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Recognition of a Foreign Professional Qualification
If your professional qualification has only been partially recognized in Germany, you can apply for a visa to acquire the necessary qualifications in Germany.
Important information
You can submit this application online via Consular Services Portal . This provides you with preliminary feedback on whether your documents are complete. Your appointment will then proceed quickly and efficiently.
General Information
All information regarding the scheduling of appointments can be found here .
| Visa Category | |
| National Visa | Fee |
| Regular | 75,- € |
| Reduced | 37,50,- € |
Visa fees must be paid either by international credit card (Visa / Mastercard) or in cash in RWF at the current exchange rate.
The duration of the entire visa process varies significantly: it can take from a few working days to several months. We cannot guarantee a specific processing time, as domestic German authorities must be involved during the process, and the German Embass in Kigali has no influence over their processing times. The final review and decision by the German Embassy can only take place after the feedback from Germany has been received. Please plan for a processing time of approximately three months. In individual cases, it may take longer.
The Embassy in Kigali reviews and decides on your application. In doing so, the legal requirements are always examined on a case-by-case basis based on the submitted application documents. Depending on the purpose of the stay, this review may take from a few working days to several months. The processing time increases if documents require more intensive scrutiny or if further research regarding the applicant or the actual purpose of the stay is necessary.
Regarding inquiries: For data protection reasons, detailed information can only be provided to the applicant, their legal representative, or a representative with written power of attorney. Other inquiries from third parties unfortunately cannot be answered. We ask for your understanding that the visa section is not reachable by telephone due to capacity constraints. However, you may send us a message at visa@kiga.diplo.de.
Exception: For applicants participating in the accelerated procedure for skilled workers, the processing time is generally three weeks after the application has been submitted. The processing time may be extended if additional documents are requested or if further questions must be clarified.
As a general rule, you must collect your passport in person.
Once a decision has been made on your application, you will be informed about the collection either via an email through the Consular Services Portal or by telephone.
Please check the website for information regarding public holidays on which the Embassy is closed.
Upon receiving your passport, please check that all details on the visa label are correct. Please notify us immediately of any errors so that we can issue a new visa. With a national visa, you may travel within the Schengen area. Everyone residing in Germany must be registered. You should do this at the residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) or citizens' office (Bürgeramt) no later than two weeks after moving in. Please contact the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in your place of residence in Germany well before your visa expires to apply for your residence permit.
If your visa application has been rejected, this may be for various reasons. These reasons will be stated in the notice of refusal.
Your guide to arriving in Germany: Make it in Germany
The overview of required documents indicates whether you must provide a language certificate. Currently recognized providers of language certificates are:
- Language certificates from the Goethe-Institut e.V.
- Language certificates from telc Gmbh
- Language certificates from the Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD)
- “TestDaF” from the TestDaF-Institut e.V. (Institute of the FernUniversität in Hagen and the Ruhr-University Bochum, examination level from B2 CEFR onwards)
- Language certificates from the ECL Examination Centre
The certificate must not be older than 12 months at the time of application. If you have taken the examination in various modules/partial exams, all modules must have been completed with the same provider. Evidence of different exam parts from different providers is not sufficient.
The Embassy is aware of cases where language certificates have been issued or obtained fraudulently. The Embassy reserves the right to verify your German language skills. Insufficient German language proficiency may be a ground for the refusal of a visa application.
Information on this Visa Category
- In order to take up qualified employment in Germany, your qualification must be recognized or assessed as comparable to a German qualification. Qualified employment exists if the skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform it are acquired through a degree program or qualified vocational training.
- You can have your qualification checked even before entering Germany. If this check reveals that your training is (not yet) equivalent to a German qualification, you will receive a so-called deficit notice or partial recognition notice (Defizitbescheid/Teilanerkennungsbescheid). This notice specifies the areas in which you still need further theoretical or practical training to achieve full equivalence of your qualification.
- With a visa for a qualification measure, you can undergo the necessary adaptation and compensatory measures in Germany and simultaneously begin working. After completing the further training and achieving full recognition of your qualification, you can then apply for permanent residence in Germany.
- Please note that there are foreign university degrees that are evaluated as vocational training in Germany.
- It is also possible, with the support of the employer, to go through the recognition process only after entering Germany. For this, please read the information on the visa for a recognition partnership.
