The German Opportunity Card Points System, Criterion by Criterion
Six points is the pass mark — but the points system only applies to people who need it. If your qualification is already recognised as equivalent in Germany you are a Fachkraft and the Opportunity Card is granted without any points at all. The points route exists for everyone else, and it is written into the law itself rather than left to an official’s judgement.
This guide sets out the statutory table, criterion by criterion, and the two preconditions that decide whether you may use it. Our Germany Opportunity Card page covers the route as a whole and what we prepare for it.
Where the rules actually live
The card is § 20a of the Residence Act, which defines it as a residence permit “for the purpose of seeking gainful employment or measures for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications”. The criteria are in § 20b, and the point values sit in a numbered annex to the Act whose closing line is the whole test: “Die Mindestpunktzahl beträgt sechs Punkte” — the minimum score is six points.
That matters because the table is law, not policy. A consulate cannot award a point that is not in it, and cannot refuse one that is.
Route one: no points needed
§ 20a(3) offers two doors. The first is being a skilled worker, which § 18(3) defines as holding either a German vocational qualification or a foreign one assessed as equivalent to it, or a German, recognised foreign, or comparable foreign higher education degree.
If that is you, the points table is irrelevant. Getting your qualification assessed is then the whole job, and our guide to German qualification recognition covers how that assessment works.
Route two: the preconditions before any point is counted
Two gates stand in front of the points route, both in § 20a(4). Fail either and your score never gets read.
A qualifying qualification. One of: a foreign vocational qualification that is state-recognised in the country where it was obtained and required at least two years of training; or a foreign higher education degree that is state-recognised where it was obtained; or a foreign vocational qualification awarded by a German Chamber of Commerce Abroad to German training standards.
A language. Either basic German at A1, or English at B2. This is a threshold, not a scoring criterion — meeting it earns no points.
There is a third obligation people miss. § 20a(4) requires the applicant “to have the existence of the requirements confirmed by a competent domestic body” — in practice the Central Office for Foreign Education, the ZAB. For a degree that means an anabin entry or a Statement of Comparability; for a vocational qualification it means the ZAB’s certificate assessment for the Opportunity Card.
The table, in full
Each criterion is worth the points the annex gives it, and they add up:
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| A competent recognition body has determined that adaptation measures, compensation measures or further qualifications are required — partial recognition | 4 |
| Good German (B2) | 3 |
| Sufficient German (B1) | 2 |
| Adequate German (A2) | 1 |
| English at C1 | 1 |
| At least five years of relevant experience in the last seven | 3 |
| At least two years of relevant experience in the last five | 2 |
| Qualification in a shortage occupation group | 1 |
| Aged 35 or under at application | 2 |
| Aged over 35 and not over 40 at application | 1 |
| At least six continuous months of lawful residence in Germany in the last five years | 1 |
| Spouse or registered partner also qualifying and applying | 1 |
Three mechanics decide most real scores:
- The German bands do not stack. B2, B1 and A2 are alternatives — the statute awards the lower band only if you are not already scoring on a higher one. B2 at three points is the top German band; German C1 adds nothing further.
- English C1 does stack. It is a separate criterion, so German B1 plus English C1 is two points plus one.
- The experience bands do not stack either. Two years scores two points only if you are not already scoring three for five years.
The shortage occupation point follows the groups listed in § 18g(1) — ISCO-08 groups 132, 133, 134, 21, 221, 222, 225, 226, 23 and 25, which cover most engineering, IT, science, medical and teaching roles.
The provision almost no guide mentions
§ 20b(1) contains a second sentence with real consequences: if you score the four points for partial recognition, the qualification preconditions in § 20a(4) “fall away”.
Read that carefully. Someone whose recognition application came back saying “not equivalent, here are the gaps” is in a stronger position under this law than someone who never applied. Four points of the six, and the two-year training and state-recognition tests stop applying. A partial recognition decision is not a rejection.
Money: the one figure you must budget for
§ 20a(4) permits the card only if subsistence is secured. In practice that is a German blocked account, and Make it in Germany, the federal government’s own portal, states the amount: “a blocked bank account (containing a minimum of €1,091 net per month, amount applicable in 2026)”. The alternative is a formal declaration of commitment from a sponsor in Germany.
The Consulate General in Dubai adds a detail the portal does not: it wants the blocked account to hold that amount per month of intended stay “plus sufficient funds for the return flight”.
Note the year stamp. This figure is revised, so confirm it on the portal in the month you open the account rather than trusting any guide, including this one.
What the card gives you, and for how long
§ 20a(5) issues it initially for up to one year as a job-search card. During that year § 20a(2) permits employment averaging no more than 20 hours a week, plus trial employment of up to two weeks at a time with an employer.
Find qualified work and you can either switch to a work residence permit or extend the card itself for up to two years, with a contract or binding offer and the Federal Employment Agency’s approval. On that extension the 20-hour restriction no longer applies. A further extension as an Opportunity Card is excluded, and time on the job-search card does not count towards a settlement permit.
Applying from the UAE
Applications go through the Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal, and the German missions in the UAE list the Opportunity Card among the visas that can only be applied for there.
The jurisdiction rule is strict and catches people out: you may apply at the Consulate General in Dubai only if your habitual residence is in the UAE, and the mission treats that as satisfied where your Emirates ID was issued at least six months before the application date. The mission also states that applications can take up to 12 weeks.
Fees are statutory: § 46 of the Residence Ordinance sets a national category D visa at €75, and § 45 sets the residence permit issued in Germany afterwards at €100.
Before you pay anything, run the government’s own Self-Check for the Opportunity Card. The Dubai consulate requires a printout of the result with the application, and the ZAB describes the tool as giving “a non-binding assessment” — useful for arithmetic, not a decision.
One open question
§ 20a(7) empowers the federal government to cap the number of Opportunity Cards issued each year to people not already in Germany, by regulation. We have not found a regulation setting such a cap. Treat the power as existing and the cap as unset, and check before relying on timing.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do I need for the Opportunity Card?
Six. The annex to the Residence Act states the minimum score in terms: “Die Mindestpunktzahl beträgt sechs Punkte”. Points are only relevant if you are not already a recognised skilled worker, in which case no points are required.
Do German and English language points add together?
Yes, across languages but not within one. The German bands B2, B1 and A2 are alternatives, with B2 at three points the highest. English at C1 is a separate criterion worth one point on top of whatever German score you have.
My qualification was only partly recognised. Is that fatal?
The opposite. A determination that adaptation or compensation measures are required is worth four points, and under § 20b(1) it also removes the qualification preconditions in § 20a(4). It is the single most valuable entry in the table.
How much money do I need in a blocked account?
Make it in Germany states a minimum of €1,091 net per month, as the amount applicable in 2026, with a declaration of commitment from a sponsor as the alternative. The Dubai consulate adds that it wants that amount per month of intended stay plus return-flight funds. Confirm the figure on the official portal before opening the account.
Can I work on an Opportunity Card?
Within limits. The law permits employment averaging no more than 20 hours a week, and trial employment of up to two weeks at a time with an employer. On the follow-on card granted after you find qualified work, the 20-hour cap no longer applies.
Does age really count against me?
It is worth two points up to 35 and one point from 35 to 40, and nothing after that. It is two points out of six, not a disqualification — language, experience and a partial recognition decision can carry a file on their own.
Where do I apply from Dubai?
Through the Consular Services Portal, to the German Consulate General in Dubai, and only if your habitual residence is in the UAE — which the mission treats as your Emirates ID having been issued at least six months before you apply. The mission states applications can take up to 12 weeks.