Germany's opportunity card: 7,983 visas in the first half of 2026 and first data on moves into work

In brief

• The opportunity card has been in force since 1 June 2024. It is a residence permit to look for work in Germany for up to one year, either on points or for skilled workers with a recognised qualification.
• From January to June 2026 German missions issued 7,983 opportunity card visas. For the same period of 2025 the government's monthly table shows 7,020.
• From the launch to the end of October 2025, 16,423 visas were issued. Together with the first half of 2026 that makes at least 24,400 visas.
• According to the Central Register of Foreigners as of 30 April 2026, 1,500 people moved from the card to a work residence permit and 257 to vocational training. The government stresses that the real number of transitions is higher.
• The rules did not change in 2026: 6 points, up to 20 hours of work a week, trial work of up to two weeks per employer, living costs of about EUR 1,091 a month.

2026 figures: 7,983 visas in six months

The main fresh source is a written answer from Daniela Ludwig, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, dated 2 September 2026 and published in the Bundestag paper Drucksache 21/7837. Answering an MP, the government said that from January to June 2026 it issued 7,983 visas under section 20a of the Residence Act, which is the opportunity card. In addition, according to the Central Register of Foreigners, 2,370 people received the card for the first time inside Germany as a residence permit in the same six months, and 86 people received a so-called follow-up card.

For comparison, I added up the monthly table the government gave the Bundestag in November 2025 (Drucksache 21/2817). From January to June 2025, 7,020 visas were issued, from 1,326 in January to 1,074 in June. So in 2026 an average of about 1,330 visas a month are being issued, against about 1,170 a year earlier. There is growth, but it is steady, without a jump.

Scale matters here. In the 2023 draft law the government expected about 30,000 cards a year. Even with the 2026 growth, the programme is running at roughly 16,000 visas a year, about half of what was expected. That is not a failure: the card has become a permanent and visible route to Germany. But it is not a mass flow that overloads consulates on its own either.

What this means for you. The fresh data is enough to say that the programme works and is slowly growing. If you are considering the card, the rules and demand in 2026 are stable, so you can prepare documents calmly rather than rushing out of fear that the programme will close.

How the card works: two routes and 6 points

The opportunity card is a residence permit for looking for qualified employment or for measures to have a foreign qualification recognised. It is issued to nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. The first card is issued for up to one year. There are two routes to it.

The first route is for people Germany already treats as skilled workers: your university degree or vocational qualification is fully recognised in Germany. These applicants need no points; proof of living costs is enough.

The second route is the points system. The basic conditions are vocational training of at least two years or a university degree recognised in the country where it was obtained, plus language: German at A1 or higher, or English at B2 or higher. On top of that you need at least 6 points from the table annexed to the law. Points are given for partial recognition of the qualification, languages, experience, age, previous stays in Germany and a spouse who also qualifies for the card.

An example. A 33-year-old engineer with five years' experience and German at B1 gets 3 points for experience, 2 for age and 2 for language. That is 7, above the minimum. A 42-year-old specialist with English at C1 and three years' experience will find 6 points harder: 2 for experience, 1 for English, nothing for age. Here German or partial recognition of the degree, which is worth 4 points at once, makes the difference.

The government may change the points table and the minimum score by ordinance, without a vote in the Bundesrat, and may also cap the number of cards for people not yet in Germany. As of October 2026 these powers have not been used: sections 20a and 20b of the Act apply in their 2024 wording. Other residence routes in Europe are collected in our section on European residence permits.

What this means for you. Before applying I would count the points honestly against the table, with a supporting document for each line. The consulate checks papers, not the form: the language certificate, employment records and references, the decision on degree recognition.

Living costs, 20 hours of work and trial work

A card holder must support themselves for the whole search period. German embassy pages state EUR 1,091 a month per applicant, that is EUR 13,092 for 12 months. The amount is reviewed, so check it with your consulate before applying. There are three ways to prove the money: a blocked account, a formal obligation by someone living in Germany who can support you, or a contract for a side job of up to 20 hours a week. If the net pay under such a contract is below the required amount, the difference is topped up in a blocked account.

