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Working Holiday
Who does this information sheet apply to?
The Working Holiday Visa Program is based on bilateral agreements between Germany and Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the SAR Hong Kong, Taiwan and Uruguay, as well as a Youth Mobility agreement with Andorra and Canada.
The Working Holiday Programme aims at enabling young people to gain insight into culture and daily life in Germany. The intention is to promote increased mutual understanding and your primary aim should be to visit Germany. Employment is permitted throughout the validity of the visa but should remain of temporary character in order to facilitate additional financial means to your holiday travel intentions in Germany. Conditions regarding length and type of employment are governed by the individual bilateral agreement.
To be eligible for a Working Holiday you must be at least 18 years of age but have not turned 31 (35 for Canada, 34 for the Republic of Korea) yet when filing your application and not be accompanied by dependent family members (e.g. children) during your stay.
Citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and New Zealand may apply for their working holiday residence permit with the local immigration office („Ausländerbehörde“) after arrival in Germany and without having obtained a visa prior to travelling to Germany. Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay require a visa prior to travel to Germany and may apply at any German mission abroad. Other nationals should contact the German mission in their home country.
Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay may only get a working holiday visa for Germany once and must be in good health.
Citizens of Argentina may work for a total of six months only. Both fulltime and part-time for the same or several employers are allowed. Self-employment or freelance work is not permitted. It is, however, allowed to attend one or more basic and advanced training courses lasting up to six months in total.
Citizens of Andorra, Chile and Uruguay may work for up to six months with the same employer. After that, employment may be continued for a different or several other employers for the remaining time. Both fulltime and part-time for the same or several employers are allowed. Self-employment or freelance work is permitted, but it is allowed to attend one or more basic and advanced training courses.
What kind of documents need to be submitted
These documents depend on the type of visa you are applying for and must be submitted in addition to the standard proofs:
You find the form on our website.
Original document and one non-certified copy of a valid residence permit for a Schengen country
OR
Proof (stamp in passport), that you have entered the Schengen area less than 90 days ago.
| individualized and signed letter of motivation | The letter of motivation must indicate that you primarily intend to spend your vacation in Germany and only seek temporary employment in order to facilitate additional financial means to travels in Germany. |
| Complete curriculum vitae in tabular form in German or English | In your CV, please summarize all previous activities, trainings and qualifications up to the current application date in one table. |
|
1,326 € (442 € monthly for the first three months) PLUS 1,000 € (for the return ticket) PLUS 1,140 € (380 € monthly for the first three months covering of all costs of accommodation) |
The actual funds (min. 2,350 €) must be in your own account (not from a third party!) and must have been in your account for at least 90 days prior to the application. As proof of own funds, we can only accept bank statements for the last three months prior to the application (if necessary with the equivalent euro value and translation, if not in German or English) or a German blocked account or a declaration of commitment according to §§ 66-68 AufenthG. The availability of funds for the costs of accommodation can also be proven by bank statements or by a German blocked account, a declaration of commitment or a signed letter of invitation that confirms, that you may live free of charge for a specified period of time. When booking e. g. a hotel for the first three months, either confirmation of the payment already made or proof of the financial means to be able to pay for the accommodation after arrival must be presented. |
| Criminal record (original document and one non-certified copy) | Applies to Argentinian nationals only. For the time spent in Argentina, you can apply for your criminal record online at this address. The criminal record must cover the last three years. |
| Proof of valid accident and health insurance (original document with one non-certified copy) | The insurance should cover hospital treatment and repatriation in the event of illness or death and should be valid for the entire intended period of your stay in Germany. Please provide proof of cost coverage by submitting the insurance conditions. |
General information
Please note:
- Due to the high workload and in order to ensure equal treatment of all applicants, the visa section can only accept applications in the requested form for processing.
- The interview (submission of documents) can only take place in the following languages: German, Latvian, English and Russian. If necessary, you need to bring a translator.
- Submitting incomplete documents may lead to the rejection of the application.
- Unsolicited documents cannot be assigned to your application.
- All documents, leaflets and application forms provided by the Embassy are free of charge.
- All information on the application procedure is available on our website.
- Please refrain from submitting status requests. Status requests do not speed up the visa process.
- Processing time is between one to two weeks.
- If the Embassy has questions during the course of the visa procedure or if additional documents need to be submitted, we will contact you directly.