Chancenkarte (Germany Opportunity Card)

You need at least 6 points across the official grid, OR full recognition of your foreign qualification (in which case the points test is waived). The 6-point minimum is set in §20b AufenthG and its points annex ("Die Mindestpunktzahl beträgt sechs Punkte") and mirrored in the Federal Government Opportunity Card guidance.

On the points route the baseline is German A1 OR English B2 — neither earns points, but one is mandatory. You earn extra points for stronger German (A2 = 1, B1 = 2, B2 or above = 3) or English C1 (1 point). Applicants using the fully recognised skilled-worker track do not need language proof for eligibility, although German will usually improve the job search.

For people applying from abroad, the Chancenkarte has replaced the old 6-month Job Seeker visa. §20 of the Residence Act now only covers job-search permits for people who completed their degree, vocational training, research stay or recognition procedure inside Germany — that in-country permit runs up to 18 months and allows unrestricted work. From abroad, the Chancenkarte is the route: vocational and degree-holders both qualify, the points grid opens it to partially recognised candidates, and it allows 20 hours/week of part-time work while you search.

You must show €1,091 net per month — the official figure valid for 2026 — which for a full 12-month card means €13,092, normally deposited in a blocked account (Sperrkonto). Two alternatives are accepted: a German part-time employment contract of up to 20 hours/week whose net pay reaches €1,091/month (a lower salary can be topped up with a partial blocked account), or a Declaration of Commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) from someone in Germany who takes financial responsibility for you. If you prove funds for only part of the year, the card is issued for a correspondingly shorter period.

No. Regular work is capped at 20 hours per week. Two exceptions exist: trial employments (Probebeschäftigung) of up to 2 weeks each can be full-time, and once you secure a qualifying offer you switch immediately to a Blue Card or Skilled Worker permit, which carry no hour cap.

The Federal Employment Agency says the search objective may include employment, self-employment or a recognition measure. But the card's express interim work permission covers up to 20 hours a week of employment and short trial work. Do not start freelance or self-employed activity without confirming with the foreigners authority whether separate permission or a §21 status change is required.

Not on the usual family-reunification basis. Because the Chancenkarte is a time-limited job-search permit, your spouse cannot simply join you on it. Two paths exist: if your spouse also meets the Chancenkarte requirements, you can apply together and enter at the same time — and each of you earns one extra point on the grid — or your family joins later, once you have taken up qualified employment and switched to a work residence title. Children can accompany you under certain conditions, above all that you can also cover their living costs.

You normally have to leave Germany. The exception is the Folge-Chancenkarte (follow-up Opportunity Card): if you hold a concrete offer for qualified employment but do not yet meet the requirements of a work residence title — typically because qualification recognition is still running — the card can be extended for up to 2 further years with Federal Employment Agency approval. The Folge-Chancenkarte itself cannot be extended again, and a brand-new Chancenkarte normally requires you to have since spent as much time abroad — or lawfully in Germany on another residence title — as you previously stayed on the card.

Most German consulates have moved Chancenkarte applications onto the Auswärtiges Amt online portal (digital.diplo.de/chancenkarte). You upload documents online, then attend a biometric appointment in person. A handful of smaller missions still operate paper-based intake — check your assigned consulate before opening a blocked account.

Generally no. Schengen tourist visas (Type C) cannot be converted to a Chancenkarte residence permit from inside Germany. The application must be made at the German mission in your country of habitual residence. The narrow exception is for nationals of countries that can enter visa-free for short stays (US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea, Israel) — they can apply directly at the local Ausländerbehörde once in Germany.

The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) maintains the official shortage list (Engpassberufe), which is updated periodically. Per the federal Opportunity Card guidance it covers, among others, healthcare professions (nurses, geriatric care, doctors), information technology, engineering, teachers, and skilled trades. Your training or degree must be in one of the listed fields to earn the point — check the current list linked from the official Opportunity Card pages before relying on it.

There is no reliable Germany-wide figure. The Federal Foreign Office says national visas may take several months depending on purpose and individual checks, and appointment access varies by mission. Do not treat a generic 4–12 week estimate as an end-to-end guarantee.

Anabin is the official database used to assess foreign institutions and qualifications. For the academic points-route evidence, the institution should be H+ and the degree should be marked equivalent (entspricht) or conditionally comparable (bedingt vergleichbar). If the needed positive evidence is missing, obtain a ZAB Statement of Comparability and check ZAB's live fee and processing information rather than relying on an old estimate.

Yes, if you meet the Blue Card requirements. In 2026 that includes a qualifying offer at EUR 50,700 or the EUR 45,934.20 lower threshold where the special rules apply. Apply to the local foreigners authority before the Opportunity Card expires; approval is not automatic or necessarily immediate.

Full recognition (volle Gleichwertigkeit) means your foreign qualification is treated as equivalent to the German equivalent, no further training needed. Partial recognition (teilweise Gleichwertigkeit) means there is a defined gap — typically a German-language test, a few modules of further training, or a regulated-profession licensing exam. Full recognition lets you skip the points test entirely; partial recognition earns you 4 points on the grid.

At this review, the statutory six-point framework remains in force. The financial-proof figure is EUR 1,091 net per month for 2026, while financial thresholds and occupational references can change. Re-check the official pages shortly before applying.

The grid is set in §20b AufenthG and the points annex to the Residence Act. Your scoring is self-assessed — you tally your own points and submit the table — but the consulate verifies every claim against your underlying evidence. Inflating points (e.g. claiming B1 with only an A2 certificate) leads to refusal, and misrepresentation can prejudice future applications.

Yes, but the card is intended for a continuous job-search residence in Germany. Short trips (Schengen + home country) are allowed; absences over 6 consecutive months can void the residence permit. Plan international interviews around this window.

Yes. The Chancenkarte is a global programme available to non-EU/EEA nationals from every country in the world. As long as you meet the qualification, language, and financial requirements, your citizenship does not restrict your eligibility.

No. Germany does not have a "restricted list" for the Chancenkarte. Whether you are from a country in the Global North or Global South, the application process, points system, and eligibility criteria are identical. The only variance lies in local appointment-booking procedures at specific embassies.

Yes. The Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card, §20a AufenthG) is the only major German residence permit that does not require an employer or a job offer at the time you apply. It lets non-EU skilled workers from any country relocate to Germany for up to 12 months to search for qualifying work.

Points are stackable across categories, so a common mid-career profile combines partial recognition of your foreign qualification (4 points) with at least 5 years of professional experience in your learned occupation within the last 7 years (3 points), which already reaches the 6-point minimum with no German-language points required. Being aged 35 or under adds 2 more points, and English C1 adds 1.