With the card you may work up to 20 hours a week on average in any job. You may also do trial work with a prospective employer for up to two weeks per employer. Trial work must lead to qualified employment, vocational training or a recognition measure. Full-time work is not allowed on the card: it needs a new residence permit.

Since 1 January 2025 the application can be filed online through the Federal Foreign Office consular portal. A personal visit to the embassy or consulate is still required. The file usually includes the passport, degrees with translations, documents on recognition or comparability of the education, language certificates, proof of experience, financial documents and health insurance. How we estimate the overall budget of such a move is explained in our guide on how costs and timelines are calculated.

What this means for you. EUR 13,092 in a blocked account is the main hurdle for many. I would add translations, degree recognition, insurance and the first months of rent on top: in Germany's large cities EUR 1,091 a month is a minimum, not comfort.

Who found a job: first data on transitions

The most common question about the card is how many people actually find work with it. Until summer 2026 there was no official answer. On 8 June 2026, answering an MP (Drucksache 21/6457), the government published a table for the first time. As of 30 April 2026, 6,812 people had received the card inside Germany as a residence permit. Of those who held such a card, 1,500 then received a residence permit for employment and 257 for vocational training.

It shows where the card leads in practice: almost all transitions are skilled workers with a university degree (585 people) and the EU Blue Card (563 in regular occupations, 96 in shortage occupations, another 18 for young professionals and 7 for IT specialists). Skilled workers with vocational training are few among those who moved on: 45 people. That is an important signal for those without a degree: the card is open to them, but finding a job that leads to a work residence permit is harder for them so far.

These figures carry a caveat that the government states itself. The card visa is issued for 12 months, and most holders never apply for a separate card residence permit inside the country. If someone arrives on the visa and finds work quickly, they switch to a work residence permit, and the register does not record that they started with the card. So 1,500 is a floor, not a total. The real share of successful transitions cannot yet be calculated from official data.

What this means for you. If you see the card as a route to the EU Blue Card, the data supports that: it is exactly what happens most often. If you have vocational training without a degree, I would start recognition of the qualification early: without it, the chances of a transition are lower.

Where applicants come from: India leads, the mix is widening

For visas in the first year, the government's answer of June 2025 gave the picture: of 11,497 visas, the most were issued in India (3,721), followed by China (807) and Turkey (654). A fresh breakdown by nationality exists for cards issued inside Germany. The government provided it in its answer of 5 June 2026 (Drucksache 21/6317).

In total, 1,659 such cards were issued in 2024, 4,045 in 2025 and 1,211 from January to 30 April 2026. In 2025 the top ten looked like this: India 873, Turkey 247, China 191, Iran and the United States 175 each, Pakistan 151, Tunisia 148, Russia 132, Syria 100, Colombia 90. In 2026 up to the end of April: India 243, Turkey 100, Tunisia 61, Iran 53, China 52, Russia 45, Pakistan and the United States 43 each, Syria 37, Nigeria 31.

The Immigration and Integration Unit of the IQ programme, funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour, noted in its September 2026 report that India's share fell from 23.1% to 21.6% even though its number of cards grew. In other words, the growth comes from many countries, not one. For applicants that is good news: the card is not tied to one country, and consulates in different regions issue it regularly.

What this means for you. Nationality does not count in the points. But it does affect how long you wait for a consulate appointment and how long documents are checked. Find this out in advance for your country of residence.

Who the card suits and who it does not

The card works well for a specialist with an in-demand occupation, experience and at least basic German, but no offer from a German employer. You arrive, look for work on the spot, go to interviews and trial days, and learn the language at the same time. It is easier for the employer too: the candidate is already in the country, can be met in person, and the time to start is shorter.

You do not need the card if you already have an offer. Then you apply straight for a work visa: the EU Blue Card or a skilled worker residence permit. Living costs are then covered by the salary, and you do not need EUR 13,092 in a blocked account. The card is also not meant for finding a study place: Germany has separate visas for that.

If you are self-employed, the card is not the best choice either: it lets you look for employment, while self-employment in Germany has its own grounds. They are covered in our guide on German residence for self-employed work. If your work is remote and you do not plan to look for a German employer, look at digital nomad visas in other EU countries.

