General information

To offset shortages during peak periods, German employers within certain sectors can hire employees from abroad for a limited period. There is a worldwide annual quota for this type of job.

The intended employment does not have to be skilled employment.

A mandatory requirement is prior approval from the Federal Employment Agency, which must be applied for by the employer. Only with this prior approval can a visa for short-term employment within the meaning of Section 19c Paragraph 1 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) in conjunction with Section 15d of the Ordinance on the employment of Foreigners (BeschV) be applied for.

You can live and work in Germany for a maximum of eight months within a twelve-month period for this purpose of stay. Please note that this is a temporary purpose of stay.

Please also note the information in the relevant information leaflet (in German) from the Federal Employment Agency.

Basic information

• You have to submit your visa application for the purpose of short-term quota-based employment 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.
• All application documents must be submitted in original with 1 copy. Please 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.
• 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 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 (2) no. 8 in conjunction with Section 53 AufenthG

   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” and supplementary sheet D
7. Work contract signed by you and the employer

8. If necessary: 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)

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

9. Proof of qualification
   • Secondary school degree (in Kenya: KCSE)
   • If applicable: vocational school and/or university degree (including transcript of records)
   • If applicable: proof of German language skills (A recognized certificate from an examination provider certified according to the standards of the ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) must be submitted as proof. In Kenya, the Goethe-Institut and ÖSD currently issue recognized language certificates. Only certificates for which the examination date was no longer than one year ago will be accepted. If individual modules have been repeated, the date of the oldest module passed applies. Taking different test parts from different ALTE certified providers is sufficient.)
   • If applicable: other qualifications

10. Proof of previous professional experience

    Please submit reference letters from your former employers or other documents proving your previous professional experience (employment contract, salary slips, etc.).

    If you have professional experience outside your country of residence or home country, please also provide copies of your visa/residence permit and the pages of your passport with the relevant entry and exit stamps

11. Proof of incoming health insurance coverage, valid for three months beginning with date of entry to Germany
12. Preliminary approval issued by the Federal Employment Agency for your employment
13. 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.