Depending on your nationality you might need a visa to travel to and work in Germany.
You can check whether you need a visa by either getting in touch with the German embassy/consulate in which's area of jurisdiction you are living, or by having a look at the overview of visa requirements & exemptions of the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). On the latter list you will find several countries whose citizens do not need a visa when coming to Germany as tourists but definitely need one when coming for the purpose of work. Mind the foot notes!
A short summary of the most important categories:
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa, neither for working nor for staying a longer period of time. Citizens of Switzerland can be issued a residence permit upon request, but applying for one isn't mandatory.
Citizens of these countries do not need a visa to enter Germany. If you are staying longer than three months, you will need to apply for a German residence permit at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde).
Note: In the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs these countries are marked with no. (3)
Citizens of these countries do not need a visa as long as they will not be working. If you are staying for more than three months, you will need to apply for a German residence permit at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde).
Note: In the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs these countries are marked with no. (4).
Citizens of countries which have the entry NO in combination with foot note no. 1 (such as Argentina or Bosnia and Herzegovina) may travel to Germany without a visa as long as the stay lasts less than three months and you will not be working. It is not possible, however, to extend these stays beyond the three month limit. You have to leave Germany at the end of the three month period.
If you plan to stay for more than three months or intend to get permission to work in Germany, you will need to enter the country with a national visa.
As a citizen of any other country that shows the entry YES in the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs you will need a visa to enter Germany. If you are required to have a visa to travel to Germany, it is illegal to enter the country without one.
Generally speaking, there are two different types of visa:
Short-term visa (type C): valid for short stays up to 90 days within half a year, also known as "Schengen visa" or tourist visa. Note: It is not possible to extend this type of visa - after 90 days are up you have to leave Germany.
Long-term visa (type D): so-called national visa, valid for stays longer than 90 days and/or if you want to work in Germany. There are various subtypes of national visa depending on your exact purpose of stay.
Currently national visa are usually issued for a period of validity of one year. If you plan on staying in Germany for more than one year, you will need to extend your visa by applying for a so-called residence permit at the immigration office. For more information on how to do so please see the Residence Permit page.
|
Section |
For whom |
Period of issue |
Financing needed |
Other prerequisites |
Work permit |
|
§ 16b |
study applicants, students, under certain circumstances: PhD students |
min. 1 year, max. 2 years, extendable |
min. 992 € / month (2025) More info on how to provide proof of financing: https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/plan-your-studies/requirements/proof-of-financial-resources_27533.php |
Depending on study regulations: German language proficiency |
allowed for 140 full/280 half days a year (part time work contract of up to 50%); additional employment as a student assistant (Hiwi) possible |
|
§ 18d |
researchers who want to carry out a research project, including PhD students |
limited to the duration of the research project, extendable |
calculated depending on individual needs |
approval of research institution by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees; |
no consent of the employment agency needed while working for the research institution. |
|
§ 18g (Blue Card EU) |
employees with a university degree |
The period of employment must be at least six months max. 4 years, extendable |
depending on the job field: 43.759,80 EUR (2025, highly in demand professions) to 48.300 EUR/year (2025, other professions) |
concrete job offer |
no consent of the employment agency needed; |
More detailed information can also be found here:
If your spouse and/or children will be moving together with you they can apply for visa for family members. To apply for this type of visa, you might need certified translations of your family documents (marriage certificate, birth certificates, diplomas, etc.). To prove that your documents are authentic, depending on where the documents were issued you might need either an apostille or (for documents from countries not part of the apostille agreement) a legalization. The apostille must be attached by the respective responsible authority in the country in which the document was issued. Legalization processes differ depending on the country; often the homepage of the German embassy in the respective country has information on how to get a document legalized.
If you are already living in Germany but still need something translated, you can look for certified translators in your region on the website Justice Translator (Justiz-Dolmetscher). Nevertheless, the apostille/legalization will still need to be taken care of in the country in which the document was issued.
Please contact your personal support whenever you have further questions.
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