Welcome
Residence Permit for General Employment
For both skilled workers and academic professionals there are a variety of opportunities to obtain employment in Germany. Access to the labour market for unskilled and low-skilled workers remains limited.
The decision on whether access is granted is taken on a discretionary basis by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) as provided for by the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) and the Employment Ordinance (Beschäftigungsverordnung). Decisions are based on the economic needs of the Federal Republic of Germany. Access is sometimes limited to particular nationalities or occupational groups.
The information in this section is designed to cover a wide range of individual and different cases and is therefore provided as a guideline only. We may require additional information and documents. Some categories of visas under the general employment heading may only be open to certain nationalities; some categories require the applicant to hold an academic degree or a recognised vocational qualification.
Your prospective employer can facilitate visa processing by applying for pre-approval from the Federal Employment Agency.
If your visa category for academic professionals requires you to hold a German, a recognised or a comparable foreign academic degree and if you hold a foreign degree, please check whether both your degree and the awarding academic institution are listed as comparable in the official Anabin database. If either is not listed please have the degree formally assessed through a “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications” issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
If your visa category for non-academic professionals requires that you hold a vocational qualification please ensure that it has been formally recognised by the competent German authority.
Some regulated professions such as medical doctors, nurses, teachers, architects, auditors, tax advisors and more require a formal license to practise their profession in Germany. Please consult the database on recognition in regulated professions.
Should you be 45 years of age or older and on an annual salary of less than EUR 48.180 (2023 threshold) we may need to sight evidence that you already made adequate retirement provisions.
Processing period
The processing period may take 2-3 months. During the processing period you cannot inquire about the status of your application. Upon expiry of the processing period only the applicant, his/her legal representative or persons holding an authorization letter from the applicant may inquire about the status of the visas.
Fees
The fee is 75,00 € payable in USD cash only. Please bring small USD bills. The application form can be downloaded for free.
Necessary documents
Please bring the following documents in the mentioned order to your appointment at the Embassy. Additional documents may in some cases be requested. Documents sent in advance will not be archived.
Complete the online application form (application forms are required for each applicant separately; all children require separate forms).
Bring one signed copy of the form including the barcodes to your appointment.
A valid passport signed by the holder, issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least one year is necessary. The passport needs to have at least 2 subsequent blank pages. Please bring one photocopy of the passport biodata page to your appointment.
1 fully biometric passport photo, 35 x 45 mm, no older than three months. Digitally altered passport photos cannot be accepted. Please ensure that your photo adheres to German biometric requirements and is taken in front of a white/bright background.
Non-Zimbabweans - please bring your valid Zimbabwean residence permit and 1 photocopy to your appointment.
- Employer’s declaration (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis) - to be completed by your employer in 1 copy
if available- confirmation of pre-approval by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) original and one copy.
1 copy
We will need to see the original degree certificate or a copy either notarised by a notary public or certified by the issuing academic institution. The original will be returned to you during your appointment. Any document in a language other than German or English needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.
- 1 photocopy of the original and translation (if applicable)
- Print-outs from the official database - showing that both the qualification as well as the academic institution are listed as comparable - 1 copy
- OR original of the “Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications”, issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) plus 1 photocopy of the ZAB statement.
We will need to see the original qualification or a copy either notarised by a notary public or certified by the issuing vocational institution. The original will be returned to you during your appointment. Any document in a language other than German, English or French needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.
- 1 photocopy of the original and translation (if applicable)
Original of the recognition notice regarding your professional qualification plus 1 photocopy
Application via the Online Portal
You can apply for the visa online via the online portal of the Federal Foreign Office. After you have filled out the application and uploaded the documents, your information and documents will be checked for completeness and any questions will be clarified with you directly via the portal. Once all documents have been checked online, you will receive an invitation link to book an appointment via the portal.
At the subsequent appointment at the Embassy in Harare, only your identity will be checked, your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) will be recorded and the fee will be paid.