Residence permit - employment and self-employment

Information on work permits

The application for a work permit can only be made for a specific job. This means that there must be a specific job offer. As a rule, this must be a job that requires qualified vocational training or a completed degree.

In order to be considered a skilled worker within the meaning of the Residence Act, proof of recognition of the foreign qualification (vocational training or studies) in Germany is required. You can find further information on this at Make it in Germany.

Residence permit for employment

Whether a work permit exists is determined by the residence permit. If the entry in the residence permit reads "Gainful employment permitted", any gainful employment is permitted. This includes employment, but also self-employment. If the entry is "Employment permitted." any dependent employment is permitted. In both cases, no involvement of the Federal Employment Agency is required.

However, if the entry reads, for example, "Employment only permitted with the permission of the immigration authority", if you do not yet have a residence permit for employment or if a specific occupation is permitted on your current permit that you would now like to change when it is extended, the Federal Employment Agency must be contacted. This procedure can take up to six weeks.

Residence permit for the purpose of self-employment

A residence permit for the purpose of self-employment entitles you to pursue the gainful employment listed therein.

All incoming applications will be reviewed without a personal visit.

Please send us the relevant application forms and all necessary documents either by post or electronically by e-mail to: antrag-abh@jena.de. Please do not send us any original documents.

We will contact you directly if we have any queries. Therefore, please make sure that you can be contacted by post or, if necessary, by e-mail or telephone if you have any queries.

If a personal appointment is necessary after final examination of your application, you will receive an appointment from us at short notice.

• completed application form
• Passport
• Proof of residence (tenancy agreement, in the case of a sub-tenancy agreement also a declaration of consent from the owner, in the case of use of own living space (property) extract from the land register)
• Proof of health insurance
• Wage or salary certificate if applicable (if already available)
• Proof of qualification (e.g. skilled worker certificate, university degree)
• for foreign qualifications: Proof of its recognition in Germany
• concrete job offer (declaration of employment completed by the employer) or proof of self-employment
• Signed instruction sheet
• If applicable, declaration of consent to the storage and use of your e-mail address and telephone number

• Law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (Residence Act - AufenthG)
• Ordinance on the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Employment Ordinance - BeschV)
• Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)
• Ordinance on the implementation of integration courses for foreigners and late repatriates (Integration Course Ordinance - IntV)