To obtain a Germany work permit, citizens of the Republic of Turkey must apply within the scope of a national visa. If a person does not hold valid citizenship in Germany (or in the European Union/European Economic Area or Switzerland), the visa they need to obtain is the Germany Work Visa.
Applications for the Germany Work Visa are made to the German Consulates or the German Embassy, which are the sole authorities on this matter. In order to apply for the visa, you must have received a job offer from a company in Germany, or have made an agreement with a workplace you found through your own means.
The Federal Republic of Germany has introduced certain restrictions for foreign third-country nationals who wish to apply. If you do not hold German citizenship or citizenship in a European Union member state, you are considered a third-country national. Citizens of the Republic of Turkey who wish to work in a job they have found through their own means must ensure that the conditions there are met and that the job they have found complies with the criteria set by the German authorities.
If there is no German or other citizen with priority rights (European Union/European Economic Area or Switzerland) suitable for the position in the region where you found your job in Germany, you may go and work in the job you found. If you completed your university education in Germany as a Turkish citizen, and if you find a job suited to your qualifications within 18 months of your graduation, Germany will grant you a residence and work permit at the end of this period.
If you returned to Turkey after completing your university education, you are entitled to obtain a 6-month visa in order to find a job in Germany. If, within this 6-month period, you find a job suited to your qualifications and you have sufficient financial savings to support yourself during this time, you may apply to the German Foreigners’ Office (Ausländerbehörde) for a residence permit linked to employment. If your field of work is related to information technology or engineering, Germany will not require you to present a language certificate; however, if your field of work is outside these professions, you must present a language proficiency certificate when applying for the Germany Work Permit Visa.
In order to apply for the Germany Work Permit Visa, if you hold a diploma obtained from a university in Turkey, this diploma must be equivalent to diplomas from universities in Germany. If you completed your education abroad;
- The job you wish to pursue must be listed on the current positive list or white list designated by the German Employment Agency.
- The job posting you are applying to or have applied for must have been submitted to the German Employment Agency’s job exchange.
The equivalence of the vocational training you received at university to German vocational training must be determined. The document you obtain after completing this determination process must be presented at the appropriate time.
If the period you wish to work in Germany does not exceed 90 days, you may proceed accordingly.
Documents Required for the Germany Work Permit Visa
To apply for the Germany Work Permit Visa, if the period you will be working exceeds 90 days, you must apply for a long-term National Visa (Type D). In your National Visa (Type D) application, you must indicate that you are traveling for work purposes by preparing additional documents alongside those required for this visa type. The Documents Required for the Germany Work Permit Visa are as follows,
- Application Form: The application form required for the Germany Work Permit Visa must be filled out completely by the applicant in German, with all requested information provided. If there is missing information on your application form, your application will be considered invalid. The signature on the application form must be that of the applicant. This form is a long and detailed one consisting of several pages. If you contact our Visa Center Germany Visa representative regarding filling out the application form, they can provide you with consultancy services. You can view the Germany National Visa Application Form in the Forms and Petitions section of our Visa Center Germany page, and it is also available on the official website of the German Consulate.
- Passport: The passport required when applying for the Germany Work Permit Visa must be valid for at least 1 year. If the applicant does not have a passport, they must obtain the necessary documents for a passport application and apply to the Passport Branch Directorates at the Provincial or District Police Headquarters. You can also apply for a passport online.
- 2 Passport-Sized Photographs: The requested biometric photographs must be recent, taken no more than 6 months ago, and must comply with biometric standards. The biometric photographs you need to have taken must be 35 x 45 millimeters in size. The applicant’s photograph must be taken facing forward, without any accessory covering the face and without hair covering the front of the face. The German Consulate may make exceptions for certain religious reasons; however, even in such cases, the eyes must not be covered.
- Photocopy of ID Card: A photocopy clearly showing both the front and back of the applicant’s ID card.
- Detailed Civil Registry Record (Vukuatlı Nüfus Kayıt Örneği): This document must contain the applicant’s civil registry information for the Germany Work Permit application, along with all events related to the civil registry record, in full detail. The “Remarks” section of the person’s civil registry record must be filled out completely. Among the information that must not be missing from this document are,
- Previous marriages,
- Identity information of children born,
- Divorces,
- Information about the mother and father: information such as your citizenship details is also included. If this information is missing, your application will be considered invalid. If such information appears in your Detailed Civil Registry Record, the German Consulate may request additional documents from you regarding this information. If the applicant is female, the Detailed Civil Registry Record showing her previous surname must also be presented. The only authorized place where citizens of the Republic of Turkey can obtain this document is the Civil Registry Offices (Nüfus Müdürlüğü).
- Applicant’s residence document: A residence document for the applicant residing in Turkey must be presented. This document is also required when filling out the Germany Family Reunification application form. The residence document is obtained by the applicant from the local headman’s office (muhtarlık) to which their residential address is affiliated.
- Health Insurance: The health insurance you must present when applying for the Germany Work Permit Visa must be current and valid for at least 3 months. If you contact the Visa Center, they will assist you on this matter.
- A CV explaining your professional development, transcripts, diplomas, employment contract, etc. (with German translations)
- A concrete job offer containing the information listed below (example: employment contract)
- The employer in Germany (name, address)
- The workplace in Germany (postal code)
- Job posting and job description
- Type of employment: full-time or part-time
- Annual gross salary in Euros
- Foreign higher education diploma (if possible, together with the ANABIN output mentioned above), or
- A vocational training certificate obtained abroad along with a certificate of equivalence, or
- A vocational training certificate obtained in Germany
- If mandatory for the profession: the granting of a permit to practice the profession, or a letter of confirmation stating that the permit will be granted (example: the permit to practice the medical profession under Article 10 of the Federal Medical Doctors’ Regulation)
- Commercial registry record or a comparable document issued by the company in Germany
Is There a Language Requirement for the Germany Work Permit Visa?
The Germany Work Permit visa is one of the steps you need to take in order to obtain a residence permit. On the path toward obtaining a residence permit, the minimum language level Germany requires from you is A1 level. In order to document that you are at this level, you must attend language courses authorized by Germany and pass their exams. If you pass the A1 certificate exam, the institution will issue you an A1 language proficiency certificate. The institutions from which you must obtain this certificate are the Goethe-Institut and ÖSD. You can visit the official websites of these institutions to learn what you need to do to obtain the A1 certificate, as well as course hours and exam dates.
What Is the A1 Certificate Required for the Germany Work Permit Visa
The A1 exam certificate you must present in your applications shows that you have a basic level of German. If you hold an A1 level language certificate, you will be able to understand and respond to everyday conversations spoken in Germany, provided they are spoken slowly and clearly. If your German is only at the level required for the A1 certificate, this level will not be sufficient for working in a job or for places where fluent German is spoken.
Germany requires an A1 level language certificate from you for the visa application; however, the workplace you apply to has the right to request a B1 or C1 level of language proficiency. This requirement depends on the criteria set by the workplace. The exam you take to obtain the A1 certificate consists of several sections and is a simple exam that will not be difficult for you if you attend the course. If you have no knowledge of German and are just starting to learn it, we recommend attending courses; otherwise, your chances of passing the exam are quite low.
The A1 certificate exam consists of 4 sections. These are reading (lesen), writing (schreiben), listening (hören), and speaking (sprechen) sections. In order to obtain the A1 certificate, you must achieve sufficient scores in each of these sections.
How is the A1 Exam Certificate Required for the Germany Work Permit Obtained?
The A1 exam required for Germany Work Permit Visa applications is the German language exam through which the A1 certificate, proving basic knowledge of German, is awarded. The A1 exam certificate that people applying for the Germany Work Permit Visa must obtain is valid for Germany Work Permit Visa applications only if it is obtained by passing the exam of certain institutions accepted by the German Consulate. These institutions are the Goethe-Institut and ÖSD.
The German Consulate absolutely does not accept certificates presented from institutions other than these. The original of the certificate you obtain must be presented at the time of application.
Germany Work Permit and the Blue Card
Citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union must obtain a Germany work permit visa in order to come to Germany if they find a job there. As of August 1, 2012, these individuals have been able to apply for the Blue Card, which provides both work and residence permits.
Another condition required to apply for the Blue Card is earning a minimum of 44,800 Euros per year. However, individuals who will work as doctors or in the fields of natural sciences and information technology are permitted to come and work in Germany even if their annual earnings are lower. The minimum annual income required for these individuals is 34,944 Euros. Those who obtain the Blue Card are granted a settlement permit, meaning an indefinite residence permit, after 33 months.
In-Demand Professions
So, which occupational groups have better chances? Erik Benkendorf, Deputy Press Spokesperson of the Federal Employment Agency’s Berlin Brandenburg Regional Directorate, answers this question: Given the current situation, qualified personnel and specialists working in the field of information technology truly have quite a high chance of finding work here. Because, in my opinion, there aren’t enough qualified personnel working in the engineering field in Germany. As long as such personnel remain scarce, non-EU citizens have a chance to take part in the German employment market. Employment of people from other occupational groups in Germany, however, depends on their qualifications and the employer’s demand.
Conditions Required for the Blue Card
Regardless of profession, a Turkish citizen who wants to work in Germany needs to find a job while still in Turkey, before coming to the country. The requirements sought for qualified staff, such as IT specialists or engineers, are similar. These individuals do not need to know German in order to work in Germany.
Other Professional Groups
Doctors seeking a Germany work permit need to have their diplomas recognized as well as obtain special permission from the relevant health authority. Cooks are also considered among qualified staff. However, Benkendorf, Deputy Press Spokesperson of the Federal Employment Agency’s Berlin Brandenburg Regional Directorate, points out that it is not easy to come from Turkey as a cook, given the large number of Turks already living in Germany.
Qualified personnel whose diplomas are recognized, computer specialists, and individuals who will be appointed to managerial positions at a Germany-based company need approval from the Federal Employment Agency in order to work in the country. Senior executives and highly qualified personnel do not need the Federal Employment Agency’s approval to work in Germany. Approval from the Federal Employment Agency is also not required for those coming to Germany to conduct scientific research or teach at a university.
A Turkish citizen who has found a job in Germany must first obtain a visa in order to enter the country. The Federal Employment Agency investigates whether there is someone already in Germany who could take on that particular job. One of the key conditions for a citizen of a non-European Union country to be able to work in Germany is that there be no one within Germany or the European Union who can fill that position.
What Needs to Be Done Upon Arrival in Germany?
Following the relevant assessments, a visa can be obtained if the necessary conditions are met. Erik Benkendorf of the Federal Employment Agency recommends that a person who comes to Germany with this three-month visa visit the relevant Foreigners’ Office as soon as possible to apply for a residence permit.
Benkendorf notes that the Foreigners’ Office examines the person’s place of residence and whether adequate wages are being paid under the employment contract, and whether this income is sufficient to support the individual and, if applicable, other family members. Following these assessments, a residence permit is issued according to the duration of the employment contract. Initially, the residence permit is granted for a maximum of three years. In addition, a separate Germany work permit is not required. The residence permit carries a stamp indicating that the holder is authorized to work. However, this residence and work permit may be limited to a specific profession, employer, or city.
The Situation of Spouses
Those coming to Germany to work can also bring their spouses and children with them. Eckhard von Zengen, an advisor at the Berlin State Office for Migration and Integration, points out that the conditions for spouses and children to come along vary depending on the employee’s position: it is much easier for university graduates to bring their spouses with them.
The Embassy can make a decision on its own without consulting the Foreigners’ Office. This is particularly true for individuals assigned by German organizations. Children can also come to Germany without any issues. In some cases, a salaried worker — for example, someone who will work in industry — may come alone first and then apply afterward to bring their spouse along. The spouses of qualified staff, executives, and scientists working in Germany are also granted a temporary Germany work permit along with a residence permit.