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Visas & Immigration · Germany
The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte), Explained
Germany’s real job seeker visa in 2026 — the points system, the money you need to prove, and what nobody tells you before you apply.
Every year a wave of people ask the same question in our Find Around community: “Can I move to Germany without a job offer first?” The honest answer used to be complicated. Since June 2024 it isn’t — there is a real, legal visa built exactly for this, called the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte). It replaced the old, much narrower job seeker visa, and most guides online still describe the pre-2024 rules or skip the parts that actually decide whether you qualify.
This post covers what the Opportunity Card really requires in 2026: the two different ways to qualify, the points system in full (not just “you need 6 points”), the money you have to prove you have, and what you’re actually allowed to do once you land. If you’re still in your home country and this is the visa route you’re considering, read this before you start collecting documents — the qualification-recognition step alone can take months, and it’s the part most people start too late.
What the Opportunity Card Actually Is
The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) is a residence title under Section 20a of the German Residence Act, and it is exactly what it sounds like: permission to come to Germany and look for a job, without having one lined up first. It is issued for up to 12 months initially. If you can’t prove you can cover your living costs for the full 12 months, it may be issued for a shorter period — but it can be extended after you arrive if the job search takes longer or your finances improve, up to that same 12-month ceiling.
It is not the only way into Germany — if you already have a job offer, you apply for a different visa entirely (EU Blue Card, work visa for qualified professionals, etc.), and the Opportunity Card is not required for that route. It exists specifically for the “I want to move but don’t have an offer yet” situation.
Two Ways to Qualify — and Why This Trips People Up
This is the part most summaries get muddled. There are two completely separate paths to the Opportunity Card, and which one applies to you changes everything else about your application.
Path 1 — Recognized skilled worker (no points needed): if your foreign university degree or vocational qualification is already fully recognized as equivalent to a German one, you qualify automatically. You skip the points system entirely, and you don’t even need to prove language skills (though having them will massively help your actual job search once you’re there).
Path 2 — The points system: if your qualification isn’t fully recognized, you can still qualify by scoring at least 6 points across several categories — but only if your qualification is state-recognized in the country where you got it, and (for non-academic vocational qualifications) required at least two years of full-time training. Without that baseline, the points route isn’t available to you at all.
Figuring out which path you’re on starts with checking your degree in the anabin database or getting a Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung) from the ZAB for university degrees, or a Statement on a Foreign Vocational Qualification (DAB) for vocational ones. Start this early — it’s a paperwork process with its own timeline, and it decides which version of this whole application you’re even doing.
The Points System, in Full
If you’re on Path 2, here is the entire points table — not just the headline number. You need 6 points minimum, and they add up faster than you’d think:
Partial recognition of your qualification: 4 points — if a German recognition body has already assessed your foreign qualification as partially equivalent.
Qualification in a shortage occupation: 1 point — healthcare, IT, engineering, and teaching are among the fields on the current shortage list.
Professional experience: 2 points for at least 2 years’ relevant experience in the last 5 years; 3 points for at least 5 years in the last 7.
German language skills: 1 point at A2, 2 points at B1, 3 points at B2 or above (CEFR levels).
English at C1+ or native level: 1 additional point — stacks on top of your German score.
Age: 2 points if you’re under 35; 1 point if you’re between 35 and 40. Nothing past 40 in this category — but you can still hit 6 points through the others.
Previous legal stay in Germany: 1 point for at least 6 continuous months in the last 5 years (study, language course, or work — tourism doesn’t count).
Spouse/partner also qualifies: 1 point if your spouse or life partner independently meets the Opportunity Card requirements too.
Worth knowing: every one of these needs documented proof — employment certificates and reference letters for experience, certified language certificates (Goethe-Institut for German; IELTS/TOEFL for English, even if English is your native language), and so on. Nothing is taken on your word.
The Money You Have to Prove
Regardless of which path you’re on, you must show you can cover your own living costs in Germany. As of 2026, that means proving at least €1,091 net per month, and you have three ways to do it:
A blocked account (Sperrkonto): a German bank account that releases the money to you in fixed monthly installments after you arrive.
A part-time job offer: if a German employer has already offered you a part-time (up to 20 hours/week) position, that salary can count toward or fully cover the requirement.
A Declaration of Commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung): someone already living in Germany — with their own proof of sufficient income — formally takes financial responsibility for you. They apply for this in person at their local foreigners’ authority.
What You’re Actually Allowed to Do While You Search
The Opportunity Card isn’t a waiting room — you’re allowed to work while you look, within limits: up to 20 hours a week total across any part-time or secondary jobs, plus job trials of up to two weeks per employer, as long as the trial is aimed at qualified employment, an apprenticeship, or a recognition-related qualification measure. It’s not full-time work, but it’s real income and a real way to get your foot in the door with a company before asking them to sponsor anything bigger.
Once You Actually Land a Job
The Opportunity Card itself only allows part-time work — the moment you have a real, qualified job offer, you need to switch to a different residence title to work full-time (an EU Blue Card, a work visa for qualified professionals, or similar, depending on your situation). Ask your future employer to fill out the “Declaration of Employment” (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis) form — it doesn’t need to be a fully signed contract yet, and it’s what lets the foreigners’ authority start the approval process with the Federal Employment Agency on your behalf.
In some individual cases where a proper residence title isn’t available yet but the job qualifies, your Opportunity Card can instead be converted into an “opportunity card extension,” valid for up to two more years. It’s the exception rather than the default path, so don’t plan around it — plan around switching residence titles once you have an offer.
What Nobody Tells You Before You Apply
Recognition takes longer than the visa process. Start your anabin check or ZAB application months before you plan to submit your visa application — it is very often the bottleneck, not the embassy appointment.
Family doesn’t automatically come with you. Your spouse can only enter alongside you if they independently qualify for their own Opportunity Card. Once you’ve secured actual employment and a proper residence title, you can then sponsor them through regular family reunification — not before.
This is a search visa, not a guarantee. It gets you in the door and gives you a real 12 months, but the job search itself is on you — arriving with a plan, not just a visa, is what makes the year count.
Watch for fraudulent “services.” The official Make it in Germany portal and its hotline never charge for information, and the only mandatory fee in this whole process is the €75 visa fee paid directly to the German mission. If a site is charging you more than that just to “help you apply,” be very skeptical.
Before You Start the Application
1
Check your qualification.Check your qualification in anabin or apply for your ZAB assessment now. This single step determines which of the two paths above you’re even on — do it before anything else.
2
Start German lessons early.Start German lessons, even basic ones, as early as possible. Every level from A2 up adds points if you’re on the points system, and it will matter far more once you’re actually job hunting on the ground. We’ll be covering VHS (Volkshochschule) courses, DAAD-linked programs, and other affordable options for learning German from abroad or after arrival in an upcoming post in this series.
3
Set up your blocked account.Set up your blocked account well ahead of your appointment. e.g. Fintiba/Expatrio, Processing these accounts can take a couple of weeks, and you’ll want the confirmation in hand well before your visa appointment.
4
Open a regular bank account.Once you land, you’ll need a regular German bank account too. Compare accounts here — you’ll need a local IBAN once your blocked-account funds start releasing and once you start any part-time work.
5
Get your CV ready.Get your CV into German-market format before you land. Grab our CV and cover letter kit — a tabular CV with a photo is still the norm here, and having it ready means you can start applying the day you land instead of your third week.
Once you’re on the ground and job hunting, our guide to how most people actually get hired in Germany walks through the Arbeitsagentur and Zeitarbeit route that a lot of Opportunity Card holders end up using to get their first foothold.
Going through the Opportunity Card process right now, or already landed on one and job hunting? Drop where you’re at in the comments, or come find us in the Find Around Facebook group — this is exactly the kind of thing our community compares notes on.
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