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Job Search for Recognized Skilled Workers (Opportunity Card)
For a limited period, you may use this visa to search for a job in Germany. Information on this can be found here.
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
- A number of recruitment agencies offer the placement of jobs or vocational training positions in Germany in exchange for high fees. In some cases, these offers are not reputable and in no way increase the chances of success for your visa application. Ensure that recruitment agencies or your future employer in Germany cover any such costs. (According to German law, fees for placement services for vocational training may only be requested or accepted from the employer. German law also stipulates that agreements between a recruiter and a job seeker for vocational training regarding the payment of a fee are invalid.)
- The requirement for a visa for job seeking (Opportunity Card for skilled workers) is a completed university degree recognized in Germany or a vocational qualification recognized in Germany.
- You can check whether your university degree is recognized in Germany in the ANABIN database. Please note that both your specific degree and your university must be marked with the status “H+”. Additionally, your degree must be listed under your university. If your degree or university is not entered in the database, you must first have it individually recognized by the ZAB (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen) . Please note that there are foreign university degrees that are evaluated as vocational training in Germany.
- 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)).
- The intended activity must constitute qualified employment. Qualified employment exists if the skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform it are acquired in a degree program or in qualified vocational training.
- The Opportunity Card for skilled workers can be issued for a maximum duration of one year. A job-seeker visa is not a work permit. Alongside your job search, you may engage in employment for a maximum of 20 hours per week and participate in a maximum of two weeks of trial employment. Your visa can be converted into a residence and work permit in Germany as soon as you have found a suitable job.
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.
It must be clear which professional fields and positions in Germany you are interested in, where you intend to apply, and where in Germany you plan to stay (including information on accommodation and other means of subsistence). Additionally, if applicable, you should state which measures for the recognition of your foreign professional qualifications you plan to undertake in Germany.
Job seekers with an academic background: Degree certificate and extracts from the ANABIN database (the degree and the university must be listed separately, both must be marked as “H+”, and the degree must be listed under the university) and, if applicable, evidence of previous professional experience.
Job seekers with vocational training: Certificate of your training and the recognition notice from the competent authority in Germany, as well as, if applicable, evidence of previous professional experience. The competent authority and further information on recognition can be found here: www.Anerkennung-in-Deutschland.de
Proof of relevant language skills in German or English increases the plausibility of the visa application.
Your livelihood must be secured during your stay in Germany. The following proofs are possible:
- A blocked account (Sperrkonto) with a monthly balance of 1,091 EUR for the duration of the planned stay. Further information on blocked accounts can be found here.
- A formal declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) from a sponsor in Germany. The declaration of commitment must be issued by the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) at the sponsor's place of residence and must clearly state the purpose of the stay as “job search.” Only declarations of commitment with the note “creditworthiness proven” (Bonität nachgewiesen) are accepted.
- If you already have a concrete part-time job in prospect in Germany, you can prove this with an employment contract or a binding job offer that specifies the weekly working hours and the monthly earnings.
Private health insurance coverage starting from the day of entry, valid throughout the entire Schengen area, with a minimum coverage amount of 30,000 EUR, valid for the entire duration of the Opportunity Card.