Federal Republic of Germany vs Republic of Indonesia
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Federal Republic of Germany and Republic of Indonesia government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Make it in Germany — Official portal for skilled workers
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) - verified
- Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (Directorate General of Immigration)
Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia) - verified
- Make it in Germany — EU Blue Card
BMWK / Federal Government - verified
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany offers one of Europe's widest work-migration toolkits after the 2023–24 Skilled Immigration Act reforms: the EU Blue Card, Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card), general skilled-worker visas, and recognition-partnership routes for non-EU professionals. Student and self-employment routes also lead to long-term residence.
- Languages
- German
- Currency
- Euro
Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia regulates foreign stay through the Directorate General of Immigration, now under the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, with most applications filed via the official e-visa portal. The headline routes are the employer-sponsored Work KITAS, the Investor KITAS for PT PMA company stakeholders, the multi-year Golden Visa and Second Home Visa for self-funded residents, and the KITAP permanent-stay permit. Work-permit approvals also involve the Ministry of Manpower.
- Official portal
- Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia)
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah
How Federal Republic of Germany and Republic of Indonesia differ
| Dimension | Federal Republic of Germany | Republic of Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 4 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 5 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival → Niederlassungserlaubnis (21-60 months depending on route and German level) → citizenship (5 years). | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | EU Blue Card (Germany) | Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | €50,700/year | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | EU Directive 2021/1883 sets a 90-day statutory maximum for an EU Blue Card decision. In practice, Make-it-in-Germany publishes 1–3 months for consular processing from abroad and 4–6 weeks for in-country conversions at the Auslaenderbehoerde. Vorabzustimmung (pre-approval) by the Foreigners’ Authority shortens consular timelines materially. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | The EU Blue Card in Germany costs roughly €185 in government fees for a single applicant — one of the cheapest skilled-worker routes in the OECD. | — |
| Official languages | German | Indonesian |
| Currency | Euro | Indonesian rupiah |
| Primary regulator | BRAV | PERADI |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Federal Republic of Germany
EU Blue Card (Germany)
- Salary minimum
- €50,700/year
- Government fees
- The EU Blue Card in Germany costs roughly €185 in government fees for a single applicant — one of the cheapest skilled-worker routes in the OECD.
- Processing time
- EU Directive 2021/1883 sets a 90-day statutory maximum for an EU Blue Card decision. In practice, Make-it-in-Germany publishes 1–3 months for consular processing from abroad and 4–6 weeks for in-country conversions at the Auslaenderbehoerde. Vorabzustimmung (pre-approval) by the Foreigners’ Authority shortens consular timelines materially.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Indonesia
Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Federal Republic of Germany
Visa routes side by side
Federal Republic of Germany (8)
EU Blue Card (Germany)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 4 years (or duration of contract + 3 months, whichever is shorter).
Chancenkarte (Germany Opportunity Card)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 12 months initial (Such-Chancenkarte); one-time extension as a Folge-Chancenkarte for up to 2 further years if you hold a qualified job offer but do not yet meet the requirements of a work residence title. The Folge-Chancenkarte cannot be extended again.
Skilled Worker residence permit (§18a/§18b AufenthG)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Usually up to 4 years or contract length plus 3 months.
Recognition Partnership (Anerkennungspartnerschaft)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 3 years.
Freelance / Self-employment residence permit (§21 AufenthG)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 3 years typically; leads to settlement.
Job Seeker visa (§20 AufenthG)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Post-study/post-training job search: up to 18 months. The from-abroad 6-month route is closed to new applicants.
German Student residence permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 1–2 years at a time; renewable for programme duration.
Family reunion residence permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Typically 1–3 years at a time; leads to settlement.
Republic of Indonesia (7)
Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while employment continues.
Investor KITAS (Limited Stay Permit for Investors)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while the qualifying investment and role continue.
Golden Visa (5 and 10-year)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Granted for 5 or 10 years depending on the qualifying tier, renewable.
Second Home Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Issued for multi-year periods (commonly a 5 or 10-year track), renewable subject to conditions.
Family / Spouse KITAS
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while the family relationship continues.
Student KITAS (Limited Stay Permit for Study)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Aligned to the study programme, commonly up to about one or two years and renewable while enrolled.
KITAP (Permanent Stay Permit)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued for a multi-year period and renewable, with provisions for extended validity.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Federal Republic of Germany or Republic of Indonesia?+
Federal Republic of Germany’s EU Blue Card (Germany) requires a salary of at least €50,700/year; Republic of Indonesia’s Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit) is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Federal Republic of Germany or Republic of Indonesia have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Federal Republic of Germany has more: 4 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 3 for Republic of Indonesia. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Federal Republic of Germany vs Republic of Indonesia immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/germany/vs/indonesia. Last verified 1 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons