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Information for EU citizens
the issuance of a permanent residence card. This card can be useful when dealing with the authorities. Additional information on the subject of “permanent residence for EU nationals” can be found here . German citizenship Are you currently residing in Germany and would now like to apply for German citizenship? This is an option if you are an EU citizen. Information on which conditions you need to meet for naturalisation is available here. Depending on what EU member state you are from, you may not [...] Information for EU citizens If you are a citizen of an EU Member State, you can enter Germany without a visa, thanks to the freedom of movement. Find out here what you need to have to consider nonetheless. Entry and residence Are you a citizen of an EU member state planning to seek employment, study or complete vocational training in Germany? Thanks to the freedom of movement , you can travel to Germany without a visa or a residence permit and stay here for a period of three months. The only documents [...] will need for entering the country are either a valid passport or an ID card. There are no restrictions regarding access to employment and self-employment in Germany for you or your family. The same applies if you are a citizen of Switzerland or the European Economic Area – i.e. Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland. Right to permanent residency As an EU citizen, you automatically receive the right to permanent residence in another EU country after an uninterrupted legal residence of at least 5 years in
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United States of America
in Service
contact details in our overview of advisory and contact points. Enter the corresponding country below. Discover your path to Germany. Find contact information and services provided by German institutions in United States of America Ask Me Anything – EU Blue Card
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Who needs recognition?
full capacity, your will generally require the recognition of your foreign qualification, regardless of your country of origin. For non-EU nationals, the full recognition is also a requirement for certain residence titles, such as the visa for qualified professionals or for most cases of the EU Blue Card . Moreover, no points must be scored for the opportunity card if the full recognition has been acquired. The recognition occurs in the framework of a so-called recognition procedure ; you will find [...] academic degree must be comparable with a German academic degree: this is valid for the work visa for qualified professionals , the EU Blue Card and the opportunity card: “skilled worker” option . The foreign academic degree must be state-recognized in the county where it was obtained: this is valid for the visa for professionally experienced workers and the opportunity card: “points system” option . For both types of proof, a printout of the positive result in the anabin database or a Statement of C [...] the opportunity card do not have to be scored, if you have the full recognition. Please find detailed information in the “ Recognition procedure " section. Non-regulated professions: academic degrees For academic degrees that do not lead to a regulated profession, such as biologist, physicist or linguist, there is no formal recognition procedure like in regulated professions or non-academic professional qualifications. Depending on what work visa comes into consideration, non-EU-country nationals
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Engineers
information on the work visa for qualified professionals and the EU Blue Card in the " Visa " section. Job search in Germany after graduation If finding a job position from abroad appears to be challenging, it is possible to enter Germany for up to one year after completing your studies in order to look for a job. You can find out which requirements need to be fulfilled to apply for a job search opportunity card in the " Job search opportunity card " section. Visa options for research-oriented engineers Would [...] Would you like to work in research as an engineer and need a visa to work in Germany? Then you have two options. You can either apply for a visa for research or the EU Blue Card for this purpose. You should therefore check the requirements for each residence title and whether you fulfil them. Next steps ✔ Your career prospects: with our Quick-Check , you can find out about the opportunities available to you for working and living in Germany. ✔ The German employment market: find more information on
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Evaluation of foreign academic degrees
find detailed information on this matter. For non- regulated professions , such as computer specialist or mathematician, you do not need the recognition to work in Germany. However, if you are entering the country from a non-EU country and wish to apply for the EU Blue Card or the work visa for qualified professionals , you must provide proof of your foreign academic degree being comparable to a German one. To provide this evidence, you have the following options: Positive results in the anabin database [...] time for the statement of comparability Please note that processing may take up to several months, provided that you submitted all required documents. If you decide to apply for a Statement of Comparability for foreign university degrees to get an EU Blue Card , processing takes two weeks. Please make sure to add a copy of your work contract or written confirmation of your employment position. WebTutorials for qualified professionals Webinar on the professional recognition Information on the web Federal
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Scientists
information on the work visa for qualified professionals and the EU Blue Card in the " Visa " section. Job search in Germany after graduation If finding a job position from abroad appears to be challenging, it is possible to enter Germany for up to one year after completing your studies in order to look for a job. You can find out which requirements need to be fulfilled to apply for a job search opportunity card in the " Job search opportunity card " section. Visa options for researchers in the natural sciences [...] sciences Would you like to work as a scientific researcher and need a visa to work in Germany? Then you have two options. You can either apply for a visa for research or the EU Blue Card for this purpose. You should therefore check the requirements for each residence title and whether you fulfil them. Next steps ✔ Your career prospects: with our Quick-Check , you can find out about the opportunities available to you for working and living in Germany. ✔ The German employment market: find more information
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Physicians
Norway or Switzerland, you do not require a visa or a residence permit to work in Germany. Citizens of other countries do require a residence permit for that purpose. You can find more information on the work visa for qualified professionals and the EU Blue Card in the " Visa " section. Visa for partial recognition of qualifications Did you apply for recognition of your qualification and the certification authority in Germany determined that you require further qualifications for full recognition? Then [...] qualifications is an option for you. Visa options for doctors in research Are you a doctor wishing to work in research and require a visa to work in Germany? If so, there are two options for you: you can apply for either a visa for research or the EU Blue Card for this purpose. Check the requirements for each residence title to see whether you fulfil them. Next steps ✔ Your career prospects: with our Quick-Check , you can find out about the opportunities available to you for working and living in Germany [...] the pharmaceutical industry. Out of all academic fields in Germany, doctors earn the highest salaries. Foreign doctors in Germany 64,000 foreign doctors are working in Germany (as of 2024). About 36,000 foreign doctors working in Germany come from non-EU countries. Entry requirements for doctors If you completed your education and training as a doctor abroad, you will require an official licence ( Approbation ) in order to work in your profession in Germany. Without this licence, you may not be able
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State recognition in the country of training
Degrees : an official evaluation of your degree by the ZAB What can these types of evidence be used for? Evidence for the comparability with a German academic degree (e.g. for the EU Blue Card or a different occupation as skilled worker ) Evidence of state recognition in the country of origin (e.g. for the opportunity card “points system” option DAB, statement of comparability or anabin – which applies for which purpose? The DAB procedure , the Statement of Comparability and the anabin evaluation are [...] ns must be state-recognized in the country of origin. Learn what types of evidence are possible down below. For some residence titles, like the visa for a recognition partnership , the visa for professionally experienced workers or the opportunity card “points system” option , it is required to provide evidence that the foreign qualification is recognised by the state in the country in which it was obtained . Depending on the type of qualification, the following options of providing evidence are
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India
in Service
Featured Stories: Visas and Entry From work, training, to job search – Germany offers a visa to suit your needs. Not sure where to start? Get an overview of the whole visa and entry process. You're all set? Apply for a Blue Card (EU) Visa. Entry for job search: The New Opportunity Card might be your gateway.
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