Germany Opportunity Card From Pakistan: Score 6 Points and Show €1,027 a Month
Germany's Opportunity Card needs 6 points or a fully recognised degree. The points table from the law, three Pakistani examples, the €75 fee and how to apply.
A Pakistani can get Germany's Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) in one of two ways. Either your degree is fully recognised in Germany, or you score at least 6 points on Germany's points table. Either way you must show €1,027 a month to live on and €500 for a ticket home. The visa fee is €75, paid in rupees.
The Opportunity Card is a one-year job search permit. It lets you live in Germany, look for work and work part time while you search. The German missions in Pakistan list it as a category on their online Consular Services Portal. We read the points rules in the German Residence Act itself, sections 20a and 20b and the table attached to them, because the Make it in Germany site blocked our reader.
Two routes lead to the Opportunity Card
The law gives the card to anyone who is a "skilled worker" in German terms, or who reaches the points minimum. Most Pakistanis without full recognition will use points.
- Route 1, full recognition. Your university degree is recognised in Germany, through the anabin database or a Statement of Comparability. The German Consulate in Karachi lists this as the main requirement on its Opportunity Card page. No points are needed.
- Route 2, points. Your qualification is recognised in Pakistan but not fully in Germany. You then need at least 6 points from the table below.
Route 2 has three entry conditions before any points count. You need a degree from a state-recognised university, or a state-recognised vocational qualification that took at least two years. You need German at A1 level, or English at B2. And a competent German body must confirm your qualification.
The Opportunity Card points table needs 6 points
This is the table from the annex to Germany's Residence Act. Each line is a feature and the points it earns. Language and experience lines do not stack: you get only the highest one in each group.
| What you have | Points |
|---|---|
| Partial recognition: a German body says you need only top-up training | 4 |
| German at B2 | 3 |
| German at B1 | 2 |
| German at A2 | 1 |
| English at C1 | 1 |
| 5 years of work in your field in the last 7 years | 3 |
| 2 years of work in your field in the last 5 years | 2 |
| Job in a shortage group, such as engineering, IT, medicine, nursing or teaching | 1 |
| Age 35 or under | 2 |
| Age over 35 and up to 40 | 1 |
| 6 months of legal stay in Germany in the last 5 years | 1 |
| Spouse also qualifies and applies with you | 1 |
The minimum is six points. The law calls it "Mindestpunktzahl", minimum score, and sets it at six.
Three Pakistani profiles that reach 6 points
Age and experience do most of the work for young graduates. German language is the fastest way to add points after that.
- Software engineer, 29, four years' experience, English C1. Age 2, experience 2, English 1, shortage job 1. Total 6. It passes.
- Civil engineer, 33, six years' experience, German A2. Age 2, experience 3, German 1, shortage job 1. Total 7. It passes.
- Accountant, 38, three years' experience, English B2. Age 1, experience 2. Total 3. It fails. German B2 would add 3 and bring it to 6.
The shortage point follows the occupation groups named in section 18g of the Act, which cover areas like IT, science and engineering, health and teaching. Check your exact job against the list before you count that point.
And notice what B2 English does not do. It gets you through the door, but it earns zero points. Only C1 English scores.
You must show €1,027 a month and €500 for the ticket home
The Karachi consulate's page asks for proof of €1,027 a month for living costs and €500 for a return ticket to Pakistan. For a full 12 month card that is €12,324, plus €500, so €12,824 in all. That is our arithmetic, not a figure on the page.
The law also lets the card be granted only "if the livelihood is secured". Check the consulate's checklist for the forms of proof it accepts before you move money. The long-term (D) visa fee is €75, paid in rupees at the current rate, in cash at the counter in Islamabad or Karachi.
What the Opportunity Card lets you do in Germany
The card is for searching, not for a full-time job. The law limits what you can do while you hold it.
- Work up to 20 hours a week on average.
- Do trial work of up to two weeks each time with an employer.
- Stay for up to one year while you search.
- Extend it for up to two more years once you have a qualified job offer and the Federal Employment Agency agrees, if you do not qualify for a regular work permit.
If you find a job that meets the Blue Card or skilled worker rules, you switch to that permit instead. A second search card is only possible after you have spent as long outside Germany as you spent on the first one.
How to apply for the Opportunity Card from Pakistan
Both German missions in Pakistan take Opportunity Card applications through the online Consular Services Portal, also called the Auslandsportal. Which mission handles yours depends on where you live.
- Check your degree. Look it up in anabin, or apply for a Statement of Comparability.
- Take a language test. German A1 or English B2 is the minimum. German B1 or B2 adds points.
- Count your points honestly. Use the table above and keep proof for each line.
- Arrange the funds. €1,027 a month plus €500.
- Apply on the portal. Choose "Opportunity Cards". Islamabad handles ICT, Punjab, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK. Karachi handles Sindh and Balochistan.
- Pay €75 in rupees in cash at your appointment.
The German missions in Pakistan have warned that visa agents are not connected to them. The full set of German work routes is in how to apply for a Germany work visa from Pakistan. If you are still studying, compare it with a Germany student visa. Before you pay anyone to "process" a file, run the checks in how to check an education agent, because the same tricks show up in job-seeker visas.
Common questions
How many points do I need for the Germany Opportunity Card?
Six. The minimum score in the annex to Germany's Residence Act is six points, unless your degree is already fully recognised.
Do I need German for the Opportunity Card?
Not always. On the points route you need German at A1 or English at B2. German is not required, but B1 or B2 German earns 2 or 3 points.
Is the Opportunity Card a work visa?
No. It is a job search permit for up to one year. You may work up to 20 hours a week and do short trial jobs.
What is the Opportunity Card visa fee in Pakistan?
€75 for a long-term visa, paid in rupees at the current exchange rate, in cash at the counter.
Can my wife or husband help my score?
Yes. If your spouse also qualifies and applies with you, you get one extra point.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. The points, entry conditions and permit rules are from Germany's Residence Act on the federal government's legal portal: section 20a, section 20b and the annex table, read in German and translated by us. Language levels are from section 2 and the shortage groups from section 18g of the same Act. The €1,027, €500, €75 fee, portal and jurisdiction details are from the German missions in Pakistan on pakistan.diplo.de, including the Karachi Opportunity Card page. The example profiles are our own calculations.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
