Hiring Chancenkarte Holders in Germany: Employer Guide 2026

Germany's Chancenkarte (§20a AufenthG) is a points-based job-search permit that lets qualified non-EU professionals enter Germany for up to one year to look for work — without a job offer. Most public coverage stops at the candidate side. This guide is for HR teams and employers considering or actively hiring a Chancenkarte holder. relokate handles both sides — we already run the candidate-side process for clients from Volkswagen to KoRo, with over 1,500 relocations to date.

How to identify Chancenkarte holders in your pipeline

Chancenkarte holders are non-EU professionals already in Germany under §20a AufenthG (the Skilled Immigration Act's job-search permit). Confirm their status from the residence permit card: it will name Chancenkarte as the permit type and reference §20a AufenthG.

Two practical signals for HR teams: they can come from any sourcing channel — LinkedIn, employee referral, direct application — because they're already in-country. And they can attend an interview next week, not after a four-month visa process. No Botschaft appointment, no waiting.

Anyone showing up with a Chancenkarte has already cleared the consular threshold — qualification check, financial proof (typically around €1,091/month in a Sperrkonto), application processing. That's a meaningfully different profile from an interested LinkedIn connection abroad.

What you can offer during the job-search phase

The Chancenkarte is a search permit, not a work permit. Until conversion, two constraints govern what you can offer.

Working hours: Average maximum 20 hours per week (§20a AufenthG). Not full-time, not 30 hours. Short-term fluctuation is allowed as long as the average holds. No Bundesagentur für Arbeit approval is needed.

Trial work (Probebeschäftigung): Up to two weeks per employer (§20a AufenthG). The trial must be skilled — aimed at a qualification or suitable to accompany a recognition measure under §16d. A Hilfstätigkeit (auxiliary work) doesn't qualify. It must be compensated at the rate you'd pay for the full role; standard social insurance rules apply if an employment relationship is established. No BA approval required. The law caps the trial at two weeks per employer — consecutive trials with different employers are compatible with the wording.

Structure the two weeks as a real evaluation: the candidate delivers the work product you'd expect in week one of a full role. By day fifteen you either offer the position or you don't — cleaner than a six-month probation, and you haven't committed to a relocation package yet.

Job-search vs. after conversion — overview

The conversion: Chancenkarte to Blue Card or Skilled Worker permit

There's no one-step “convert this Chancenkarte to a Blue Card” mechanism. Conversion is structural: §20a AufenthG says the Folge-Chancenkarte (extension) is only issued when no other employment permit applies. In practice, a successful Chancenkarte hire applies directly for the relevant employment permit — Blue Card (§18g) or Skilled Worker permit (§18a or §18b) — and the Chancenkarte ends when the new permit issues.

The most common destination is the EU Blue Card under §18g. 2026 salary thresholds: €50,700 standard, €45,934.20 for shortage occupations and recent graduates (degree ≤ 3 years ago). These figures are published annually by December 31st of the preceding year (§18g(7)). Prove the job offer with the Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis form (EzB 02/2024, Bundesagentur für Arbeit).

When is Bundesagentur für Arbeit approval required — and when not?

The answer depends primarily on whether your hire holds a recognised academic degree — not the salary level alone.

With academic degree (§18g Abs. 1):

• At ≥€50,700 (standard threshold): Blue Card issues without BA approval. No labour-market test, no working-conditions check.
• At €45,934.20 (reduced threshold) — shortage occupations or recent graduates within three years of their degree: BA approval required. It reviews working conditions only; no priority check (Vorrangprüfung).

Without a formal academic degree (§18g Abs. 2):

IT specialists with at least three years of relevant professional experience can qualify via §18g Abs. 2 — but BA approval is always required, regardless of whether the salary exceeds €50,700. Offering €55,000 does not buy away the BA step.

