Applying for the German Opportunity Card from India

Applying for the German Opportunity Card from India is possible without a job offer. The one-year visa helps Indians settle in Germany directly by scoring 6 points against skills such as qualification, language, and work experience.

Indian nationals who do not have a job offer from a German employer can still apply for the Opportunity Card that can help them stay in Germany for one year, work part-time, search for a job relevant to their qualification, and eventually get a residence permit after that.

The Opportunity Card is called “Chancen Karte” in German and it comes into force on 1 June 2024 which means eligible Indian nationals can apply from this date for the visa.

This article has been written with the help of an immigration expert from Germany. So the information provided is authentic, verified and true to the best of our research and knowledge.

What can you do holding the Opportunity Card?

There are many benefits once you are granted an opportunity card in Germany such as you can:

• apply without a job offer;
• apply without an agent;
• apply with a low bank statement;
• get it at a low cost;
• live in Germany for one year;
• can do a part-time job (maximum 20 hours a week);
• find a job related to your qualifications and apply for a residence permit (skilled worker visa);
• extend your visa for a further 2 years if you cannot find the relevant job;
• can sponsor your family once you convert your opportunity card into a residence permit;
• can apply for permanent residence and subsequently citizenship.

Requirements for the Opportunity Card from India?

Opportunity Card has four general requirements that must be met:

• You have a university degree (either recognized from Germany or not) or vocational qualification which requires a minimum of two years of vocational training;
• You have English language proficiency at B2 or German language proficiency at A1 levels (proving through test certificate); and
• You can support yourself in Germany for the time of 12 months by showing an amount of €11,208 through a blocked account or sponsorship from Germany through a person who can bear your living costs. This could also be shown through a part-time job contract in whatever field.

Once you qualify for the above criteria, you then have two choices depending on your qualifications. These are:

Apply directly

The first option is to apply directly without the points-based system. The only condition is that you have a degree or qualification that is fully recognized by Germany. The institutions in Germany help provide the qualification recognition certificate that helps apply for the opportunity card directly. You can check here how to apply for the recognition of your qualification from Germany. There are only two requirements to be met under this stream:

• A recognized qualification from Germany. You must prove it with a certificate of recognition (Annerkenungsbecheid); and
• Financial resources that you can support yourself during your entire stay in Germany. This can be proven;
  • either through proof of financial means through a blocked bank account with a minimum of €11,208 per person; or
  • through a “Statement of Declaration” (verpflichtungserklärung) which means a person in Germany can bear the cost of living for you. In this case, that person should be working full-time and earning enough money to be your financial sponsor.

Apply under a points-based stream

If you cannot get your qualification recognized fully from Germany, you need to use the points-based system. The requirement is to score a total of 6 points to be eligible for the opportunity card. Please note if you have partial recognition from Germany, you still have to apply under the points-based system. The 6 points are scored are gained as follows:

Opportunity Card Points Calculator

Below is an overview, of how one can secure enough points to get the visa:

Partial recognition of Qualification

Qualification	Points
*You have applied for the qualification recognition and got partial recognition	4
**You have a qualification for a regulated profession and you are required to participate in compensatory measures before obtaining a license to practice your profession	4

Qualification from Bottleneck occupations (shortage occupations list)

Qualification relevancy	Points
If your formal qualification is from Bottleneck occupations list	1

Professional Experience

Work experience	Points
If you have professional work experience of 2 years in connection to your formal qualification (within the last 5 years)	2
If you have professional work experience of 5 years in connection to your formal qualification (within the last 7 years)	3

Age 

Condition	Points
Under 35	2
Between 35 and 40	1

Language Proficiency

Language Skills	Points
*German proficiency at CEFR A2	1
German proficiency at CEFR B1	2
German proficiency at CEFR B2	3
**English proficiency at CEFR C1 or you are a native English speaker	1

Skilled worker potential of spouses or life partners

Relation	Points
Your partner or Spouse wants to come to Germany with you and they also score 6 points for the opportunity card, then you get an extra point for this eligibility.	1

Previous stays in Germany

Previous Stays in German	Points
If you have stayed in a continuous period of 6 months in the last 5 years in Germany, you can be awarded an extra point. The stays can be for work or study purposes. Tourism or meeting family purposes do not qualify for this eligibility.	1

Where to apply for the Opportunity Card from India?

You can apply for the opportunity card of Germany if you are in India or live in other countries such as the Gulf. To apply for a visa, you either have to apply directly at the embassy in New Dehli, in the Consulate Generals, or through the online portal of the German government named “Counselor Service Portal or in the VFS Global centers.