- Information on the recognition process can be found here. For more in-depth advice and support in the recognition process, please contact the Central Service Point for Recognition of Professional Qualifications (”Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung (ZSBA).“)
| Application | Required Financial Means |
| Students | 11.904,- € / monthly payment: 992,- € |
| Applicants for studies | 9.819,- € / monthly payment: 1.091,- € |
| Vocational training | 1.048,- € (per month / gross) |
| EU Blue Card | |
| Academics with professional experience | 50.700,- € (per year) |
| Shortage occupations | 45.934,20 € (per year) |
| Recent graduates (within 3 years of university graduation) | 45.934,20 € (per year) |
| IT specialists | 45.934,20 € (per year) |
| Applicants over 45 years of age | |
| Skilled workers who do not meet the requirements for an EU Blue Card and have reached the age of 45 at the time of application must either prove a gross annual salary of at least 55% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling for the general pension insurance. Alternatively, adequate old-age provision must be proven (e.g., real estate, securities, insurance, etc.), unless a justified exceptional case exists. | 55.770,- € (per year) |
| Scientists and Researchers | |
| If your minimum salary for a 40-hour work week reaches this amount, your livelihood is considered secured. In this case, no further evidence is required. | 2.410,- € (per month, gross) |
| If remuneration of this amount is not available, the security of the livelihood must be proven by appropriate evidence, e.g., a scholarship or a blocked account. | 1.091,- € (per month, net) |
| IT specialists without formally recognized qualifications | |
| The gross annual salary must exceed this amount. Exception: Your employer is bound by a collective agreement and employs you according to the applicable collective bargaining conditions. | 45.630,- € (per year) |
| Au Pair | |
| The livelihood is considered secured if the au pair has this amount available, plus free health and long-term care insurance. This amount consists of pocket money (280 EUR per month) and a subsidy for a German language course (at least 70 EUR per month). | 350,- € (per month) |
| Voluntary Service | |
| The livelihood is considered secured if the volunteer has this amount available, plus free health and long-term care insurance. This amount consists of 380 EUR for housing costs, 173 EUR for meals, and 302 EUR for pocket money. A combination of cash and benefits in kind (e.g., free accommodation) is possible. | 855,- € (per month) |
| Internship | 992.- € (per month) |
| Language Course | 1.091.- € (per month) |
Required Documents
Please submit all necessary documents (see below). If an original document is available, it must be presented in addition to the required simple copy. Originals will be returned to you once the processing is complete. All documents not issued in German, English, or French must be submitted together with a translation. Missing documents or evidence may lead to the rejection of the application.
In your application form, please provide all information regarding your entry into and stay in Germany. Please complete this form in full, print it, and sign it yourself.
Link to the “VIDEX” form.
Two current biometric passport photos (45mm x 35mm). Information on biometric passport photos can be found here.
Please paste only one passport photo onto the application form and attach the second one separately.
The document must have at least two blank pages (in the event of a positive decision, your visa will be pasted here).
Proof of sufficient health insurance coverage for entry, valid from the requested date of entry and for a duration of at least three months.
If you are subject to compulsory statutory health insurance as an employee, please note that this only takes effect upon establishing residence in Germany and commencing employment. Since this does not apply immediately upon entry, additional private health insurance must be taken out until the employment begins and enrollment in the statutory health insurance is possible. Travel health insurance policies may exclude coverage in their terms and conditions if a long-term or permanent stay is planned. So-called “incoming insurance” may also contain such exclusions.
A tabular and complete CV, specifically outlining your previous education and, if applicable, professional experience.
The “Declaration of Employment ” form must be completed in full and submitted by the future employer.
If your employer has already obtained approval from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) or the competent immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany before the start of the visa process, the processing time at the diplomatic mission will be significantly shortened. The pre-approval must be submitted as an original. If the visa application is submitted via the accelerated procedure for skilled workers or if an AZR number is specified on the pre-approval, a copy is sufficient. In individual cases, it may be necessary for us to request further documents from you to complete the final review of your application.
If your family members wish to apply for a visa together with you, you will find an overview of the visa categories and the required documents in the “Family” section of the visa page .
Notice from the competent state authority or Chamber of Commerce and Industry containing information on significant differences compared to the German vocational training and the necessary adaptation measures.
Depending on the deficits identified in the notice, you must submit information regarding the planned adaptation or compensatory measure.
Predominantly theoretical further training (e.g., theory course, language course)
- Invitation letter or registration confirmation from the provider.
- Details on the type and duration of the measure, and information on the required minimum language level.
- Proof of the language skills required to participate in the measure (usually at least A2; for healthcare professions, this may be higher).
- If applicable, a “self-disclosure” from the provider (e.g., state-recognized / accredited according to the AZAV (Accreditation and Admission Ordinance for Employment Promotion) / funded under state funding programs / information on any participating companies).
- For courses from private, non-certified, or non-publicly funded providers: Confirmation from the competent authority that the measure is suitable for achieving recognition (exception: language courses, preparation courses for exams).
Predominantly practical further training (e.g., practical course, internship):Declaration of Employment completed by the employer, including Supplementary Sheet A, with
- a binding confirmation from the company that the qualification measure can be completed within the company.
- Further training plan of the company.
- Employment contract including details of the planned remuneration.
- For preparation courses conducted predominantly within a company: Confirmation from the provider of the qualification measure that the practical phase in the company is part of the preparation course.
If you intend to hold employment during the qualification measure that is not part of the qualification itself but is related to the intended profession, please submit the Declaration of Employment including Supplementary Sheet A, completed in full by your future employer, in the original. The job description must clearly show the professional connection between the employment and the intended future profession.
Certificate of your vocational training or university degree completed in Rwanda or another foreign country.
Your livelihood must be secured during your stay in Germany. Generally, you prove this through your employment contract and the job description for the period before and after the recognition process.
If you do not take up employment during the adaptation measure, you must have at least 1,091 EUR net per month available to you for the planned duration of the recognition process. To prove this, you must set up a blocked account (Sperrkonto).
You must prove that you have sufficient German language skills for the planned measure, usually at level A2. For qualification measures in the healthcare sector, at least level B1 is generally required. The specific language level required in individual cases should be evident from the information provided by the educational provider. To this end, please submit a language certificate from a recognized examination provider. An overview of the providers can be found in the general information of the respective visa category.