Welcome
Visa for the Opportunity Card
Kindernachzug Visa, © GKSP/Canva.com
The opportunity card is a feature in the German Residence Act allowing eligible people to come to Germany to look for a job. As well as looking for a job, successful applicants can also take part in additional training for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications in Germany.
There are two ways to obtain the opportunity card:
Third-country nationals who can prove full equivalence of their foreign qualification and are thus considered to be skilled workers can receive an opportunity card without meeting any other special requirements if they provide evidence that they can support themselves.
All other applicants have to provide proof that they have completed a degree from a foreign university, an at least two-year vocational qualification (both of which need to be officially recognised by the country in which they were completed) or a vocational qualification issued by one of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad. In addition, applicants need to have either basic German (level A1, ussed by Goethe Institute) or intermediate English skills (level B2, accoriding to TOEFEL standard).
If these requirements are met, varying numbers of points can be collected for criteria such as recognition of the qualification in Germany, language skills, professional experience, age and connection to Germany, as well as an eligible civil partner or spouse who is accompanying you. You need at least 6 points to be granted the opportunity card.
The opportunity card is issued for a maximum of one year provided you can support yourself for this period. During your time looking for a job in Germany, you can complete work trials or engage in secondary employment for a maximum of 20 hours per week.
You can find out more about the opportunity card (including a self-check) as well as general information on living and working in Germany here
All required documents need to be submitted at the personal interview in 1 copy in DIN A4 format including the application form.
Please do not staple the photocopies.
Original certificates / documents must be presented separately. Your original documents will be returned to you once your application has been processed.
The following documents have to be submitted as indicated below:
can be found here
75 Euro
Payable in cash in NGN at the current exchange rate of the Consulate or via POS.
Applications of persons who are married to a German or EU-citizen are free of charge.
- not older than 6 months
- uniform white background
- size: 3,5x4,5 cm
- not glued or stapled to the application form
- original passport + copy of data page
- issued in the last 10 years
- valid for at least 6 more months and at least two free pages
a) for births before December 13, 1992
- certified copy of the local birth register extract based on the first registration
and
- affidavit* (“Declaration of Age”) of one parent or the head of the family if both parents are deceased
AND copy of an identity document showing the signature of the person making the affidavit
b) for births after December 13, 1992
- NPC birth certificate if the birth was registered before the age of 18
otherwise
- certified copy of the local birth register extract based on the first registration
and
- affidavit* (“Declaration of Age”) of one parent or the head of the family if both parents are deceased (please hand in the death certificates)
AND copy of an identity document showing the signature of the person making the affidavit makes an affidavit
*if necessary with a note of illiteracy
- as proof of a legal residence status in Nigeria
- only for applicants with a nationality other than Nigerian
a self-addressed prepaid courier envelope from any major courier service, addressed to yourself (please ensure the address is legible to facilitate delivery)
Including the following points:
- specification of the certificates, diplomas and qualifications obtained
- professional training
- work experience
WAEC-certificates: BECE and WASSCE (or alternatively NECO)
a) applicants with university degree
- a German university degree
- a foreign university degree
- a Higher National Diploma
either with transcipts
b) applicants with vocational training:
- German vocational qualification
- foreign professional qualification
- work contract
- statement of employer
- salary slips
- signed by the applicant
- detailed expectations of planned stay,
anticipated career and personal benefits as well as future plans
Proof of recent job/vocational training place search in Germany
e.g. email correspondence regarding applications, job offers, agency enquiries, etc.
a) in the form of a blocked account
With an amount of minimum 1.091 Euro for each month.
Open the blocked account in good time BEFORE you apply for a visa. When applying for a visa, only the official confirmation of the opening of the account including information on the amount paid in and the amount available per month will be accepted. A confirmation which does not include this information is not sufficient. Proof of lodgement or transfer of funds without the aforementioned confirmation from the bank is not sufficient.
More information can be found here
b) in the form of a formal obligation
(“Verpflichtungserklärung”) according to Sec. 66 to 68 of the German Residence Act covering the entire duration of stay, signed by a person living in Germany at the local competent office in Germany.
The formal obligation can only be accepted as an adequate proof of finance with the remark “nachgewiesen.” (The financial capability of the sponsor has been verified).
c) Part-time job
Employment contract for a part-time job in Germany (up to 20 hours per week, net 1.091 Euro)
To receive an Opportunity Card, you must fulfil the basic requirements,
AND EITHER be a skilled worker
or an unskilled worker AND fullfill the following requirements (only unskilled):
Reach at least 6 Points gained by point system (see below) AND provide
- Proof of sufficient knowledge of German at level A1 OR
- knowledge of English at level B2
in the form of a language certificate or TOEFL recognized by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), not older than one year
skilled worker
a) Professionals with an academic background
- a German university degree or
- a recognized foreign university degree; whether the degree is recognized has to be checked at the ANABIN database here. A printout confirming the recognition needs to be handed in.
If the qualification is not assessed as “entspricht” (comparable) or “gleichwertig” (equivalent) and/or the institution is not classified as “H+”, you will first have to apply for a Statement of Comparability with the Central Office for Foreign Education before applying for a visa. Further information can be found here
or
b) Professionals with a tertiary educational qualification
- Degree must be equivalent to a university degree
- at least 3 years of training
- Level of education
- at least level 6 ISCED 2011
In order for a tertiary educational qualification to be recognized in the visa procedure, a decision must be issued by the competent German recognition body.
Further information can be found here
unskilled workers
a) At least two years of professional training recognized by the country in which it was acquired, but is not recognized in Germany
or
b) Professionals with an academic background that was not deemed equivalent by the German Central Office for Foreign Education in Germany, but is recognized in your home state
or
c) If you completed category A vocational education and training at a German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) that meets the requirements of the Vocational Training Act [BBiG], this qualification may also be suitable. For more information, please contact the AHK where you obtained your qualification. General information can be found here
In the order to apply as an unskilled worker you need at least six points total in the following categories:
4 points
☐ Partial recognition of a foreign professional qualification. Further information can be found here
☐ Permission to practise a regulated profession (e.g. teacher, nurse or engineer). More information can be found here
3 points
☐ 5 years work experience within the last 7 years in the skilled occupation and 2 years prior vocational training in accordance with the regulations of the country of origin
☐ Good knowledge of German at level B2 (Goethe Institut)
2 points
☐ Two years' work experience within the last 5years with prior vocational training
☐ not older than 35 years
☐ German language skills at level B1 (Goethe Institut)
1 point
☐ Not older than 40 years
☐ Previous stay in Germany of at least 6 months (excluding Opportunity Card and previous short terms stays)
You must provide documented proof of this
☐ Very good knowledge of English (C1) (TOEFEL)
☐ Reasonable knowledge of German (A2) (Goethe Institut)
☐ Vocational training/university degree in an area of official labour shortage in Germany. More information can be found here
☐ Apply for the Opportunity Card together with your spouse and your spouse also fulfills the requirements for the Opportunity Card
The Opportunity Card calculater can be found here
We ask for your understanding that inquiries about the status of the application cannot be answered within the first 4 weeks of the application.
All above information is without guarantee for correctness and completeness. They are based on the information available to the consulate at the time of creation.