General Information

This type of visa is for people that intend to participate in vocational training, either basic (you are training for a specific job skill “from the ground up”) or advanced (you already have completed your training and are adding specialized skills) and both in a company in Germany or by visiting a (trade) school.
This is not the correct type of visa if you already have a non-German professional qualification, have gone through the German recognition process, have received a deficit notification (“Defizitbescheid”) or notification of partial recognition (“Teil-Anerkennungsbescheid”) and now need to have additional practical skills or need to pass an exam for full recognition. The type of visa that is necessary for that cannot yet be applied for through the Consular Service Portal; information on this type of visa can be found here.

As a first step in the Consular Service Portal, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. The answers from this questionnaire will determine which sub-category of this visa type applies to you. You need to answer the question truthfully. Answers that do not match your situation will lead to a request to delete your process and start over again with correct answers.

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
• Proof of German language skills
  In order to do a professional training, German at least on an A2 level is necessary, for medical professions at least level B1. So please upload a recognized proof of knowledge of German (such as Goethe Institute /Max Mueller Bhavan, ÖSD, telc). If the company or the school which intends to train you has checked your level of German, please upload their written confirmation. This may however not be acceptable in all cases. If your level is not sufficient, please upload proof a language lessons to be taken in Germany.
• Contract for the vocational training and confirmation of registration
  Please provide the contract for the training, signed by you and the training company or school. If you intend to do an in-company training (not with a school), you also have to provide confirmation that the contract was registered with the appropriate institution. The company that intends to train you will take care of this, as different institutions can be competent to handle the registration (such as for example the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Chamber of Trades).
• Intention to attend vocational training (freely written letter) – a motivation letter in English or German why you would like to train in the intended field, how you found your company or school and what career prospects you hope for
• Proof of school attendance – your school certificates: 10th and 12th year Mark Sheets
• 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 – 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
  Pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency is not mandatory - it can however shorten the time to process your application.
• In “Other documents” you can upload additional relevant documents to support your application. Examples would be already obtained professional qualifications, previous long-term German or EU visa or residence permit if you have previous long-term stays.

The above information is for the most common sub-type in India, which is basic vocational training, either in-company (most common) or by visiting a school. If you intend to do advanced training, the Consular Service Portal will guide you through the process and will already give you additional information on necessary information/documents when you complete the questionnaire. In essence, when applying for advanced training you will also have to upload of your previous training which is the basis of the intended advanced training, the agreement/contract for the advanced training, the training plan and a declaration of employment which is to be completed by the company that intends to train you.

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.