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Visa for Employment for Qualified Professionals
If you have completed qualified vocational training or a course of study outside Germany, you can obtain a residence permit under Section 18a of the Residence Act (AufenthG) or Section 18b of the Residence Act (AufenthG) in order to take up qualified employment in Germany as a skilled worker.
General Information
- hold an academic university degree recognized in Germany or vocational training recognized in Germany If you want to work in a regulated profession, such as a healthcare profession, you will need a license to practice.
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Specific job offer from an employer in Germany for a qualified position. Auxiliary tasks will not be sufficient.
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qualified employment in Germany (not necessarily relating to your professional qualification).
- please note that there are university degrees that are recognised as vocational training in Germany.
Online Application for the Visa for qualified professionals via Consular Services Portal
You can easily apply for your Visa online via the Consular Services Portal of the Federal Foreign Office. You need to compile the necessary document personally followed by a pre-check of your application You can check the status of your application online at any time. Please refrain from any status enquires, as these will not be answered.
This is how the online application works:
Step 1: Complete your application form online and upload all and correct documents.
Step 2: Submit your application. Your details and documents will be pre-checked once for completeness. You will receive feedback online. If your application is complete, you will receive a link to book your appointment.
Step 3: Use the link you receive to book an appointment online at your diplomatic mission abroad. You may only apply for your appointment once your documents have been pre-checked.
Step 4: Attend your appointment on site at the Embassy. During this appointment, you need to provide the checklist (see below), a biometric passport photo, originals of your documents (certificates), your identity will be checked and your biometric data (fingerprints) recorded.
Step 5: Track your application status online.
Please Note: Applications for visa for skilled workers can no longer be handed in directly at the Embassy. Do not book an appointment separately.
Required Documents
Section 18a of the Residence Act (AufenthG) or Section 18b of the Residence Act (AufenthG)
To apply, you will need the following original documents to present at your appointment at the Embassy. Please pay attention that all Tanzanian documents issued by an authority of the state needs to be Legalizations
Please sort the individual sets in the order listed below. DO NOT STAPLE
Information Sheets:
Employment Skilled worker with vocational training
Skilled worker with university degree
In your application form (VIDEX) you enter all the information about your entry and your stay in Germany. You must complete this form and print it out once, sign and date it.
If you are a minor, your legal representatives must sign the application and declare their consent.
A recent biometric photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm with a light background)
Information on biometric photos can be found here
Your passport must be signed and valid for at least one year from the date your visa is issued.
Please note that the document must still have at least two blank pages (if the decision is positive, your visa will be affixed here later).
Do you not have Tanzanian citizenship?
If you are not a Tanzanian citizen, please provide us with your Tanzanian residence permit.
Proof of your residence in Tanzania can be, for example, a copy of your electricity bill, water bill or gas bill.or a rent contract.
For non- Tanzanian nationals: Tanzanian residence permit
Please sign the attached declaration and bring the original to your appointment
Please have this form completed by your future employer. The information on the job description must indicate the planned activity! It is also helpful to additionally include the work contract.
Form: download here
Your job description must contain the exact job profile and the requirements for you as an employee in German or English. You can usually obtain such a job description from the employer's HR department.
Please provide us with your CV in English or German.
This document can be, for example, the degree certificate of your degree program or qualification degree. If you obtained your degree at a university outside Germany, the degree and the university must be recognized.
Therefore, in a first step you need to receive an official Certificate of evaluation:
Please proceed via the Recognition Portal
Please note that a legalisation is required to use Tanzanian documents. This confirms to the domestic authorities that the document was actually issued by an official Tanzanian authority.
Further information on legalisations.
Please proceed to the website of the Service Centre for Professional Recognition in order to obtain and provide the ‘Statement of Comparability’ (university) or Statement of Comparability’ (vocational qualification)
For a pre-check you can use the Anabin database to check whether your university degree is recognized in Germany. The anabin assessment of your university degree must be “Equivalent ‚Entspricht‘” or “Equivalent ‚Gleichwertig‘”.
Please sign the attached declaration and bring the original to your appointment
Persons with statutory health insurance cover are adequately insured from the first day of work. Please provide proof of your statutory insurance cover.
If you arrive before the statutory health insurance cover begins, you must take out appropriate supplementary insurance.
If a long or permanent stay is planned, some travel health insurance policies may exclude insurance cover in their terms and conditions. This restriction may also apply to an “incoming” insurance policy, so please ensure that your supplementary insurance policy provides adequate cover. Further information here.
If you are older than 45 and your annual gross salary is not at least EUR 4 152.50 per month / EUR 49 830 per year (2024), please provide proof of pension provision
You can submit various types of assets as proof of additional pension provision. These include statutory, state-regulated pension insurance policies, entitlements already acquired from private pension or life insurance policies, real estate and other assets.
These documents are also optional:
This document is only required for practicing a profession regulated in Germany, e.g. in the fields of medicine and law. You will receive this document from the relevant recognition body in Germany. Please visit the information portal ”Recognition in Germany“ to find out whether your profession is regulated.
In certain cases, additional documents may be required. You will be notified of this directly via the international portal as part of the preliminary check of the online application.
Processing time:
Due to the regular need for approval from the authorities in Germany, you should generally allow six weeks for your visa application to be processed (calculated from the time you submit the complete application documents to the diplomatic mission abroad).
Please do not request a status update – these will not be answered but ignored.
Fees
Appointments
After the above mentioned pre-check you will receive a link to book your appointment. It is not possible to make an appointment by telephone or in person.