Residence permit for jobseekers (after study, research, vocational training or recognition in Germany)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Suche nach einer Erwerbstätigkeit (§ 20 AufenthG) as of 2026-08-08[2] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Residence permit for jobseekers (after study, research, vocational training or recognition in Germany) as of 2026-08-08[6] Portal designation 'residence permit for jobseekers'. |
| Legal basis | Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 20 as of 2026-08-08[2] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-08[2] |
Who can apply
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 18 months as of 2026-08-08[2][6] |
|---|---|
| Renewable | No as of 2026-08-08[2] Extension beyond the sec. 20(2) periods is excluded (s.4). |
| Work rights | full as of 2026-08-08[2][6] Any employment permitted during the search, provided the sought activity is one open to foreigners under secs. 18a/18b/18d/18g/19c/21 (sec. 20(1) closing clause; portal: 'you can work in any occupation'). |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Job offer required | No as of 2026-08-08[2] |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | Not applicable[2] |
| Qualification requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[2] Eligibility derives from the completed German study, research, vocational-training or recognition stay, not from a qualification category the vocabulary can name. |
| Employer sponsorship | No as of 2026-08-08[2] |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[2] Livelihood must be secured (sec. 20(2) s.1); no fixed amount is published for this permit. |
| Job-search route | Yes as of 2026-08-08[2] This route IS a job-search route (v1.0 G9 semantics). |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-country only as of 2026-08-08[2] Issued in the framework of an existing sec. 16a/16b/16c/16d or 18d/18f stay after successful completion (sec. 20(1)); applied for at the foreigners authority. |
|---|---|
| Fees |
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Physical presence
| maximum consecutive absence | 6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-08-08[3] Sec. 51(1) no. 7 AufenthG: the permit lapses if the holder leaves Germany and does not re-enter within six months (or a longer period set by the foreigners authority); it also lapses on departure for a reason that is not temporary by nature (no. 6). |
|---|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Not established from a qualifying source Spouse reunification to a jobseeker permit holder requires inter alia an expected stay of over one year with a pre-existing marriage (sec. 30(1) s.1 no.3e); not closed for this route. |
|---|
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 6 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-08 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-08 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 1 – Zweck des Gesetzes; Anwendungsbereich (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [2] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 20 – Suche nach einer Erwerbstätigkeit (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [3] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 51 – Beendigung der Rechtmäßigkeit des Aufenthalts (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [4] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 45 – Gebühren Aufenthaltserlaubnis (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy - [5] Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU (FreizügG/EU) § 1 – Anwendungsbereich (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [6] Visa for studying
Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal for skilled workers) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08