Visa-free travel

Citizens of Japan, Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as well as EU citizens  may apply to the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for their residence permits after arrival in Germany and without having obtained a visa prior to travelling to Germany. Please note that you need to register your new residence (Anmeldung) with the authorities (Meldebehörde) within two weeks of having moved in and apply to the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for your residence permit within the first 90 days of your stay in Germany.

Please note that you may only take up employment once you have been issued a residence permit explicitly authorising such employment. You may also choose to apply for a visa prior to travel, effectively permitting employment from the first day of visa validity.

All other nationalities require a visa prior to travel to Germany.

How to apply for an employment visa

If not EU-Blue Card, ITC,  etc.

The following documents are required and have to be submitted in the following order:

Please do not staple the documents and remove all stickers or attachments!

• One (1) completely filled out and signed Schengen visa application form. Please use the VIDEX website to fill out the application online. Please ensure to print out and submit all pages of the application form, including the barcodes. Sign (according to your signature in the passport) the form on pages 5 and 6.
• One (1) signed declaration of accuracy of information and consent for returning passport by mail.
• two (2) original passport picture 35 x 45 mm,
  biometric standard: portrait style, mouth closed, looking directly at the camera, white background, no older than 6 months
  digitally altered passport photos cannot be accepted, print-outs on paper are not accepted
  Resolution 600 dpi/sharp and clear photo
  strict requirements, see details
  Please stick one of the passport photos in the space provided on the application form
• valid passport (original) and one copy of the identity page and, if applicable, of the signature page
  We will keep the passport during the evaluation of your visa application. If you require the passport after application and during the processing procedure, please submit an informal written justification (English/German) at the time of the application and your passport will be returned to you. However, your passport must be sent in upon our request.
  Passport must
  • be valid for at least 15 months longer than the intended day of entry to Germany
  • have at least two empty pages
  • have been issued within the last 10 years
• If applicable: copies of previous national visa / permit of stay in Germany

• Japanese residence card (original and one copy of both sides)

  For Japanese citizen: proof of address in Japan (registration certificate or electricity bill, etc.)

• Proof of Health insurance upon day of entry to Germany (Confirmation of health insurance cover by the German Public Health insurance, if employment health insurance starts later than the day of entry to Germany a Schengen travel health insurance for the time being can be provided) – copy sufficient.

• Return-envelope with your address in Japan

  For applicants at the Germany Embassy in Tokyo:
  Letter pack Plus (520 yen) – self addressed

  Only the return of the passport by post is possible.

  For applicants at the German Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe:
  If you wish to receive your passport in return by mail, you can return it by takkyubin cash on delivery. In this case, please enclose a self-addressed return DIN A4 envelope.

• Employment contract with your future employer in Germany (containing gross annual salary, working hours, workplace, duration of work, etc.) – original and one copy
  

• Employer’s declaration (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis) - to be completed and signed by your employer in Germany (download form here)
  

• If applicable: Job description (one print out in English or German)

• Academic degree (original and one copy)

  We will need to see the original degree certificate/ qualification or a copy either notarised by a notary public or certified by the issuing institution. Any original will be returned to you. Any document in a language other than German, English or French needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.

  We reserve the right to request an apostille/legalization of the foreign document if necessary.

• Academic/ professional curriculum vitae (in English/German language) – one (1) copy sufficient
  

• if available: pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency (one (1) copy sufficient).
  

• If applicable: separate letter by your or the company in Germany on which legal basis according to the employment ordinance (Beschäftigungsverordnung) your application should be processed to the Federal Employment Agency
  

• Visa fee 
  

Please note that the German Embassy Tokyo / the Consulate General Osaka-Kobe reserves the right to ask for additional documents at any time during processing. Submission of the above mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa is granted.

Processing time

In this visa category, most applications are typically processed within 4 – 6  weeks. This also applies to accompanying family members. Nevertheless it is not guaranteed that the process will be finished within this time frame.

Although we will provide you with a file number, please understand that we cannot respond to questions regarding the status of your visa application. Should we have any questions or should we require additional documentation to process your application, we will contact you.