Germany is one of the most popular states among Russian citizens in terms of labor immigration. However, finding a job in this country is not easy. A work visa to Germany in 2021 is issued only if certain conditions are met, the main of which is the demand for your profession in the country.
What does a work visa give
A work visa is a visa that gives foreigners the right to carry out paid labor activities abroad. In 2021, a long-term national visa of category D is issued to Germany and other EU countries for this purpose. In some cases, the visa is valid for the entire period of employment, in others, after the expiration of the visa, a permit for a long-term stay in Germany in connection with work is issued.
Find out more about what a work visa is.
Types of work visas to Germany
Depending on the work area in which the applicant intends to work, there are different visa requirements. Currently, a work visa to enter Germany is issued to Russian citizens in the following categories:
- dependent work;
- visa for doctors;
- Blue card;
- a visa for the purpose of finding a job;
- visa for housekeepers and nannies;
- volunteer activity;
- independent business and work in liberal professions;
- passing practice;
- visa for artists and artists;
- visa for scientists and researchers.
Self-employed visa
You can apply for a work visa to Germany for Russians on the basis of non-self-dependent employment. This category includes foreigners who have an employment contract with an employer in Germany, as well as workers involved in international exchange of personnel, specialists in the Entsendung program, employees who change jobs within the same company, as well as specialists working under an agreement such as Werkvertragsarbeitnehmer.
Blue card
The Blue Card is a special type of work permit for specialists with higher education who have received a job in Germany in their specialty. At the same time, an important condition for obtaining this type of permit is the amount of salary, which must be at least 50,800 euros per year (4,233.33 euros per month) without tax deductions. For healthcare professionals, natural scientists, engineers, mathematicians, IT professionals, the annual salary must be at least 39.624 euros (3.302 euros per month), excluding tax payments.
Working as a doctor
Health workers are eligible for a Blue Card work visa, but there are additional conditions for professionals in this area. In order to find a job in Germany as a doctor, it is necessary that the applicant's diploma of relevant education be recognized in this country (can be checked in the ANABIN database - anabin.kmk.org).
In addition, it is necessary to obtain a special permit to carry out medical activities in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Federal Regulations on the Activities of Physicians or to provide evidence of a guarantee that such a permit will be issued in the future. Also, doctors must provide proof of German language proficiency at the B2 level.
Job search visa
If you set out to get a work visa to Germany without confirming the availability of a contractual job, then you need to take care of preparing a large number of documents.
First of all, a visa to look for a job in Germany requires a sufficient amount of funds for the period of stay in the country - at the rate of 720 euros per month. In addition to money, the applicant must have a place of residence (in a hotel or rented apartment).
And, since at the time of submission of documents the applicant does not have an employment contract or an official invitation from the employer, it is necessary to provide a self-written motivation letter with a detailed description of what the candidate plans to do during his stay in Germany, about the types of activities he is interested in and about the companies in which he intends to apply on arrival.
All the details about job search, conditions, vacancies and salaries can be found in the article: "Employment in Germany".
Visa for maids and nannies (Au-Pair)
Applicants aged 18-27 who have an agreement with a host family, whose main language is German, can apply for a visa to work as a housekeeper or nanny. No family member must be from or related to the applicant's country.
After the expiry of the visa (in this case, the maximum period is 1 year), the applicant is not allowed to remain in Germany for the purpose of pursuing another type of activity.
Volunteering
You can also get a work visa to Germany for Russians on the basis of volunteering. For this, it is necessary to conclude an appropriate agreement with one of the volunteer organizations.
Depending on the program chosen, there are different requirements for applicants, including age restrictions. An important condition when applying for a visa in this case is the signing of an agreement by the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society.
Self-employed and liberal professions
A special visa is intended for foreigners intending to set up their own business in Germany. To obtain it, you must provide the consulate with all documents accompanying the creation of a business:
- memorandum of association,
- extract from the trade register,
- a list of shareholders, as well as a detailed description of the business idea (business plan, business concept, capital investment plan).
Internship
The visa is for foreign trainees. In addition to an internship agreement from the employer, you must also provide the consulate with an internship plan and a document of assistance from the service, organization or educational institution from which the candidate is sent.
Visa for artists and artists
The contract for applicants traveling to work in Germany as artists must clearly indicate whether it is an employment activity or a liberal profession. In addition, there should be a clause in the medical insurance to cover the costs of sports and occupational injuries while performing.
Visa for scientists and researchers
The visa is intended for foreigners to travel to work as scientists, visiting researchers and researchers. Confirmation of the agreement with the host is required.
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Registration process
The process of obtaining a work visa to Germany begins with the preparation of documents.
Requirements for registration may differ depending on the field of work (mainly the required level of proficiency in German and the requirements for a diploma of education differ), however, there is a general list of required papers.
After the complete package of documents has been collected, you need to make an appointment with the consular department of the German Embassy or the Consulate General or the Visa Service Center, submit documents, pay the visa fee and go through an interview, if provided for by the type of visa. After that, wait for the appointment of the day of issuing a passport with a ready visa and come on the specified day.
