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Fast-Track Service · §81a AufenthG

Who qualifies for the fast-track procedure?

Who qualifies for fast-track?

Fast-track (Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren, §81a AufenthG) is for hires who still live abroad and are coming to Germany mainly for one of these purposes: work as a skilled worker (EU Blue Card §18g, skilled worker permits §18a and §18b), vocational training (§16a), or measures to get a foreign professional qualification recognised, such as an adaptation course or a recognition partnership (§16d). The full list below also covers rarer cases, such as highly qualified scientists (§18c(3)), and other qualified employees under §81a(5). Their spouse and minor unmarried children can be included. Your company applies at the competent immigration office, acting with the hire's power of attorney.

Covered by fast-track

  • EU Blue Card (§18g)

    A German, recognised or comparable degree, or a tertiary qualification of at least three years at the level of a degree (level 6 of ISCED 2011 or the EQF), in a job that fits the qualification and runs for at least six months. Also IT specialists without a degree, with at least three years of IT experience from the last seven years (§18g(2)).

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §18g(1)–(3) AufenthG

  • Skilled workers with vocational training (§18a)

    A foreign vocational qualification that the competent German body has found equivalent to a German one. Any qualified job is allowed.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §18(3) No. 1, §18a AufenthG

  • Skilled workers with a degree (§18b)

    A recognised foreign degree or one comparable to a German degree. Any qualified job is allowed.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §18(3) No. 2, §18b AufenthG

  • Vocational training in Germany (§16a)

    Company-based training, including a German course that prepares for it. For school-based training, federal guidance also asks for a documented follow-up job offer; the law itself names §16a without this limit.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §16a AufenthG; BMI guidance 16a.V.7, 81a.3.4.4

  • Recognition measures and recognition partnership (§16d)

    The hire closes gaps in a foreign qualification in Germany, or has it recognised while working (recognition partnership). For purely theoretical measures and recognition exams, federal guidance also asks for a documented follow-up job offer.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §16d AufenthG; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.5, 81a.3.4.4

  • Settlement permit for highly qualified skilled workers with a degree (§18c(3))

    In special cases, for example scientists with special expertise, or teaching or research staff in senior positions, each with several years of experience.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §18c(3) AufenthG

  • Other qualified employees (§81a(5))

    The law does not define the term. Federal guidance names, among others, experienced professionals (§19c(2) with §6 BeschV), executives and specialists (§3 BeschV), researchers (§18d) and professional drivers (§24a BeschV). Whether your hire fits, relokate clarifies with the office.

    All groups federal guidance names
    • Experienced professionals: §19c(2) AufenthG with §6 BeschV
    • Senior executives, legal representatives of a company (e.g. managing directors) and specialists with special, mainly company-specific expertise: §19c(1) with §3 BeschV
    • Researchers: §18d AufenthG
    • Scientists and teachers: §19c(1) with §5 BeschV
    • Professional drivers: §19c(1) with §24a BeschV
    • Temporary practical work for a recognition: §19c(1) with §8(3) BeschV
    • Employment in the public interest: §19c(3) AufenthG
    • Civil servants: §19c(4) AufenthG

    Legal basis: §81a(5) AufenthG; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.5, 19c.1.V; BT-Drs. 19/8285 p. 113

Who counts as a skilled worker (Fachkraft)?

Most fast-track routes are for skilled workers in the legal sense. Whether a hire is one depends on two things: the qualification and the job.

A skilled worker has one of these

Vocational qualification
A German vocational training in a state-recognised or comparably regulated occupation with a set training period of at least two years, or a foreign vocational qualification that the competent German body has found equivalent to one.
Degree
A German degree, a recognised foreign degree, or a foreign degree comparable to a German one.

Legal basis: §18(3), §2(12a), §18(2) No. 4 AufenthG

Not (yet) a skilled worker

  • No vocational training and no degree
  • A German training of less than two years, for example a one-year assistant training
  • A foreign vocational qualification not (yet) found equivalent: recognition not applied for, still pending, or gaps found
  • A foreign degree that is neither recognised nor comparable to a German degree

A foreign training of less than two years does not rule out recognition by itself: documented work experience and further training can make up for differences.

