Ausbildung in Germany for internationals: the visa, the money gap, and what comes after

What visa do you need for an apprenticeship in Germany?

Section 16a of the Residence Act covers two separate cases: a permit for company-based (dual) training under paragraph 1, and a separate one for school-based training under paragraph 2.

For company-based training, the Federal Employment Agency's approval is required under Section 39 unless the Employment Ordinance or an international agreement exempts the occupation — Section 16a (1) states this directly.

For school-based training, paragraph 2 sets a different condition: the programme must lead to a state-recognised vocational qualification, and it must not be aimed predominantly at nationals of a single country.

Both permit types also cover attending a German-language course to prepare for the training, under the same paragraph 1.

Do you need a signed contract before you apply?

Yes. Embassy practice at the Pristina and Hanoi missions requires the original signed Ausbildungsvertrag, plus proof that the responsible chamber has registered it, before a visa is issued (German Embassy Pristina, 'Ausbildung in Deutschland', accessed 08/2026).

The chamber is the IHK for commercial and technical occupations or the HWK for licensed crafts. Health and care training is the exception: it registers with the relevant school or authority instead, since it falls under separate professional law.

A verbal offer or an unsigned draft is not enough. Both missions list the signed, registered contract as a document requirement, not supporting evidence you can add later.

How much German do you actually need?

The law sets a low bar on paper. Section 16a (3), second sentence, only requires proof of sufficient German if the language level needed for that specific training has not already been checked by the training provider or is not being acquired through a preparatory course.

Visa-office practice goes further. Both the Pristina and Hanoi embassies name B1 on the Common European Framework as the level to document, with a certificate from an ALTE-accredited provider — Goethe-Institut, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF, or ECL — issued no more than 12 months before the application (German Embassy Hanoi, 'Visum zur Berufsausbildung', accessed 08/2026).

That gap between statute and practice is worth confirming with the specific mission handling your case rather than assumed away — a training place that itself tests your German, or a booked preparatory course, can substitute for a separate certificate under the law, but not every visa office treats it the same way in practice.

Will your training pay actually cover the visa's living-cost rule?

Often not at the legal minimum, and this is the detail most applicants miss. The statutory floor for first-year training pay in 2026 is 724 euros a month gross, set under Section 17 BBiG and confirmed by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training for contracts starting in 2026 (BIBB press release, 2026).

The German Embassy in Pristina states the separate figure visa offices use to judge whether your living costs are covered: about 1,048 euros a month gross for company-based training contracts starting from 1 September 2025 onward (German Embassy Pristina, 'Lebensunterhalt in Deutschland', published 09.01.2026). The German Embassy in Hanoi names the identical figure independently.

That leaves a gap of roughly 324 euros a month between the legal minimum and the visa's own bar. Anyone paid at or close to the statutory floor needs a blocked account, a formal declaration of commitment from a sponsor, or a better-paid placement to close it before the visa can be approved.

Training pay rises each year under Section 17 BBiG — at least 18 percent above the first-year base in year two, 35 percent in year three, and 40 percent in year four — so this particular gap is usually a first-year problem, and only if your contract pays close to the legal minimum rather than above it.

Can you work extra hours alongside your apprenticeship?

Yes, up to 20 hours a week in employment unrelated to the training itself, under Section 16a (3), first sentence.

What if your training place falls through?

Section 16a (4) gives you up to six months to find another training place — but only if your permit is withdrawn, revoked, or shortened for reasons you are not responsible for, such as your employer's insolvency.

It does not apply simply because you finished your training or your employer chooses not to keep you on. That is a different situation, covered next.

What happens after you finish training?

A completed German apprenticeship already satisfies the qualification Section 18 (3) Nr. 1 of the Residence Act requires for the 'Fachkraft mit Berufsausbildung' route under Section 18a, since it is a domestic qualification rather than a foreign one needing separate recognition.

With a job offer that matches your trained occupation, Section 18a is the fitting route — covered in full, with the exact wording of that section, in the separate guide on which work visa fits you.

One detail catches people off guard. Section 16a states that Section 9, which governs eligibility for permanent settlement, does not apply to time spent on this permit — unless you already held a Section 18a or 18b permit before starting the training. Years spent as an apprentice do not automatically count toward permanent residence the way years as a recognised skilled worker do.

Is there real demand for apprentices right now?

Yes, though less than a year earlier. Germany reported 54,400 unfilled apprenticeship positions as of 30 September 2025, according to the 2026 Berufsbildungsbericht — 15,000 fewer than the year before, a 21.6 percent drop (Federal Ministry press release, 2026).

The same report records an 11 percent rise in apprenticeship starters holding a foreign nationality, without stating what share of all starters that is. International interest in German training places is already growing — this is not an undiscovered gap.