Direct in the Embassy in New Dehli

Depending on your location, you must apply directly to the German Embassy in New Dehli:

• German Embassy New Delhi, No. 6/50G, Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
• Visa appointments can be gained through their email address: visa@newd.diplo.de

Applying through the Consulate General

Depending upon your area of residence, you can apply in the following consulate general in different cities:

Mission	Address
German Consulate General Bengaluru	2nd & 3rd Floor, “Cash Pharmacy Building”, Corner St. Marks & Residency Road, Bangalore 560025, Karnataka Visa appointments: rk-info@banga.diplo.de
German Consulate General Chennai	No. 9 Boat Club Road, R.A. Puram, Chennai 600028, Tamil Nadu. Visa appointments: visa@chenn.diplo.de
German Consulate General Kolkata	1 Hastings Park Road, Alipore, Kolkata (Calcutta) 700 027. Visa appointments: Only possible through the VFS appointment system: Click here to book.
German Consulate General Mumbai	Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021. Consulate contact: Click here to access.

Applying through VFS Global

Depending upon your residential region, you may have to apply through the VFS Global offices in different cities:

• New Delhi: Residents from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, as well as the Union Territories of Chandigarh, NCT of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep including Minicoy and Amini, can apply in the VFS New Dehli.
• Mumbai: Candidates living in the areas of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman, and Diu can apply through VFS Global Mumbai.
• Kolkata: Applicants applying from the areas of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura should apply through the VFS Kolkata center.
• Bangalore: Karnataka and Kerala
• Chennai: Applicants applying from these areas Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Pondicherry must be a residents in the area for the last 6 months.

The VFS Global can be contacted via their websites or 022-67866013.

Opportunity Card Visa Fees

The opportunity card visa fee is based on the long-term national visa. In India, the visa fees are as under:

VISA CATEGORY	VISA FEE IN EUROS (ADULT)	VISA FEE IN EUROS (CHILD)	VISA FEE IN INR (ADULT)	VISA FEE IN INR (CHILD)	VFS Service Charges
Long Term – National Visas (More than 90 days)	€75.68	€75.68 (Above 12 Years). €37.84(For Children between 0-17 Years of age)	INR 6800	INR 6,800(Above 12 Years). INR 3,400 (For Children between 6-12 Years of age)	INR 908

Opportunity Card Visa Form

The applicants willing to apply for an opportunity card must fill in the National Visa Application Form to submit it with the required documents to the embassy or VFS. The Visa Application Form can be accessed here. It is an online form, you can fill it in and print it with the bar code generated automatically.

Application process step by step

Step 1 – Prepare your visa application

You should prepare the visa application according to the requirements of the opportunity card. Include all necessary documents and the visa application form with other mandatory forms and declarations mentioned below:

Visa Form	Declaration	Additional Legal Representation
Click here to access	Download here the PDF file.	Download here the PDF file.

Step 2 – Gather the documents

You must include the following documents with your visa application for the opportunity card:

• passport-sized photograph (check the requirements);
• a valid passport;
• a recognized university degree,
• a vocational qualification with vocational training of a minimum 2 years (proofs),
• language proficiency certificate in English at CEFR level B2 or in the German language at CEFR level A1,
• proof of financial means through a blocked bank account with a minimum of €1,027 net per month. You can also prove it by having a “State of Declaration” (verpflichtungserklärung) which means a person in Germany can bear the cost of living for you. In this case, that person should be working full-time and earning enough money to be your financial sponsor;
• documents of spouse if applying with you;
• proof of your previous stay in Germany for a minimum of six months if you want to get 1 extra point (it is however not mandatory). Please note the tourist stay cannot be accepted towards the proofs.
• proof of work experience of 2 or 5 years. This can be in the form of a work experience confirmation letter from your current or previous employer,
• proof of German language proficiency at CEFR level A2 to B2, or the English language at CEFR level C1 (for extra points only);
• a valid Health insurance, click here to check the authorized companies in India;
• proof of vocational training report from ZAB Germany; or
• proof of university degree qualification.

Please note the documents should be either in English or German language. If they are in another language, you must provide the translation. There is however no need for the Apostille of the documents as the embassy does not accept it.

Step 3 – Get the appointment

As per the information provided above about the application submission process, get an appointment from your relevant office such as the embassy, consulate general, or VFS to submit your visa application. On the given day, include all the above-mentioned documents. Please note the visa fee is payable only in Indian rupees. The visa and service fee is subject to the exchange rate and on the given day it can differ. The modes of payment are:

• Cash;
• Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Rupay; or
• Demand Draft (in favor of VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd)

Step 4 – Processing of the Opportunity Card

Given the number of opportunity card applications submitted to the German missions, the process can take about 4 weeks to 12 weeks. If required, there may be a verification check (you can read more about it here) of the documents taking place.

Step 5 – Opportunity Card approval

If the requirements are met, you will be granted the opportunity card that allows you to travel and live in Germany. If you notice any errors in the visa information, please immediately inform the embassy about it for correction such as full name, passport number, and issue/expiry dates.