The Germany One-Year Pack
Updated 30 August 2026
Your points, your documents, and all three legal ways to show the money, for Germany's 12-month job-search card.
Which of these is you
- My degree or trade training might already be recognised. Start at "The two ways in".
- I need to calculate points. Start at "Calculate your six points".
- The money is my worry. Start at "Three legal ways to show the money".
- I calculated and I'm short. "If this card isn't yours yet" is your plan, and it's a real one.
The two ways in
Germany's opportunity card (Section 20a of the Residence Act) gives you up to 12 months inside Germany to find a qualified job, with part-time work of 20 hours a week allowed while you search, plus two-week trial jobs. Source: Make it in Germany, the official portal.
Way one: your qualification is fully recognised in Germany, and you enter as a skilled worker with no points needed.
Way two: a degree recognised in Nigeria (or two-year state-recognised training), plus basic language (German A1 or certified English B2), plus six points.
Calculate your six points
Run the government's own self-check first, then our free Point Calculator for your verdict and next step.
| What you hold | Points |
|---|---|
| Partial recognition of your qualification | 4 |
| German A2 | 1 |
| German B1 | 2 |
| German B2 or better | 3 |
| English at C1 | 1 |
| Work in your field, 2 of the last 5 years | 2 |
| Work in your field, 5 of the last 7 years | 3 |
| Under 35 | 2 |
| 35 to 39 | 1 |
| Shortage-list profession | 1 |
| A spouse who also qualifies | 1 |
| A past legal stay of 6 months in Germany | 1 |
The line is six.
Three legal ways to show the money
Germany asks to see about ₦1.7m a month (EUR 1,091 net monthly), around ₦21m for the year.
- The blocked account: your money sits with an approved provider and is paid back to you monthly. Where the money comes from is your business; families fund these every day. It simply must be real and stay there.
- Earnings: an agreed part-time job paying that monthly figure can satisfy the requirement.
- The Declaration of Commitment: someone living in Germany, family or a close friend, formally signs at their local foreigners office to carry your costs. This is the official family-support route, written into the process.
Details for all three: the official money Q&A.
Tonight
- Run the self-check (10 minutes, free, linked above) and screenshot your result.
- Message for your person in Germany, copy and send: "Hello [name], I'm applying for Germany's opportunity card, the official one-year job search permit. One legal way to meet the money requirement is a Verpflichtungserklärung, a Declaration of Commitment you sign at your local Ausländerbehörde. Can I call you this week to talk it through? The official page is make-it-in-germany.com."
- Gather this week: international passport, degree or training certificates, language certificate (English C1 counts), CV, a one-page job search plan, money evidence from one option above. The application in many countries runs through the Federal Foreign Office portal and the German missions in Nigeria.
Worked example
Amara, 29, B.Sc. accounting, four years in a Lagos firm, strong certified English, no German. Partial recognition 4, English C1 1, work 2, under 35 2: nine points, needs six. Her money plan: her brother in Frankfurt signs the Declaration of Commitment, so her savings go to flights, the visa fee, and her first weeks, roughly ₦2m to ₦3m all in, instead of ₦21m blocked. Her real risk: if 12 months pass without a qualified job, she comes home. So her first 90 days are applications, German classes, and trial jobs, not settling in slowly.
Real questions, short answers
My certificate is delayed; can my statement of result carry recognition? Recognition bodies work from the qualification evidence they can verify. A statement of result is weaker than the certificate, so request the certificate now and ask your university for a verifiable letter meanwhile.
Must I speak German? Not to enter through the points route with English at B2 plus six points. To work, many roles will want German, so start A1 now either way; it also adds points.
Can my spouse come? If both of you qualify for cards, you can plan together, and a qualifying spouse adds you a point. Family joining later follows the normal reunion rules once you hold a work permit.
If this card isn't yours yet
No degree and no completed two-year recognised training means this card isn't your route yet. Yours is the training route (Germany pays you monthly to learn a trade; the TRAIN pack covers it) or the 12-month build: language plus a recognisable qualification. That's not a rejection, it's a sequence.
Naira figures on this page were converted at the 29 August 2026 rate (€1 = ₦1,581).
Rekoja provides information and document preparation, not regulated immigration advice, so confirm every rule above with its official source before you act.