Germany Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)

The points route has two prerequisites: a foreign qualification of at least two years (a degree or vocational training) plus German at A1 or English at B2. On top of that you need at least six points. The score includes qualification, age under 35, German from A2, English at C1, previous German residence and a qualifying German family connection. We calculate the current score before filing.

A German authority evaluates the foreign degree or vocational qualification and decides whether it is comparable to the German equivalent. The planning range is four to eight weeks for many cases.

Not as regular work. The route allows up to 20 hours a week plus two-week full-time probation periods. A full qualifying job requires conversion to the Blue Card or skilled-worker permit.

It is not a self-employment permit: freelancing or running your own business needs the Freelance Visa. During the search year there is normally no standard family reunification for a spouse, so the family usually joins after you move to a work permit or Blue Card; we confirm the family route for your case at the consultation. Nothing converts automatically when the year ends.

For the 2026 Blue Card, the salary is €50,700 for standard roles or €45,934.20 for shortage roles. The role and qualification also have to fit.

Treat month nine as the real deadline. Interviews at German companies often run two to three months from first contact to offer, and contract negotiation and the permit switch come after that. You file the switch at the local immigration office without leaving Germany. The Blue Card then leads to permanent residence after 21 months with B1 German, or 27 months with A1.

The initial card runs up to 12 months. If you then hold a qualifying employment contract or a binding job offer, a follow-on Opportunity Card (Folge-Chancenkarte) of up to two years can be issued once, as a bridge to a work permit or Blue Card. Without one, you need another lawful German residence category or you must leave when the status ends.

The Blue Card starts with qualifying employment. The Opportunity Card lets you search from inside Germany. The Freelance Visa is for recognised self-employed work with your own clients.

Usually not during the search year. The Opportunity Card is a job-search permit. A spouse's standard right to join needs a stay expected to last more than a year, and the card runs for up to 12 months. Children can join only in narrow cases, with funds and housing shown for the whole household. In practice the family joins once you move to a work permit or an EU Blue Card, or a spouse who qualifies applies for their own card. We check your family's position before filing.

Register your address (Anmeldung) first; it needs a landlord confirmation, so avoid short rentals that will not issue one. Your tax ID then arrives by post, and the registration certificate opens a German bank account. Book the immigration-office appointment for the residence permit as soon as you have an address, because waits in large cities can run to months.