General information

The issuance of a visa to skilled workers holding a university degree is based on the requirements set out in Section 18b of the Residence Act. To apply for this visa, you need

- a German university degree, a recognized foreign university degree or a foreign university degree comparable to a German university degree and

- engage in skilled employment in Germany. Work requiring skills, knowledge and abilities acquired in a course of study or in quality vocational training constitutes skilled employment.

If your employment in Germany matches your professional qualifications and you receive a minimum annual gross salary of EUR 48,300 (2025) (for bottleneck professions in accordance with Section 18g Paragraph 1 Sentence 2 of the Residence Act (this includes in particular the areas of natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, human medicine and academic professions in information and communication technology) and new entrants to the labor market (holding a university degree not older than three years), a lower salary threshold of EUR 43,759.80 (2025) applies), you can apply for an EU Blue Card visa. Please see the respective checklist.

Online application and appointment booking via the consular services portal

You can apply for the visa for the visa as a skilled worker holding a university degree online via the Federal Foreign Office's consular services portal. After uploading the application and documents, your information and documents will be checked for completeness and any questions will be clarified with you directly via the consular services portal. Once all documents have been checked online, you will receive an invitation link to book an appointment via the consular services portal.

At the subsequent appointment at the external service provider TLScontact, your identity will be verified, your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) recorded, the visa fee has to be paid and your original documents as requested via the consular services portal have to be presented.

Apply online now!

Basic information

• You have to submit your visa application according to Section 18b of the Residence Act to the external service provider TLScontact. Information about the services TLScontact offers and how to make appointments can be found in German and English on the TLScontact website.
• Do you have family members who will be traveling to Germany with you? They can submit their applications for family reunification to TLS along with your application for the skilled workers visa. The checklists with the required documents for family reunification can be found here.

If you wish to submit your skilled workers visa application via the consular services portal, please submit only this application online—not the applications of your family members. Your family members' applications must be submitted to TLS in paper form. Please inform TLS in advance that your family members will be accompanying you to your appointment.

• All application documents must be submitted in original with 1 copy if you decide to submit your skilled workers visa application in paper form and not online. You also have to sort the documents in the order listed below then.
• Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German or English translation.
• The Embassy reserves the right to request additional documents in individual cases.
• Incomplete application forms as well as applications with incomplete documents will delay processing and may lead to rejection of the application.
• Processing time is as a rule ca. 1 to 2 months but can take longer in individual cases. If the Foreigners authority issues a so-called preliminary approval to the visa according to Section 81a of the Residence Act (“Fast-track procedure for skilled workers”), the processing time is ca. 2 weeks.
• Please do not contact the mission abroad to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such inquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and can thus not be answered.

For your application we require the following documents:

1. Passport and 1 copy of the data page. If you are a foreigner residing in Kenya, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan or the Seychelles, you have to show a valid residence permit for the country of residence.
2. 1 completed and duly signed application form including information provided to applicants pursuant to Section 54 of the Residence Act. A digital application form to be completed online can be found on https://videx-national.diplo.de
3. 2 current, identical biometric passport photos with a white background
4. Signed information pursuant to section 18 (2) no. 4a of the Residence Act (AufenthG) – Requirement to have a concrete job offer
5. Curriculum vitae in German or English, gapless
6. Completed form signed by your employer: “Declaration regarding a contract of employment”
7. From the age of 45: Proof of adequate provision for old age (only if salary does not amount to at least 55% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling for the general pension insurance scheme – 2025: 4,427.50 EUO gross/per month / 53,130.00 EUR gross/per annum)

8. Proof of qualification

   University degree (with supplementary sheet)

9. Proof of recognition of foreign qualification

   -> Printouts from the anabin database on the qualification and on the institution
   or (if the qualification is not assessed as “entspricht” (comparable) or “gleichwertig” (equivalent) and/or the institution is not classified as “H+”)
   -> Statement of Comparability by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)
   or (in the case of regulated professions in which permission is required to exercise the profession, for example, doctors, engineers; complete list is available from the Federal Employment Agency or the European Commission)
   -> Permission to exercise a profession issued by the authority responsible for recognising qualifications or assurance of permission to exercise a profession (for example, for medical professions: decision of the licensing authority in the federal territory, i.e. assurance of permission to exercise a profession and/or issuing of medical licence)

   More information on recognition: www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de

10. Proof of incoming health insurance coverage, valid for three months beginning with date of entry to Germany
11. If applicable: preliminary approval to the visa according to Section 81a of the Residence Act (“Fast-track procedure for skilled workers”) issued by the Foreigners Authority
12. Visa fee in the amount 75 Euros, payable in Kenyan Shillings

This fact sheet reflects the legal situation at the time of drafting it. It is regularly updated but makes no claim to be complete. Authoritative version of the fact sheet is the German version.