One (1) fully completed and signed application form including declaration pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act

Cover letter: This should outline what fields and jobs you are interested in in Germany, where you want to apply and where you want to live in Germany (including details of accommodation and how you will support yourself). And, if applicable, what additional training you plan to complete to have your foreign professional qualification recognised.

Covering your costs: You can cover your living costs in Germany through your own means or a formal declaration of commitment. In addition, if you have concrete plans, income from secondary employment that is permitted with an opportunity card can be taken into account.

To stay in Germany, each individual applicant must have at their disposal at least 1027 euro per month, which for the standard 12-month stay with an opportunity card totals 12,324 euro. Please provide the following proof depending on your individual case:

• Blocked account: Please open the blocked account in good time before you apply for a visa. When applying for a visa, only the official confirmation of the opening of the account issued by the bank, including information on the amount paid in and the amount available per month, will be accepted. Confirmation which does not cite these amounts is not sufficient, nor is proof of lodgement or transfer of funds without confirmation from the bank.
• Secondary employment: If you have a concrete opportunity for secondary employment in Germany, you can present an employment contract or a binding job offer detailing the weekly working hours and your monthly wage.
• Declaration of commitment: Proof in the form of a formal declaration of commitment pursuant to Sections 66 and 68 Residence Act to the German foreigners authority in which a third person undertakes to cover all costs (original document + copy)

Have you completed German vocational training or a degree from a German university?

Or foreign vocational training or a degree from a foreign university which are recognized in Germany?

Then you are considered a skilled worker pursuant to Section 18 III Residence Act and you do not need to collect points to get the opportunity card. Please provide proof of your qualification as a skilled worker in the form of:

• Certificate of vocational training in Germany (original + copy)

  OR

• Certificate of degree from a university in Germany (original + copy)

  OR

• Recognition of the equivalence of the foreign vocational qualification from the respective agency responsible for recognition (original + copy)

  OR

• Recognition of equivalence of the foreign university degree (printout from the anabin-Database for your university degree)

  OR

  (if the qualification is not assessed as „entspricht“ (comparable) or „gleichwertig“ (equivalent) and/or the institution is not classified as „H+“)

• Statement of comparability by the 'Central Office for Foreign Education' ZAB (original + copy)

  (in the case of regulated professions in which permission is required to exercise the profession, for example, doctors, engineers; complete list is available from the Federal Employment Agency) or the EU Commission).

• Permission to exercise a profession issued by the authority responsible for recognising qualifications, or assurance of permission to exercise a profession (for example, for medical professions: decision of the licensing authority in the federal territory, i.e. assurance of permission to exercise a profession or issuing of medical licence (original + copy)

Information on the topic of recognition can be found at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.

If you are not a skilled worker (see above for definition), you have to meet and prove the following requirements:

• Curriculum vitae in tabular form indicating professional experience to date

• foreign vocational training qualification (original + copy)

  AS WELL AS

• Certificate from the 'Central Office for Foreign Education' ZAB (original + copy) regarding your foreign vocational training qualification (state-recognised qualification, duration at least two years)

  OR

• Notice of partial recognition/deficit notice for your vocational qualification (original + copy)

  OR

• foreign university degree certificate (original document + copy)

  as well as

• Proof of state recognition of the university degree
  either in form of

  • Recognition of the (conditional) comparability of the foreign university degree (printout from the anabin-Database for your university degree and your university)

    OR

    (if the degree is not assessed as „entspricht“ (comparable) or „gleichwertig“ (equivalent) in the anabin database and/or the institution is not classified as „H+“)

  • Statement of comparability by the 'Central Office for Foreign Education' (original + copy)

    OR

  • Vocational qualification issued by one of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad with the relevant confirmation from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) (original + copy)
• Language skills:

  • Certificate of your knowledge of the German language - at least A1 (original + copy)

    AND/OR

  • Certificate of your knowledge of the English language - at least B2 (original + copy)

    The issuer of the certificate must be certified by the 'Association of Language Testers in Europe' (ALTE); alternatively, the 'Test of English as a Foreign Language' (TOEFL) is also accepted.

Note: The documents listed above are also relevant for calculating your points for the opportunity card! You can be awarded points for knowledge of German and English at certain levels, as well as for partial recognition of your foreign vocational qualification.

You can also collect points for the opportunity card (details of the achievable scores can be found on our website and on 'Make it in Germany') with the following documents:

• Evidence of your work experience in the last 5 or 7 years, as long as it is related to your professional qualification: Employment references, employer certificates, etc. (originals + copy)
• If you have legally resided in Germany for at least 6 months without interruption within the last 5 years (short stays under German law do not count!), please prove this with suitable documents, e.g. with
  • uncancelled tenancy agreements
  • employment contracts, service contracts, etc.
  • Passports with visas and entry stamps

Does your spouse/registered partner also want to apply for an opportunity card – or have they already done so – to then enter Germany together with you? If yes, one of you can collect 1 additional point for the opportunity card. Please enclose proof of the opportunity card application submitted by your spouse/partner.