Legal basis: §18(3), §2(12a) AufenthG; §4(2) No. 3 BQFG

The job matters too

Skilled worker permits (§18a, §18b) and the experience route need a qualified job: one that requires skills learned in a degree or in a qualified vocational training of at least two years. Helper and semi-skilled jobs (Helfer- und Anlerntätigkeiten) are excluded there, even if the person is a skilled worker. An EU Blue Card needs a job that fits the qualification. The only, narrow exception is within the recognition partnership (§16d(3) sentences 2–3).

Legal basis: §2(12b), §18a, §18b, §18g(1), §19c(2) AufenthG; BMI guidance 18a.0.7, 18b.0.6

Not a skilled worker yet? These routes can still use fast-track

  • Recognition partnership (§16d(3))

    The hire starts working while the qualification is being recognised.

    Conditions
    • A vocational qualification state-recognised in the country where it was obtained (at least two years of training), or a degree state-recognised there, confirmed by a German expert body such as the ZAB
    • A concrete offer of a qualified job
    • An agreement: the hire starts recognition right after entry, and your company allows the required qualification measures during employment
    • Your company is suitable for training or upskilling
    • German that fits the job, at least level A2
    • Approval from the Federal Employment Agency

    Legal basis: §16d(3) sentences 1 and 4, §2(10) AufenthG

  • Recognition measures (§16d(1))

    If the recognition body decides that the qualification is not equivalent, but that a qualification measure can close the gap, fast-track can continue in agreement with the hire, with a §16d permit as its goal.

    Legal basis: §81a(3) sentence 2 AufenthG; BMI guidance 81a.3.3.1.9; Make it in Germany fast-track FAQ 8

  • Skills analysis (§16d(6))

    If documents are missing, the recognition body can assess the hire's skills in practice, during a stay of up to six months (German usually at least A2). Whether the office runs this through fast-track, relokate clarifies beforehand.

    Legal basis: §16d(6), §81a(1) AufenthG

  • Vocational training in Germany (§16a)

    The hire trains here to become a skilled worker.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §16a AufenthG

  • Experience route (§19c(2) with §6 BeschV)

    For a qualified job in a non-regulated profession, with at least two years of relevant experience from the last five years and a qualification recognised in the country where it was obtained. Salary in 2026 at least €45,630, unless your company is bound by a collective agreement and pays the agreed rate.

    Conditions
    • Experience: at least two years from the last five years, qualifying the hire for this job
    • Qualification: a vocational qualification state-recognised in the country where it was obtained (at least two years of training), a degree state-recognised there, or a vocational qualification from a German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) that meets German training standards. A German expert body (usually the ZAB) confirms the state recognition; within fast-track, the office starts this step. IT jobs need no formal qualification
    • Salary 2026: at least €45,630, unless your company is bound by a collective agreement and pays the agreed rate
    • Starting the job at 45 or older: the first approval needs at least €55,770 (2026) or proof of adequate pension provision; exceptions only where there is a public interest, and the collective-agreement exception does not apply here
    • Regulated professions such as nursing or medicine still need the German licence to practise
    • Fast-track applies via §81a(5)

    Legal basis: §19c(2), §18(2) No. 3, §81a(3) No. 2a AufenthG; §6, §1(2) BeschV; BMI guidance 19c.2.2

  • IT specialists without a degree

    EU Blue Card under §18g(2): at least three years of IT experience from the last seven years, a salary of at least €45,934.20 (2026), with Federal Employment Agency approval.

    Legal basis: §18g(2) AufenthG; BAnz AT 18.12.2025 B3

  • Executives, board members and specialists (§3 BeschV)

    Senior executives, legal representatives of a company (e.g. managing directors) and specialists with special, mainly company-specific expertise for a qualified job in Germany. The Federal Employment Agency can approve them without a skilled-worker qualification.

    Legal basis: §19c(1) AufenthG, §3 BeschV

If the qualification cannot be recognised and no measure can close the gap, it can be checked whether the experience route or a training in Germany fits. If neither does, the office ends the procedure.

A helper or semi-skilled job: as a rule, fast-track is not possible, whatever the person's qualification. The exceptions are narrow: the recognition partnership, and employment in a justified individual case of public interest (§19c(3)), which federal guidance includes in fast-track without requiring a qualified job. No recognised or recognisable qualification and no relevant experience: the main fast-track route is a training place in Germany (§16a). Routes without fast-track are listed under "Not covered".

