Permit Rulebook

Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte, § 20a)

The rules, quoted and dated:

A one-year card to come and look for work, with part-time work of up to 20 hours a week. If your qualification is fully recognised in Germany you get it directly; otherwise you need six points from the official table. Having an offer does not stop you applying — but with an offer the work routes may fit you directly, so compare them. Every number on this page is the authority's own sentence, with the page it came from and the day we read it. This page is for people who need a permit to work in Germany. This page describes the rules; it does not decide on you.

PR

What this route asks for

€1,091/month — living costs

Read from the authority's own page on , with the sentence it came from below.

Where do you stand on this route? The questions are answered on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere. You get each rule against what you declared, the gap if there is one, and which single change would open more routes.

Check yours — Germany, Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte, § 20a)
What the checker asks, and what it does not

Every number below is quoted from an official page, and a daily check re-reads every source. On this route — quoted and dated · scored against your answers. Every rule that decides this route is a question you answer, the points included. What the card lets you do once you hold it — the weekly hour limit — sits beside the rules below, and it is a limit on the card rather than a condition of getting it, so nothing this route turns on goes unasked.

A non-EU passport

Who this is for

Citizens of the EU, of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and of Switzerland, can live and work in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands under free movement — the routes on this site are for other passports. Check registration rules after arrival (e.g. Anmeldung in Germany).

As an EU national you generally don't need a work permit to work anywhere in the EU. · europa.eu · TFEU (the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) art. 45 (free movement of workers) — Your Europe · · English, from europa.eu. Official page ↗

Vocational training of 2+ years or a university degree

Condition

This route asks for vocational training of 2+ years or a university degree.

einen ausländischen Hochschulabschluss, einen mindestens zweijährigen Berufsabschluss (jeweils im Ausbildungsstaat staatlich anerkannt) · kairo.diplo.de · · German, from kairo.diplo.de. Official page ↗

Full German recognition or 6 points from the official table

Condition

Any of these: full German recognition or 6 points from the official table.

Die Chancenkarte kann einem Ausländer erteilt werden, wenn 1. er eine Fachkraft ist · buzer.de · § 20a Abs. 3 Nr. 1 AufenthG (the Residence Act) · · German, from buzer.de. Official page ↗
Die Mindestpunktzahl beträgt sechs Punkte. · buzer.de · points required · Anlage zu § 20a Abs. 3 Nr. 2, § 20b AufenthG · · German, from buzer.de. Official page ↗

German at A1 (beginner) or better, or English at B2 (upper intermediate) or better

Condition

Any of these: German at A1 (beginner), German at A2 (elementary), German at B1 (intermediate) or German at B2 (upper intermediate) or higher or English at B2 (upper intermediate) or English at C1 (advanced) or higher.

der Ausländer a) mindestens einfache deutsche Sprachkenntnisse nachweist oder b) englische Sprachkenntnisse mindestens auf dem Niveau B2 des Gemeinsamen Europäischen Referenzrahmens für Sprachen nachweist. · buzer.de · § 20a Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 2 AufenthG · · German, from buzer.de. Official page ↗

Monthly funds

Threshold · 2026

This route asks for at least €1,091/month — the monthly money you could show for living costs.

Für den Aufenthalt in Deutschland müssen Ihnen monatlich mindestens 1.091 Euro zur Verfügung stehen. · kairo.diplo.de · living costs · § 20a AufenthG (Lebensunterhalt) · · German, from kairo.diplo.de. The source writes 1.091 where this page writes 1,091 — the same number. Official page ↗
The official page also says
  • The card allows work of up to 20 hours a week on average, plus trial work of up to two weeks at a time. That is a limit on what it lets you do, not a condition of getting it — weigh it against a work route with a full-time job.
    Die Chancenkarte berechtigt nur dazu, 1. eine Beschäftigung von durchschnittlich insgesamt höchstens 20 Stunden je Woche auszuüben und 2. eine Probebeschäftigung für jeweils höchstens zwei Wochen auszuüben · buzer.de · § 20a Absatz 2 AufenthG (consolidated mirror, buzer.de) · · German, from buzer.de. Official page ↗