What this means for you. The card's main risk is that the year passes without a suitable offer. Then you have to leave: a new card can only be issued after a period abroad comparable to the previous card. I would start the job search before arrival and use the card to close negotiations that are already under way.

Degrees, translation and recognition: where to start

Almost every line of the points table depends on education documents. You need to know whether your degree is fully recognised in Germany, partially recognised or not yet assessed. Full recognition opens the route without points; partial recognition gives 4 points at once. For university degrees, comparability is checked against the German authorities' database and through the central office for foreign education; for vocational qualifications, through the relevant chambers and authorities.

Degrees, transcripts and employment references usually need a German translation and, for some countries, an apostille or consular legalisation. We provide sworn translation of documents, arrange the apostille and support recognition of foreign education. What diploma legalisation means and how it differs from an apostille is explained in the glossary entry on diploma legalisation.

Recognition is also changing at EU level. The European Commission has proposed faster recognition of qualifications held by third-country nationals; we covered it in the article on the new qualification recognition rules. The proposal is not law yet and does not affect the opportunity card now, but in future it may shorten timelines for some occupations.

What this means for you. Degree recognition is the longest stage. I would file for recognition before applying for the card: partial recognition alone gives 4 of the 6 points.

Can you bring your family

There is no separate family reunification for card holders: the card is temporary, and a spouse cannot join you as a family member. There are two options. If your spouse also qualifies for the card, you apply together and enter at the same time, and the points table gives an extra point for it. If not, the family comes later, once you have found qualified work and received a work residence permit. Then the spouse and children apply for family reunification.

For a family this means time apart during the job search and a double budget. How we plan residence for the whole family and which countries allow you to move together from the start is covered in a separate guide.

What this means for you. If moving together with your children from day one matters to you, the opportunity card is not the most convenient route. There are programmes where the family receives a residence permit at the same time as the main applicant.

How to combine the card with other EU routes

The card is a way into the German labour market, not an end in itself. Most often it leads to the EU Blue Card or a skilled worker residence permit. The EU Blue Card exists in all EU countries except Denmark and Ireland, and after a year of work on it allows a move to another EU country on simplified terms.

If Germany is not a must, compare other work routes. Portugal has a work visa and its own Blue Card, covered in the article on the Portugal work visa. Italy issues work visas under annual quotas: details are in the article on the Italy work visa. Hungary issues work permits through the employer, described in the article on the Hungary work permit. All grounds for moving are gathered in our overview of all residence routes, and programmes for specialists with high income and recognition are in the section on talent residence.

In the long run the card leads to permanent residence and, if you wish, to German citizenship. What a German passport gives for travel is shown in our passport index for Germany. But that is a horizon of many years, and it starts with the first employment contract.

What this means for you. I would treat the card as one of two options. For example, look for work in Germany while keeping a work visa for another EU country in progress, if your occupation is in demand there.

What to do if you are considering the card

If you want to discuss whether the card suits you or another route is better, book an online consultation and see how to prepare for it. BRIDGES is a licensed agent: we prepare documents and strategy, but the visa decision is made by the German consulate, and we do not promise its outcome or timing. More about us and other routes is on the BRIDGES home page.

How this article was prepared

The fresh figures come from the German federal government's answers to Bundestag MPs: the written answer of 2 September 2026 (Drucksache 21/7837, data for January - June 2026), the answer of 8 June 2026 (Drucksache 21/6457, transitions to work permits as of 30 April 2026), the answer to a minor interpellation of 5 June 2026 (Drucksache 21/6317, cards by year and nationality), the answer of 11 November 2025 (Drucksache 21/2817, monthly visas) and the answer of 27 June 2025 (Drucksache 21/692, the first year). The rules follow the current sections 20a and 20b of the Residence Act and its annex. The living-cost figure comes from German embassy pages. Online filing and the government's expectation of 30,000 cards a year come from the official portal for international skilled workers, in a piece dated 9 July 2025. India's share comes from the September 2026 report of the IQ programme's Immigration and Integration Unit. I calculated the comparison of the first halves of 2025 and 2026 myself from the government tables; the government considers register data for the latest months incomplete because of registration delays. This article does not replace advice on your own case.