Legal basis: Make it in Germany fast-track FAQ 8; §16d(3) sentences 2–3, §19c(3) AufenthG; BMI guidance 19c.3.0, 19c.3.V

Not covered by fast-track

For most of these cases there is another route; the line under each reason names it.

  • Hires who already live in Germany

    Whatever their current permit, e.g. graduates of German universities, trainees, Chancenkarte holders

    Fast-track is for people who "want to enter" Germany. Federal guidance requires the hire to be in their home country or lawfully in another country, and Saxony's service description adds that a short move abroad is not enough.

    Instead: relokate prepares the application for the new permit at the local immigration office. With a German national visa or residence permit, the hire can usually apply without leaving Germany, unless the current permit rules out the change; special rules apply to asylum seekers and people with a Duldung. relokate clarifies with the office whether the change is possible.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §10 AufenthG; §39 Nos. 1, 4–5 AufenthV; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.7.1; Berlin and Saxony service descriptions

  • Job seekers: Chancenkarte (§20a) and job-search permits (§20)

    §20: job search after studying, research, vocational training or recognition in Germany

    Neither is named in §81a(1). The search Chancenkarte has no employer yet, and the follow-up Chancenkarte can only be granted as its extension in Germany, so federal guidance excludes both.

    Instead: Once you hire the person in Germany, relokate prepares the application for the permit that fits: a skilled worker permit or Blue Card if the person qualifies, otherwise the follow-up Chancenkarte for a qualified job, with Federal Employment Agency approval. A candidate still abroad with your job offer can use fast-track for the work permit itself.

    Legal basis: §81a(1), §20, §20a(5) AufenthG; BMI guidance 20a.V

  • Helper and semi-skilled jobs

    Jobs that need neither a degree nor a qualified vocational training of at least two years

    Not a qualified job. Skilled worker permits and the experience route need one, and federal guidance excludes helper and semi-skilled occupations. According to the reasons for the 2019 government bill, §81a(5) is not meant for low-qualified workers.

    Instead: Without fast-track: the "any job" approvals under §26 BeschV for nationals of the Western Balkans, the USA, the UK, Canada and other listed countries, with a Federal Employment Agency pre-approval that relokate prepares for you (your company provides the job details). With fast-track: vocational training in Germany (§16a).

    Conditions of the §26 routes and the exceptions
    • Western Balkans regulation (§26(2) BeschV): nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Approval with a labour-market test; for the first approval, the visa application is filed at the competent German mission in one of these six states; first approvals are capped at 50,000 per calendar year; not possible after benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act in the 24 months before the application.
    • From age 45, the first Western Balkans approval needs a salary of at least €55,770 (2026) or adequate pension provision, with exceptions only in justified cases (§1(2) BeschV).
    • Nationals of Andorra, Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, the UK and the USA: approval for any job, with a labour-market test (§26(1) BeschV).
    • Narrow exception within the recognition partnership: a job below the qualified level only if the target job needs a licence to practise, your company is bound by a collective (or church) agreement and pays by it, or is a licensed care facility (§72 SGB XI), and grade and pay lead towards the target profession (§16d(3) sentences 2–3).
    • Employment in a justified individual case of public interest (§19c(3)): federal guidance includes it in fast-track and it needs no qualified job. It is an exception for the individual case, and the Federal Employment Agency must approve it.

    Legal basis: §2(12b), §18a, §18b, §19c(2) AufenthG; BMI guidance 18a.0.7, 18b.0.6, 19c.3.0, 19c.3.V; BT-Drs. 19/8285 p. 113; §26, §36(3) BeschV

  • Western Balkans regulation and other "any job" approvals (§26 BeschV)

    Even for qualified jobs

    Federal guidance does not include §26 BeschV in fast-track, and Make it in Germany states that entry under the Western Balkans regulation is not possible with fast-track.

