Last checked against the official sources: 29 August 2026
The Opportunity Card is not a work permit but a residence permit for seeking employment or recognition measures — the one route into Germany without a contract in hand. Two things are usually missing from the summaries: what it lets you do while you hold it is limited by statute, and the points table is written into the Annex to the Act with a figure against each criterion. The minimum is six points.
What the card permits — and what it does not
- Purpose
- A residence permit to look for gainful employment or for measures to recognise foreign professional qualifications.
- Permitted work
- Employment averaging at most twenty hours a week in total.
- Trial employment
- Two weeks at most on each occasion — and it must be qualified, aimed at training, or suitable to be taken up within a recognition measure under § 16d.
- Secured livelihood
- An absolute condition: the card may only be issued where the livelihood is secured.
- Applicants already in Germany
- Someone already in the country may only be granted the card if they hold a residence title under Section 3 or Section 4.
- The minimum
- Six points — for anyone who is not already a skilled worker.
Two routes, not one
Paragraph 3 opens the card to two quite different groups.
First: anyone who is already a skilled worker within the meaning of the Act. They need no points at all.
Second: anyone who collects enough points under the table in the Annex. That is the route that concerns most people.
But the points route has a gate before the points themselves. Paragraph 4 requires the applicant to hold one of three:
- a foreign vocational qualification officially recognised in the state where it was obtained, whose acquisition required training of at least two years;
- or a foreign degree officially recognised in the state where it was obtained;
- or a vocational qualification obtained abroad through training which, in content, duration and manner of delivery, meets the requirements of the German Vocational Training Act, and which was issued by a German chamber of commerce abroad.
In addition — not instead — the applicant must prove at least basic German (level A1) or English at level B2.
Finally, the applicant must have the qualification condition confirmed by a competent body inside Germany. It is not left to their own assessment.
The full points table — six points minimum
These are the twelve criteria and their weights as set out in § 20b and the Annex:
Criteria and points
- Partial equivalence — 4 points
- Where the competent body has determined that your qualification needs adaptation or compensation measures or further qualifications — either to establish equivalence or to obtain a licence in a regulated profession. The highest single item in the table.
- Good German (B2) — 3 points
- The highest language award.
- Sufficient German (B1) — 2 points
- For those not scoring on the item above.
- Adequate German (A2) — 1 point
- For those not scoring on either item above.
- English at C1 — 1 point
- Added to the German language points rather than replacing them.
- Five years of experience — 3 points
- At least five years within the last seven, related to the qualification and acquired after it.
- Two years of experience — 2 points
- At least two years within the last five — for those not scoring on the item above.
- A shortage occupation — 1 point
- Where your qualification belongs to the occupation groups named on the Blue Card route.
- Aged up to 35 — 2 points
- At the time of application.
- Aged 36 to 40 — 1 point
- At the time of application.
- Previous stay in Germany — 1 point
- At least six lawful, uninterrupted months within the last five years; interruptions do no harm where, viewed as a whole, the centre of the stay remained in Germany.
- An accompanying spouse — 1 point
- Where your spouse or registered partner also meets the conditions and applies at the same authority or enters Germany with you.
The arithmetic is simple but not obvious: the three German-language items do not stack — you take the highest of them only. The same applies to the two experience items and the two age items. English at C1, however, does stack on top of the German language point.
An example: a 33-year-old graduate with German at B1 (2 points), English at C1 (1 point), three years of relevant experience within the last five (2 points) and their age (2 points) reaches seven points — enough.
Duration: one year, then two — and then it stops
The search card. Issued first for up to one year.
The follow-on card. On an application made during that stay, it may be extended for up to two years where you hold an employment contract or a binding job offer for qualified domestic employment and the Employment Agency has consented. It is issued only where you do not meet the conditions for another residence permit under Section 4 — a fallback, not a preferred option.
Two details matter: the twenty-hour and two-week limits do not apply to the follow-on card; and no further extension is possible.
A new search card is only issued after the holder has spent a period abroad — or lawfully in Germany — following the expiry of the previous one. The route cannot simply be recycled.
Practical steps
- Check first whether you are already a skilled worker. If you are, you need no points and the direct route is stronger.
- Pass the qualification gate before counting points. A qualification recognised at home with two years of training, a degree, or a certificate from a German chamber of commerce abroad.
- Prove the language: German A1 or English B2. This is an entry condition, not a points item.
- Apply for a recognition decision even if you expect a shortfall. A ruling that adaptation measures are needed is worth four points — the highest item in the table.
- Do not stack the language, age or experience items. The highest in each group counts; only English at C1 is added separately.
- Prepare proof of a secured livelihood from the start. The statute makes it an absolute condition with no discretion.
Official sources
§ 20a AufenthG — the Opportunity Card · § 20b — the points criteria · Annex to the Act — the points table · § 2 — language levels
Please note: this page is general guidance, not legal advice. Salary thresholds are published annually in the Federal Gazette and change every January, and every application is assessed individually — consult an immigration lawyer or an advice centre before acting.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do I need?
At least six under the table in the Annex — and that applies only to those who are not already skilled workers. Skilled workers receive the card without points.
How many hours may I work?
An average of at most twenty hours a week in total, plus trial employment of no more than two weeks on each occasion, subject to its conditions.
Is English alone enough?
Yes as an entry condition: English at B2 is accepted in place of basic German. But the higher language points attach to German, and English at C1 adds only a single further point.
What is the highest item in the table?
A determination by the competent body that your qualification needs adaptation or compensation measures or further qualifications — four points.
Can the card be extended more than once?
No. After the one-year search card it may be extended for up to two years as a follow-on card with a contract or binding offer and Employment Agency consent, and no extension follows that.