General Information:

If you are a holder of an academic degree (Bachelor Degree, Master Degree, PhD) please refer to the information 'Employment – Holders of academic degrees' which also applies to Senior Staff or Specialist. If you intend to work in Germany on a fixed-term contract for the company you currently work for or for another company under the same parent company, please refer to the checklist 'Employment – ICT card'.

This information is for people that have completed a vocational training abroad and intend to work in Germany and for people that intend to participate in a vocational training in Germany.

If you intend to work in the medical field, for example as nurse/care giver, physiotherapist, medical/physicians assistant or similar, special requirements apply. Please refer to the information 'Employment for Recognition of Professional Qualifications'. If you intend to work as a medical doctor, please refer to the information 'Employment – Holders of Academic Degrees'.

Before filling out the application form and booking an appointment please prepare two identical sets of the following documentation for your visa and bring your original certificates as well as your original employment contract along. Please DO NOT staple any documents.

• valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and with at least 2 empty pages for visa)
• application form, completed online with VIDEX, printed out twice and both forms duly signed by you
• 3 current, identical passport photos according to biometric specifications (current = not older than 6 months)
• Declaration for additional contact and legal representation information - completed and signed twice by you

• Declaration in regards to § 18 AufenthG

• 2 copies of your passport’s data page (A4 size copies)
• Annexure for employment visa – two completed copies
• Employment or training or internship contract with a company in Germany, duly signed by employer and employee
• Declaration regarding a contract of employment (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis); has to be completed and duly signed by the future employer. Original along with 2 copies need to be submitted.
• If you intend to do a training or internship: Training or Internship Plan ('Ausbildungsplan')
• Proof of qualification and experience certificates for future employment in Germany
• All qualifications you have obtained, starting with the highest as well as your school leaving certificate
• In the case of employment after an already obtained qualification:
  - Proof of recognition of your qualification as equivalent to a German qualification.
  Original and 2 copies of the recognition by the competent German institution
  
  For more detailed info, please check www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de (you can select English at the drop-down-menu 'Sprache: Deutsch')
  
  For any clarification or query regarding recognition of your qualifications you can also check https://prorecognition.in/ by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.
  
  More information on the general process can be found here
• Pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency
  Pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency is not mandatory - it can however shorten the time to process your application significantly)
• CV (one page only)
• Motivation letter which includes information on how you found your future employer and – in the case of intended training – why you wish to train in that profession.
• Proof of knowledge of the German language
  
  In order to work or train in Germany, usually at least a German level of A2 is necessary, and for medical professions, at least level B1.
  
  - Recognized proof of knowledge in German (Goethe Institute / Max Mueller Bhavan, ÖSD)
  OR
  - Registration for a language course if the acquisition of language skills is not part of the job training
  OR
  - Confirmation of employer that language skills were checked and found sufficient (not an option for medical professions)
• For applicants who are 45 years old or older and whose yearly salary is below 48.180,-- €: document of proof of adequate contribution to a German Pension fund / pension insurance.
• Certificate about compulsory health insurance (Gesetzliche oder private Krankenversicherung) from German employer valid from date of employment. Please note: If not already included in the compulsory health insurance, a separate travel health insurance has to be presented for the time from arrival in Germany until beginning of employment. More information on travel health insurance can be found here
• Visa fee

If you do not have pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency, your application has to be forwarded to the competent immigration authorities in Germany; processing will take approximately six to eight weeks. With pre-approval, the processing time is approximately ten days.

Please note that the German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or the verification of certificates, for which additional fees would be charged.

Submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa is granted.

Submission of incomplete documentation or refusal to appear for a visa interview may result in the rejection of your application.

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