General Information

If you are a holder of an academic degree (Bachelor Degree, Master Degree, PhD) that is acknowledged there are a number of German regulations on the basis of which a visa could be issued. It is part of the decision by the visa section which type of visa can be issued.

If you intend to work as a researcher or scientist in a research facility, please refer to the checklist “Researcher / Guest Scientist”.

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”.

To obtain a Blue Card, certain salary thresholds have to be met or exceeded. Starting from 1 January 2026 these thresholds are:
• 45.934,20,-- €/year for MINT and other shortage professions, e. g. Natural Scientists, Mathematicians, Engineers, Doctors and IT professionals
• 50.700,-- €/year for all other professions

Necessary and optional documents

The Consular Service Portal will guide you through the process and give additional information to each upload. You can stop, safe your progress and return to your application at any time during the uploading process.

When making your application through the Consular Service Portal, you will be asked to upload the following documents:

• valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and with at least 2 empty pages for visa) – page with your photo and personal details
• your university degree
  This means your highest university degree. If you have more than one, please chose the one whose subject relates to your intended work in Germany.
  Please note: you must include your mark sheets for every semester.
  Please note: If you have a degree from an Indian university, you must also include confirmation by your university that you completed your studies on-site or in “regular mode” and not by distance learning. If you completed your degree by distance learning, please enclose a confirmation from the relevant Indian authority that this distance learning programme was approved at the time of your graduation. If you are unable to provide that, you must obtain and upload a recognition certificate by the Central Office for Foreign Education, ZAB.
• Recognition of the university degree in Germany:
  Please use the Anabin website of the recognition of the academic degree. Your degree must be rated as “entspricht” or “gleichwertig”
  Recognition needs to be carried out through the anabin website OR
  If you can’t find it or it does not meet the criteria, obtain a Statement of Comparability (“Zeugnisbewertung”) of the non-German degree by the Central Office for Foreign Education, ZAB (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen).

More information on anabin and the process can be found on the website of Make it in Germany here.

• Recognition of a higher education institution, e. g. of the university where you obtained your degree
  Please use the anabin website to check whether or not your university is recognized in Germany. It must have an Anabin rating of “H+”. If it has a rating of “H+/-”, your degree program must be explicitly listed in the comments for your university.
  Again, if you can’t find your university or it does not meet the criteria, you would need to obtain a Statement of Comparability by the Central Office for Foreign Education, ZAB (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen)
• “Declaration regarding a contract of employment” - Employment Declaration (“Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis”). This form replaces the work contract and it has to be completed by your future employer.
• 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.

Optional documents

• IF APPLICABLE - Professional practice license (Berufsausübungserlaubnis)
  issued by the relevant recognition body
  For certain regulated professions, a professional practice license is required, for example for medical doctors, engineers, teachers etc. A complete list of such professions can be found with the German Labour Office (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) or with the EU Commission). More information can also be found here https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/recognition/procedure
• IF APPLICABLE – Pre-approval from the foreigners' authority
  This is a special document of a “visa pre-approval” that can be obtained by your employer from the immigration authority. The German name is “Vorabzustimmung im Rahmen des beschleunigten Fachkräfteverfahrens gem. § 81a AufenthG”. It is not mandatory, but it will shorten the processing time.
• IF APPLICABLE - Pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency
  NOT APPLICABLE if your salary is above 50.700,-- € annually. You are not required to hand in any letter from the Federal Employment Agency in this case. Your visa does not need to be approved by the agency.
  In any other case – i.e. MINT- professions with an annual salary above 45.934,20 € or any other employment with an academic degree - pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency is not mandatory - it can however shorten the time to process your application.
• For applicants who are 45 years old or older and whose yearly salary is below 55.770,-- €: document of proof of adequate contribution to a German Pension fund / pension insurance.
• In “Other documents” you can upload additional relevant documents to support your application. Examples would be proof of knowledge of German or previous long-term German or EU visa or residence permit if you have previous long-term stays.

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.