent — or you hold a German degree — you already count as a skilled worker (Fachkraft) and can get the Opportunity Card by simply proving you can support yourself. No points required.
If your qualification is not (yet) fully recognised you can enter through points. First the basic requirements: a foreign university degree, at least two years of state-recognised vocational training, or a qualification from a German Chamber abroad (AHK); plus German A1 or English B2. Then you collect points up to 6.
Summary of the official scoring criteria. Confirm your score with the Self-Check on Make it in Germany before you apply.
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Qualification partially recognised in Germany | 4 |
| German B2 / B1 / A2 | 3 / 2 / 1 |
| English level C1 | 1 |
| Experience: 5 years in the last 7 / 2 years in the last 5 | 3 / 2 |
| Shortage occupation | 1 |
| Age up to 35 / between 36 and 40 | 2 / 1 |
| Six months of prior residence in Germany | 1 |
| Partner who qualifies in their own right | 1 |
You do not need a contract, but you do have to show you can live for a year without one. An incomplete proof of funds is the most common reason for refusal.
That is the amount that must be available every month. The embassy accepts only the bank's official account-opening confirmation stating the total paid in, so open it weeks in advance.
Someone living in Germany can formally commit to covering your costs. A concrete part-time job you already have may also be taken into account.
The visa costs €75, paid in local currency at the embassy's exchange rate (in Bogotá, in Colombian pesos). The residence permit issued in Germany can cost up to €100.
For the visa a private policy valid across the whole Schengen area with at least €30,000 cover for the entire validity period is accepted. Once in Germany you must join German health insurance.
Based on the checklist published by the German Embassy in Bogotá for the Opportunity Card. Every mission publishes its own: check yours before you travel and do not staple documents.
Several of these can run in parallel — the point is to start them all at the same time, not one after the other.
Look up your university and degree in Anabin. With “H+” and “entspricht / gleichwertig” you take route 1. If not, score your points and decide whether to apply to the ZAB or for Anerkennung before travelling.
The points route asks for at least German A1 or English B2, but every extra level adds points and is what employers later ask for: many roles need B1 and nursing usually requires B2.
Deposit €13,092 (or the number of months you request at €1,091 each) and keep the official opening confirmation: that is the document the embassy accepts. It takes time, so start early.
A Schengen “Incoming” policy with €30,000 cover for the whole period, a two-page tabular CV and a specific motivation letter: what you are looking for, in which sector, and why your profile fits Germany.
You apply at the competent German mission (in many countries via the Consular Services Portal and a service provider such as BLS). Processing usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer, and the appointment itself is the bottleneck — start months ahead.
Register your address at the residents' registration office within two weeks and request an Ausländerbehörde appointment as early as you can: without an appointment nothing moves, and slots are slow to open.
You may work up to 20 hours a week and take trial jobs of up to two weeks per employer. If you need longer, request an extension of up to two more years before your card expires.
With a signed offer you do not have to leave the country: apply at the Ausländerbehörde for a work permit or the EU Blue Card. In 2026 the Blue Card salary minimum is €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations, recent graduates and IT specialists.
Your nationality decides where and how you apply, and it is the difference between a realistic plan and a wasted month. This is what changes in practice for Spanish-speaking applicants.
The visa waiver only covers short tourist stays. Mexican, Colombian, Argentine, Peruvian, Ecuadorian or Chilean citizens need a national visa to stay beyond 90 days, even if they can enter visa-free as tourists. The exception is the handful of nationalities that may apply from inside Germany: Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In Bogotá the embassy handles it directly (fee €75 in pesos); in Mexico you start via the Consular Services Portal and file with BLS in Mexico City or Monterrey, with a minimum six-week processing time. At other missions the appointment queue runs into months: book as soon as your passport, qualification and language level are settled.
Nursing and medicine are regulated professions: sooner or later you need the Anerkennung, Approbation or Kenntnisprüfung. Full recognition means no points at all; partial recognition adds 4, usually the missing ones. Starting recognition and German B2 in parallel is what shortens the process.
Degrees, certificates and transcripts issued in Spanish must come with a German translation accepted by the mission. Ask in writing whether your embassy requires an apostille or prior legalisation: requirements vary by issuing country and can be arranged in advance.
The questions applicants ask us most often, answered with the current rules.
The Opportunity Card is issued for a maximum of 12 months, provided you can support yourself for that whole period. You can extend it by up to two more years at the Ausländerbehörde, and must apply before it expires.
Yes: up to 20 hours a week, in one or several jobs, plus trial employment of up to two weeks per employer. That is the main advantage over the old job-seeker visa.
No. What you need is a degree or at least two years of vocational training, a proven language level and €1,091 a month in a blocked account. The contract comes later, and then you switch permits without leaving Germany.
The points route accepts German A1 or English B2 as a minimum. But moving up to A2, B1 or B2 adds points and is what employers will actually ask for: many roles require B1 and nursing usually requires B2.
With a signed contract you apply at the Ausländerbehörde for a work residence permit or the EU Blue Card. In 2026 the Blue Card requires a gross annual salary of €50,700, or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations, recent graduates and IT specialists.
Only if your nationality is one of those allowed to apply for the residence permit from inside Germany (Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States). Applicants from the rest of Latin America must obtain the national visa at the embassy before travelling.
Visa processing usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, though some missions take longer, and you have to add the wait for an appointment. With your qualification and language level already settled, three to six months from start to travel is realistic.
This guide summarises publicly available rules as of 6 October 2026. Visa categories, financial thresholds and salary minimums change (the Blue Card thresholds are revised every January), and the German mission and the Ausländerbehörde always have the final say. Check the official sources above for your country before you apply.
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