General Information

As a Ghanaian, Sierra Leonean or Liberian national, you generally need a visa to work in Germany. The visa entitles you to enter Germany and, if all the requirements are met, will be converted into a residence permit that corresponds to the purpose of your stay in Germany.

If you need basic general information or in-depth guidance about the types of long term visa for Germany as well as the surrounding process, then we recommend using our VISA NAVIGATOR first.

General information on the new regulations for skilled workers can be found here.

Here you will find information for the following purposes:

• Visa for skilled workers
• Visa for a stay as Au-Pair
• Visa for highly qualified / Blue Card EU
• Visa for vocational training and professional development
• Visa for a voluntary service
• Visa for research
• Visa for jobseeker (ONLY with a university degree or vocational training recognized in Germany) or search for vocational training place

General information on taking up employment in Germany as well as the recognition process can be found on the following websites:

www.make-it-in-germany.com/en

https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/index.php

A complete list of regulated professions can be found on the following websites:

https://web.arbeitsagentur.de/berufenet/?path=null/reglementierteBerufe

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/regprof/home

Scheduling of an appointment

All applicants have to apply in person at the German Embassy. Appointments can only be booked through the Embassy’s online appointment system.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their visa applications well in advance of their intended travel date to allow sufficient time for processing. Pre-approval from the Federal Employment Agency in Germany can be obtained to shorten the processing time.

Application forms

Please bring the application form and the additional declaration completely filled out to the visa office at your appointment.

Application form

Additional declaration

Work declaration

Application procedure

The embassy can only process complete applications. Persons who cannot present all of the documents listed in our information sheets when applying to the visa office are advised to refrain from filing a visa application and to book a new appointment once their documents are complete.

Certificates, diplomas, etc. must be presented in the original. Your original documents will be returned to you once your application has been processed.

Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such inquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and can thus not be answered.

If the visa is granted, it is your duty to verify whether the information printed on the visa sticker is correct and complete and to report any errors to the Embassy immediately. The embassy is not liable for financial damage caused by corrections not reported in good time.

Information Sheets for different categories of employment