    Instead: A Federal Employment Agency pre-approval and a visa application at a German mission (for the first Western Balkans approval: in one of the six states). If the hire has a qualification that can be recognised: §18a, §18b or Blue Card with fast-track, outside the annual cap.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 19c.1.V; Make it in Germany, Western Balkans info sheet; §26, §36(3) BeschV; Federal Employment Agency, Western Balkans regulation

  • Seasonal work, short-term and other temporary jobs, and postings by a foreign employer

    Federal guidance does not include temporary jobs under the BeschV or postings; it requires a job or training offer from an employer in Germany, for employment in Germany. The Federal Employment Agency rules out fast-track for postings.

    Instead: relokate checks whether a German employment contract is possible; then §18a, §18b or Blue Card with fast-track. Otherwise the regular procedure for that category applies.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 19c.1.V, 81a.1.0.7.1; Federal Employment Agency instructions 81a.0.3

  • ICT card (§19) and international staff exchange (§10 BeschV)

    Federal guidance calls qualified but only temporary jobs, such as intra-company transfers, "currently not a target group" for fast-track. The Federal Employment Agency leaves the final call to each office.

    Instead: The regular ICT card or visa procedure. relokate can ask the office whether it will run fast-track anyway.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 81a.1.0.5, 19c.1.V; Federal Employment Agency instructions 81a.0.3

  • Nursing assistants (§22a BeschV)

    §22a is one of the BeschV's special occupational groups, which federal guidance does not include; professional drivers (§24a) are the only such group it names as covered.

    Instead: The regular visa procedure with a Federal Employment Agency pre-approval. With a nursing qualification that can be recognised at skilled-worker level: §18a or the recognition partnership (§16d), both with fast-track.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 19c.1.V, 81a.1.0.5; Federal Employment Agency instructions 81a.0.3; §36(3) BeschV

  • Health and care hires recruited privately from a country on the WHO safeguard list

    For health and care jobs, only the Federal Employment Agency may recruit or place people from the countries in the annex to §38 BeschV. If the job came about through unauthorised recruitment or placement, the agency must refuse approval, and federal guidance says fast-track is then not run. The country where the hire lives counts, not their nationality.

    Instead: relokate checks the hire's country of residence and how they found the job before starting. A hire who found the job on their own initiative can use fast-track.

    Legal basis: §38 BeschV and annex; §40(1) No. 1 AufenthG; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.6

  • Self-employment and freelance contracts (§21)

    An employer applies for fast-track, and §81a(5) extends it only to employees; §21 is not named. This follows from the wording of the law, not from an express statement in the guidance.

    Instead: Fast-track is possible if your company employs the person. A self-employed person applies for a §21 visa at the embassy.

    Legal basis: §81a(1) and (5), §21 AufenthG

  • Study (§16b) and language courses (§16f)

    Named neither in §81a(1) nor in the federal list for §81a(5).

    Instead: A German course that prepares for company-based training is part of §16a and is covered.

    Legal basis: §81a, §16a(1) AufenthG; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.5

  • Temporary agency work

    The Federal Employment Agency must refuse approval for agency workers. That closes every route that needs its approval, with or without fast-track.

    Instead: Only permits without agency approval are possible, e.g. the standard Blue Card from €50,700 (2026). Whether an office runs fast-track with an agency as the employer, relokate clarifies case by case.

    Legal basis: §40(1) No. 2, §18g(1) AufenthG; BAnz AT 18.12.2025 B3

  • Hires with an entry ban, a Schengen alert for search or arrest, or certain entries in the Central Register of Foreigners

    Federal guidance excludes them from fast-track.

    Next step: While an entry and residence ban applies, no residence permit may be issued, even where the law would otherwise give a right to one. Tell relokate before you start; the office decides how to proceed.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 81a.0.6; §11(1) AufenthG; §2(2) Nos. 4–8 and 12 AZR-Gesetz

The office decides: relokate clarifies first

Here the official sources differ, or the decision lies with the office.

  • Hires who live in another EU country

    Federal guidance, Saxony and Berlin allow fast-track; Hamburg describes it only for hires outside the EU. An EU long-term residence permit or temporary protection in another EU state rules out the EU Blue Card.

    Legal basis: BMI guidance 81a.1.0.7.1, 81a.0.7; Saxony, Berlin and Hamburg service descriptions; §19f AufenthG

  • Nationals of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK and the USA

    They can also get the permit inside Germany. Federal guidance allows fast-track if they live abroad; Bavaria describes it only for hires who need a visa. It covers only the purposes above, not the "any job" route under §26(1) BeschV.

