VisaGermany’s vocational trainees need funding evidence that matches their course
School-based and paid company training have different 2026 amounts; the online check still leads to an appointment.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Start with a confirmed school or company training place
Applicants planning vocational training in Germany should identify whether their place is school-based or company-based before assembling visa funding evidence. Make it in Germany, the federal skilled-worker information service, treats both as training routes but gives them different livelihood requirements. This is a guide to the existing 2026 rules for applicants with a training place, not a new admission programme or the separate permission to enter and search for a place.
The training guidance requires evidence of a specific place and normally German at level B1, where the institution has not assessed the required language ability or the applicant has not completed a preparatory German course. For company training, Federal Employment Agency approval may form part of the visa process. The agency examines whether conditions are comparable to those for German apprentices; the guidance describes that approval as an internal procedure rather than a separate application the trainee must organise.
Compare the monthly amount with the evidence actually available
The federal financial-security overview lists €959 net a month for school-based vocational training in 2026. For company-based or dual training, it lists a training allowance of at least €1,048 gross or €822 net monthly. These figures concern different funding situations, so an applicant should not apply the lower company-training net figure to an unpaid school place. Keep gross salary and the amount available after deductions distinct when reading a training contract.
The overview recognises training remuneration and, where needed, a blocked account or formal declaration of commitment. Its training row also says the required amount is reduced by €380 monthly if accommodation is provided free. Ask how documented accommodation is reflected in the individual assessment before reducing a deposit yourself. A promise to help find a room is not the same evidence as free accommodation. The overview warns that meeting a stated minimum does not replace the individual livelihood assessment, and that unsuitable employment conditions may still prevent approval. The financial evidence should explain the arrangement for the actual course and training period.
Upload the documents and retain the originals for the appointment
The Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal guidance says applicants create an account, enter their details and upload documents for the responsible mission or its external service provider. The preliminary check identifies missing or incorrect information so it can be corrected online. After that, the portal can be used to arrange the relevant in-person appointment. An upload and preliminary completeness check should therefore be distinguished from the final visa decision.
At the appointment, the mission checks required originals, takes biometric data and collects the application fee. Track the application through the account for the decision and next steps. Where the particular category is not yet available online at the competent mission, the Foreign Office retains a paper appointment route. The portal does not change which mission is responsible, so do not choose another country’s mission just because its online category is available. Applicants already on a waiting list or with an application submitted do not generally need to start again merely because the portal exists.
Keep visa charges separate from the residence-permit cost
The Foreign Office lists the normal national-visa processing fee as €75, or €37.50 for minors. It also identifies national-visa exemptions for recipients of scholarships from public funds, including covered spouses or partners and minor children. Confirm whether the actual scholarship and applicant fall within that category. A training-place offer or ordinary employer-funded allowance is not, by itself, evidence that the public-scholarship exemption applies.
The federal training graphic separately lists a residence-permit charge of up to €100 after arrival. Confirm the individual charge with the foreigners authority; it is separate from the entry-visa fee.
Prepare health cover and apply before the entry visa expires
The training graphic identifies the passport, training-place evidence, language ability and finances as core documents. It requires valid health cover before visa issue and new insurance after arrival. Check how cover connects across those periods; a policy covering only the flight does not establish cover for the full training stay.
After arrival, register the German address and arrange an appointment with the competent foreigners authority. Ask that authority for its residence-permit document list and submit the residence-permit application before the entry visa expires. A training contract lasting several years does not itself extend a shorter entry visa. Keep the visa deadline separate from the training end date and the appointment date: the published instruction concerns submission before expiry. Where an appointment falls later, obtain the authority’s specific filing instructions rather than assuming the booking alone preserves permission.
