The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) visa lets non-EU citizens stay in Germany for 1 year to look for full-time employment, and it allows part-time work of up to 20 hours per week. Applicants must meet requirements such as vocational training or a university degree, basic language skills, a blocked bank account, and valid health insurance. If you do not yet have a job, take out Expat health insurance to meet the visa requirement, then switch to Public health insurance or Private health insurance once you start working. If you already have a job offer, take out Expat health insurance for the period before your job starts and apply for Public health insurance if your salary is below €77,400 per year, or Private health insurance if it is above that amount.
What is the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) visa in Germany?
The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) visa allows non-EU citizens to stay in Germany for 1 year to look for full-time employment. If you find a suitable full-time job during that year, you can apply for a residence permit to stay longer.
How does the Opportunity Card visa differ from the former job seeker visa?
The Opportunity Card visa differs from the former job seeker visa in 2 main ways. It is valid for 1 year instead of 6 months, and it allows part-time or mini jobs of up to 20 hours per week while you search for full-time employment, which the job seeker visa did not permit.
What are the eligibility requirements for the Opportunity Card visa?
To qualify for the Opportunity Card visa, you generally need to meet the following requirements:
2 years of vocational training or a university degree.
Basic German language skills at A1 level, or English language skills at B2 level.
A blocked bank account.
Valid health insurance coverage.
A completed visa application form.
The complete list of requirements is published on the official German government page found in our blog post.
Which health insurance should I choose for the Opportunity Card visa?
The right health insurance depends on whether you already have a job offer:
If you do not have employment yet: take out Expat health insurance to meet the visa requirement. After you arrive in Germany and start a job, you can use our switching service to move to Public health insurance or Private health insurance.
If you already have an employment offer: take out Expat health insurance to cover the period before your job starts. At the same time, apply for Public health insurance if your gross salary is below €77,400 per year, or Private health insurance if it is above that amount. You can then use our switching service to move from Expat health insurance to Public health insurance or Private health insurance.
You can contact our support team for more assistance or additional resources.
Where can I find more detailed information about applying for the Opportunity Card visa?
A detailed, step-by-step guide to the Opportunity Card visa application process is available on our blog.