Free tool · 2026 thresholds

Which German visa fits you?

Nine routes: Blue Card, Skilled Worker, Chancenkarte, student, Ausbildung and the training-place search, family reunification, freelance, and the 18-month graduate permit. Answer a few questions and get the full picture: what you need, what it costs, your work and family rights, the path to permanent residence, and honestly, what's still missing.

It starts with citizenship, because that decides the most: EU citizens need nothing at all, eight nationalities can skip the embassy entirely, and everyone else must apply before flying.

Your citizenship

This decides more than anything else, including whether you need a visa at all.

What are you coming for?

Do you have a German job offer?

Apply at the embassy first

You must apply for the national D-visa at the German embassy in your country BEFORE travelling. Entering on a tourist Schengen visa and switching inside Germany is not possible for your nationality.

Your route

Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card)

§20a AufenthG

No job offer needed. Score 6 points from qualification, experience, language and age, and you may job-hunt in Germany for up to a year.

What you need

Recognised degree or 2-year vocational qualification
German A1 **or** English B2 (base requirement before points count)
At least 6 points on the scale
Proof you can support yourself (blocked account or part-time work)

Money

Blocked account ≈ €1.091/month, or a part-time job (20 h/week allowed)

Work rights

Trial work and part-time up to 20 h/week while searching; convert to a work permit once employed.

Family

Family generally cannot join during the search phase. They follow once you hold a work permit.

Path to permanent residence

Converts to Blue Card / Skilled Worker on hire; PR clock starts then.

Score your 6 points

Also worth considering

Skilled Worker visa

§18a / §18b AufenthG

Below Blue Card salaries the skilled-worker route applies. The pivot is recognition: your qualification must be equivalent to a German one.

⚠ Needs a job offer. The Chancenkarte is the route that gets you here to find one.

Verified July 2026: Blue Card €50,700 / €45,934.20 (shortage, recent graduates, IT); student blocked account €11,904; job-seeker & training-search €1,091/month; Ausbildung minimum €724/month; visa-free entry with in-country application per §41 AufenthV (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel); family rules per §28/§30 AufenthG. Sources: Make it in Germany, AufenthG. This is an orientation, not legal advice: the embassy or Ausländerbehörde decides your case.

Go deeper

Chancenkarte Calculator

No job offer? Score your 6 points for the Opportunity Card.

Citizenship & PR Timeline

When each visa turns into PR and citizenship: exact dates.

First-month budget

What landing in Germany actually costs, line by line.

Every route gets easier with German

B1 unlocks faster PR on the Blue Card, points on the Chancenkarte, and daily life everywhere.

Start Free

First 5 chapters free · Cancel anytime

You know which visa fits. A rejected appointment usually comes down to the document pack, not the route.

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