Required documents
The list of what documents are needed at the German Embassy for a work visa is as follows:
- a passport with at least two blank pages, the validity of the passport must exceed the validity of the visa by three months (plus two photocopies of the data page);
- internal passport (plus two photocopies of the data page and two photocopies of the page on registration of permanent residence);
- 3 high-quality color photographs of passport format (35 x 45 mm), the face should occupy 70-80% of the full size of the photo (32-36 mm); no glare, no shadows, on a white background, sunglasses and hats are prohibited (except for religious reasons);
- 2 completed application forms for issuing a national visa;
- 2 signed explanations confirming the knowledge of the legal consequences in case of submission of false information in accordance with paragraphs 53 and 54 of the Residence Act in the Federal Republic of Germany;
- an employment contract, an official invitation from an employer in Germany or any other confirmation of an offer of a guaranteed job with an indication of the position, salary, contract term, address of the place of work and contacts of the employer;
- confirmation of obtaining qualifications in accordance with the requirements for the vacancy (diplomas, certificates);
- confirmation of proficiency in German at the proper level;
- medical insurance policy (at least for the period of the first weeks of stay, subject to the further conclusion of an insurance contract in Germany);
- biography in the form of a table indicating the addresses of places of work (without gaps in time intervals);
- work book (if any);
- self-composed motivation letter;
- other additional documents in support of the application.
When preparing documents, it is important to observe the following conditions:
- all originals of civil status documents require an apostille (except for papers issued by German institutions);
- apostille must be accompanied by a translation;
- translation of documents from Russian into German is required (with the exception of foreign and domestic passports and insurance policy);
- the originals and translations must be accompanied by 2 photocopies.
For those who are interested in preparing a package of documents at the German embassy, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with how an application for a visa to Germany should be filled out.
Processing time and validity period
The duration of processing documents for a German visa largely depends on the purpose of the stay. The review period often lasts from 6 to 8 weeks, although in some cases it can be extended for a longer period, since the authorities in Germany are also involved in making the decision.
As for the validity period of a national work visa, it ranges from 3 to 6 months. The limitation of the validity of a visa is justified by the fact that upon arrival, a foreigner is often issued a long-term residence permit in accordance with the purpose of arrival.
However, if the planned time of stay in Germany does not exceed a year, for example, in the case of a visa on the basis of an international personnel exchange, then the applicant may be issued a visa for the period required by the program.
For those who are interested in how you can find out about the stages of consideration of an application and documents for obtaining a German visa, we recommend that you learn about tracking a visa to Germany.
Registration cost
How much does a work visa to Germany cost largely depends on whether you apply for a visa yourself, contacting the consular department in person, or use the services of intermediary firms. Now there are many agencies that provide assistance in preparing documents for applying for a visa for an additional fee. In this case, the cost of obtaining a work visa can range from 400 euros and more.
When contacting the embassy in person, the price of issuing a national German visa of category D depends only on the visa fee, which is 75 euros. The visa fee is not charged only when applying for a visa on the basis of a volunteer service agreement.
To apply for a German work visa, you must contact the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moscow or the Consulates General:
- Moscow, Leninsky prospect, building 95A;
- St. Petersburg, st. Furshtatskaya, house 39;
- Yekaterinburg, st. Kuibyshev, house 44;
- Novosibirsk, Krasny prospect, house 28;
- Kaliningrad, st. Telman, 14.
Service and Visa Centers
You can also open a work visa in Germany at one of the service and visa centers located in the largest cities in Russia:
- Moscow, st. Shabolovka, house 31, building 5;
- Kazan, st. Paris Commune, 8;
- Krasnodar, st. Academician Pavlova, house 64, letter A1;
- Nizhny Novgorod, st. Shcherbakova, house 15 (business center "Cascade");
- Rostov-on-Don, st. Trolleybusnaya, house 24 / 2v (business center "Sodruzhestvo");
- Saratov, st. Vavilov, house 38/114 (business center "Kovcheg");
- Samara, st. Michurina, 78 (business center "Millennium").
How to act in case of refusal
There are cases when applicants are denied a visa, then they receive a written notification about this with a brief justification for the decision and with a further description of the appeal procedure. If you receive a refusal, you have the right to send an appeal to the German Embassy, which must contain the following information:
- case number (indicated in the letter with the reason for the refusal);
- contacts of the applicant for feedback;
- an explanation of the points specified in the letter of refusal, with the attachment of missing documents (if the lack of a sufficient number of papers was the reason for the refusal).
In the case of a refusal to issue a national work visa, all relevant documents must be attached to the appeal, translated into German.
You can find out more about filing appeals when a consulate makes a negative decision from the article “Schengen Visa Refusal”.
Conclusion
While it is not easy to obtain a German work visa, there are still many options for legal employment in this country. If you have the opportunity to submit a full package of documents to the consulate and confirm that you have a guaranteed job, then there should be no difficulties when applying for a work visa.
You must carefully read all the conditions, since depending on your future salary, you should apply for a regular visa or a Blue Card.
The easiest way to get a work visa is if the work trip is carried out under a contract provided by an employment agency, for example, as a housekeeper. Visas are issued without obstacles for employees of organizations who travel to Germany for international personnel exchange within the framework of their company.