After conversion: In the first twelve months after the Blue Card is issued, any change of employer must be notified to the responsible Ausländerbehörde (§82 AufenthG). This is a notification process — not a BA approval — and it matters when you recruit someone whose Blue Card is younger than twelve months.

Five questions HR teams ask about conversion

How long does conversion take?

It varies significantly by Ausländerbehörde — from a few weeks to several months. There's no statutory processing deadline. A complete file (documents, EzB 02/2024, passport photo, current biometric data) moves faster at most authorities. Your relocation partner knows the local timelines; factor them into your hiring plan.

What can the person do in the meantime?

Anyone who applies for the follow-on permit before their Chancenkarte expires receives a Fiktionsbescheinigung (§81 AufenthG): the prior permit is deemed to continue, the stay remains lawful, no need to leave Germany. Whether the 20-hour work authorisation carries over in full during the transition period is a matter of legal interpretation — don't rely on it as a given in your HR planning. What is clear: once the Ausländerbehörde initiates issuance of the new permit, the new permit's work authorisation applies immediately — full-time work is permitted before the physical card is issued (§81 Abs. 5a AufenthG). The practical recommendation: apply early to keep the gap as short as possible.

What if the Chancenkarte expires during processing?

If the application for the follow-on permit was filed before the Chancenkarte expired, the stay is deemed lawful throughout the entire processing period (§81 Abs. 4 AufenthG). The person does not need to leave Germany. The Fiktionsbescheinigung documents this status. The key condition: the application must have been submitted before expiry.

What else does the person need to actually start?

Permit conversion is one step — not the last before day one. For your onboarding process:

• Tax identification number (Steueridentifikationsnummer): Auto-assigned once the person is registered at the Einwohnermeldeamt. Required by payroll; allow a few weeks after first registration.
• Social insurance documentation (Sozialversicherungsausweis): Issued after registration with a statutory health insurer; needed for the HR file.
• Bank account: Required for payroll. Some banks require the new residence permit before opening an account — plan a bridging arrangement if needed.
• Address registration (Anmeldung): Prerequisite for tax ID and social insurance; must happen before or immediately after starting work.

What are the advantages of hiring via Chancenkarte?

The main one is simple: the candidate is already here. No four-month visa process, no pre-hire relocation, no embassy appointments. You can run an interview next week, not in six months. The Probebeschäftigung lets you de-risk the hire before committing to a full-time contract and a relocation package. And candidates who already hold a Chancenkarte have passed the consular threshold — qualification review, financial proof, application processing — which is a meaningfully different profile from an interested LinkedIn connection abroad.

Day-one employer compliance (§45c + §82)

§45c notice (Faire Integration): The §45c AufenthG information duty formally applies to recruitment from abroad — the scope trigger is residence or habitual abode abroad at the time the employment contract is concluded. For a Chancenkarte hire contracted in Germany, that trigger is typically not met; the duty does not formally apply by its wording. We still recommend the notice as a fixed standard: inform the employee in writing (email, letter, or contract addendum) by their first day of work about their right to free counselling under §45b's Faire Integration service. No Bußgeld currently attaches to a §45c breach — it is not in §98 AufenthG's penalty catalogue.

Family reunification: No family reunification during the Chancenkarte — it opens at permit conversion. Once conversion to a Blue Card (§18g), a §18a or §18b Skilled Worker permit is complete, the standard §§29–30 family reunification route opens. Accompanying spouses receive unrestricted labour-market access upon family reunification (§27 Abs. 5 AufenthG), regardless of the sponsor's permit type.

Blue Card employer-change notification: In the first twelve months after Blue Card issuance, any employer change must be notified to the Ausländerbehörde (§82 AufenthG). Add this to your HR calendar — relevant if you recruit from another company or if your new hire changes teams internally within that window.

June 2026. Written by Hanna Kovacs, relokate. Reviewed against §20a, §18g, §30, §45c, §81 AufenthG (June 2026). relokate assumes no liability for the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of this content to any individual situation. This guide does not substitute professional legal or immigration advice.

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