    Legal basis: §41 AufenthV; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.5, 19c.1.V; Bavarian central office (ZSEF)

  • A visa application already filed

    The federal service description lists "no visa application yet" as a precondition, also for family members. Parallel procedures are not ruled out: the office and the mission decide which one continues, and suspending the running one can be worthwhile. Tell relokate before you start.

    Legal basis: Federal service description (fimportal.de); BMI guidance 81a.1.0.2; Make it in Germany fast-track FAQ 4

Fast-track not needed

  • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

    They have free movement.

    Legal basis: Make it in Germany employer guide 2026

  • EU Blue Card holders from another EU state

    After 12 months (6 in some cases), a separate mobility procedure applies; the application is made in Germany within one month of entry.

    Legal basis: §18i AufenthG; §39 Nos. 7, 7a AufenthV

  • Mobile ICT card (§19b)

    The holder already has an ICT permit from another EU state and applies in Germany.

    Legal basis: §19b AufenthG; §39 No. 9 AufenthV

Family

  • The spouse and minor unmarried children can be included if their visa applications are made in a related time frame. Federal guidance treats entry within six months after the hire's entry as related.
  • The family must meet the legal requirements for family reunification; fast-track only simplifies the procedure. Register the family when the agreement is signed, and no later than the pre-approval.
  • The spouse signs a power of attorney; one is given on behalf of each minor child. Parents and parents-in-law are not covered.
  • For vocational training (§16a), recognition (§16d) and some other routes, the spouse needs basic German (A1) unless an exception applies; not for the Blue Card, §18a/§18b, §18c(3), researchers, the experience route, executives, specialists, scientists, teachers or civil servants.
  • The €411 fast-track fee covers the family; each person pays the €75 national visa fee at the mission (€37.50 for minors). Family members who come later use the regular family reunification visa.

Legal basis: §81a(4), §§27 ff., §30(1) sentence 3 No. 5 AufenthG; §§46, 47, 50 AufenthV; BMI guidance 81a.1.0.8, 81a.4.1–81a.4.3; federal service description

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Legal basis and sources

Laws

Federal guidance and the reasons for the law

Service descriptions and employer guides

Salary thresholds 2026

As of October 2026. General information, not legal advice; relokate is not a law firm.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for the fast-track procedure?

Fast-track (§81a AufenthG) covers hires who still live abroad and come for an EU Blue Card (§18g, including IT specialists without a degree), a skilled worker permit (§18a/§18b), vocational training (§16a), recognition measures or the recognition partnership (§16d), or a settlement permit for highly qualified skilled workers with a degree (§18c(3)). It also covers other qualified employees (§81a(5)); federal guidance names, among others, experienced professionals (§19c(2) with §6 BeschV), executives and specialists, researchers and professional drivers. Not covered: hires already living in Germany, job seekers (Chancenkarte), helper and semi-skilled jobs, the Western Balkans regulation, seasonal and other temporary work, postings, intra-company transfers, nursing assistants, self-employment and study. The spouse and minor unmarried children can be included if their visa applications are made in a related time frame (§81a(4) AufenthG); federal guidance treats entry within six months after the hire as related. relokate checks every case in its eligibility check.

Can we use fast-track for someone already in Germany?

No. Fast-track is for hires who still live abroad (§81a(1) AufenthG). For someone already in Germany, relokate prepares the application at the local immigration office. With a German national visa or residence permit this is usually possible without leaving the country (§39 No. 1 AufenthV), unless the current permit rules out the change. A candidate who only visits Germany, for example for an interview, and still lives abroad can use fast-track; the visa is then applied for at the German mission abroad. Someone in Germany on a Schengen visa or a visa-free short stay usually needs a visa from abroad; relokate checks the narrow exceptions with the office (§39 No. 3 AufenthV).

What if our hire doesn't qualify for fast-track?

relokate identifies this in the eligibility check and prepares the route that fits, for example: a change of permit in Germany; the regular visa procedure, with a Federal Employment Agency pre-approval where its approval is needed (§36(3) BeschV); or the approvals for any job under §26 BeschV, such as the Western Balkans regulation. Sometimes a different purpose can still use fast-track, such as the recognition partnership (§16d) or the experience route (§19c(2) with §6 BeschV).

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