Your options:

Congratulations! With a vocational training completed in Germany, you have a good chance of working and living in Germany. 

Have you left Germany after completing your vocational training and are now living abroad?

Citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the USA do not require an entry visa to enter Germany. You can stay in Germany for 90 days without a visa and look for a suitable employment. However, if your job search was successful, you must apply for a residence permit for this purpose before taking up employment.

Another possibility is to enter the country with a visa for jobseekers. You can apply for it at the competent German embassy in your country. It will allow you to enter the country for six months to look for suitable employment.

The following information might help you with your visa application:

• At a glance: work visa for qualified professionals (PDF)
• At a glance: visa for jobseekers (PDF)
• Checklist for qualified professionals (PDF)

You are soon to complete your vocational training in Germany and would subsequently like to work here?

As soon as you have completed your vocational training in Germany, you will be able to choose from a range of occupations that match the profession you have learned. If you can present a binding job offer, you may apply for a residence permit for the purpose of qualified employment. Find out about the requirements for this residence permit in the "Work visa for qualified professionals" section.

After successfully completing your vocational training, you may stay in Germany for twelve months to find suitable employment. Find out which requirements you must meet and what further options you have after completing your training, in the "Prospects after your vocational training" section.