Your citizenship
This decides more than anything else, including whether you need a visa at all.
What are you coming for?
Do you have a German job offer?
Apply at the embassy first
You must apply for the national D-visa at the German embassy in your country BEFORE travelling. Entering on a tourist Schengen visa and switching inside Germany is not possible for your nationality.
Your route
Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card)
§20a AufenthGNo job offer needed. Score 6 points from qualification, experience, language and age, and you may job-hunt in Germany for up to a year.
What you need
- Recognised degree or 2-year vocational qualification
- German A1 **or** English B2 (base requirement before points count)
- At least 6 points on the scale
- Proof you can support yourself (blocked account or part-time work)
Money
Blocked account ≈ €1.091/month, or a part-time job (20 h/week allowed)
Work rights
Trial work and part-time up to 20 h/week while searching; convert to a work permit once employed.
Family
Family generally cannot join during the search phase. They follow once you hold a work permit.
Path to permanent residence
Converts to Blue Card / Skilled Worker on hire; PR clock starts then.
Verified July 2026: Blue Card €50,700 / €45,934.20 (shortage, recent graduates, IT); student blocked account €11,904; job-seeker & training-search €1,091/month; Ausbildung minimum €724/month; visa-free entry with in-country application per §41 AufenthV (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel); family rules per §28/§30 AufenthG. Sources: Make it in Germany, AufenthG. This is an orientation, not legal advice: the embassy or Ausländerbehörde decides your case.
Every route gets easier with German
B1 unlocks faster PR on the Blue Card, points on the Chancenkarte, and daily life everywhere.
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