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Specialist visa without recognized academic/professional degree for non-Turkish citizens
Who can apply?
If you do have a recognized higher or tertiary education or professional degree, please see Blue Card EU visa for non-Turkish citizens or Academic / professional skilled worker visa for non-Turkish citizens
You can only apply if you can prove comparable qualification evidenced by at least two years professional experience acquired in the last five years. Minimum salary is about 40.770/year (as of 01.03.2024).
What documents do I need?
NOTE: Please do not staple or fold any documents. The submission of complete documents does not constitute a claim to the issue of a visa, but enables the visa office to check the legal requirements. In individual cases, further documents not mentioned here may also be required. You will be informed about this after the application has been submitted and will be given a reasonable period of time to submit them.
For foreign civil status certificates and other public certificates please check on the website of the German mission in the issuing state whether any formal steps must be taken in order for the document to be accepted by German authorities (i.e. legalization, apostille). The legalization can generally only be done by the German mission in the country where the document was issued.
In general:
Please fill in the online application form for each applicant and print it out from here: https://videx-national.diplo.de/ From the age of 18 you sign the form yourself; in the case of children the parent or legal guardian sign it.
You pay the visa fee at the visa section in cash (change cannot be given!) or by credit or debit card. Only MasterCard or VISA cards are accepted. The fee is usually 75,00 Euro; for children from 0 to 17 years: usually 40,00 Euro.
Please submit a passport for each applicant. The passport(s) must be valid and there have to be at least two empty pages. Please also submit a copy of the passport data page(s) (page with photo and validity dates) for each family member.
One passport photo for each applicant. The photo must be biometric and not older than 6 months. They must be 35 x 45 millimetres. You can find more information on biometric photos here.
If available: Turkish residence permit or visa. Please submit the original document and one copy. If you have a residence permit, please copy front and back side.
Please fill in, print out and sign the address confirmation and e-mail consent.
After your application has been processed, we will send your passport and other original documents via UPS to the indicated address.
WARNING: If your (e-mail-)addresses change during the application procedure, please inform us immediately. Otherwise, we can not ensure that your documents or important information with regard to your application reach you.
Job documents:
Completed form signed by your employer: Declaration of employment. Please submit the original document and one copy.
You must also declare that the employment on which the visa application is to be based is actually intended to be carried out and there is no sham employment relationship in order to obtain a residence permit. Please print and sign this form and bring the original.
You can only apply if you can prove comparable qualification evidenced by at least two years professional experience acquired in the last five years. We need:
- One copy of your curriculum vitae (complete and listed in tabular form).
- Proof of professional history, e.g. school or university degrees, employer certificates, references, SGK (social insurance) history with barcode. Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated. Please submit the original document and one copy.
You must have successfully completed vocational or academic training.
Please submit your diploma/certificate. Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated. Please submit the original document and one copy.
It is important that the qualification is recognised by the country in which you obtained it. Your vocational qualification must have required at least two years of vocational training. To support your visa application, you will EITHER need a positive result for this qualification (ZAB-letter), which you can apply for online at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) OR submit the (partial) recognition letter mentioning missing qualifications (Defizitbescheid), which you can apply for with the authority responsible for the recognition (depending on your type and field of qualification or the place you would like to work). This authority can be found at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de. Please submit the original document and one copy.
From the age of 45: Proof of adequate provision for old age (only if salary does not amount to at least 55% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling for the general pension insurance scheme, currently: 49.830 Euros gross / year (2024).
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance, i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.
For your spouse:
If one of the spouses was represented at the time of the marriage, additionally: special power of attorney – the power of attorney must state the full names of both spouses and must have been issued before the marriage contract is concluded. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If available in your home country. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If one of the spouses was already married before, please submit a divorce decree of all previous marriages or death certificate(s) (if applicable).
Please bring the original documents (you will get them back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance, i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.
Additionally if children join:
Birth certificate of the child. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If available in your home country. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
Death certificate of the deceased parent. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If the child is a minor and will not join both parents with custody/ the parent with sole custody: a notarized declaration of consent of the parent not joining the child is required, in which his or her agreement to the visa application and the permanent relocation of the child to Germany is declared. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance (§ 11 sections 1-3 SGB V), i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.