Working in Germany from Latin America in 2026: skilled worker visa, degree and salary

All skilled work visas require a concrete job offer and, in general, the approval of the Federal Employment Agency ¹. They differ by your training and your salary:

Route	Who it is for	Key requirement
Skilled worker with vocational training (sec. 18a)	Vocational training equivalent to a German one	Equivalence decision
University graduate (sec. 18b)	Recognised or comparable university degree	Degree in anabin or evaluated
EU Blue Card (sec. 18g)	University degree and a high salary	€50,700 a year in 2026
Experience (sec. 19c with sec. 6 BeschV)	Degree or 2-year training recognised in your country	2 years of experience and €45,630

The sources: section 18a ², section 18b ³, Blue Card ^{4 9}, experience route ⁷.

With a permit under sections 18a and 18b you can take any skilled job ^{2 3}. If your profession is regulated in Germany, as in health or law, you also need the permit to practise it (Berufsausübungserlaubnis) ¹.

University degree. The embassy in Bogotá asks you to print from the anabin database the equivalence of your degree (marked "entspricht") and the classification of your university as H+ ¹². If your degree or your university does not appear, you must apply to the Conference of Education Ministers (KMK) for an evaluation ¹².

Vocational training. The embassy in Mexico City requires the equivalence procedure to be finished before you apply for the visa: without the recognition decision they do not accept the application ¹³.

Regulated professions. For doctors, nurses or lawyers, being listed in anabin is not enough: you must have your degree recognised in Germany ¹². In Mexico, you can apply for the visa only if you already have the permit to practise ¹³.

The federal portal Recognition in Germany says the procedure usually takes three to four months and that the cost varies widely by profession, often several hundred euros, plus translations and certified copies ¹⁶. If part of your training is missing, section 16d allows a stay of up to 24 months to complete adaptation measures, with up to 20 hours a week of self-employed work ⁵.

The over-45 rule is still in force. If you are 45 or older when you first receive a permit under sections 18a or 18b, the salary must reach 55% of the annual contribution ceiling of the pension insurance, unless you show adequate retirement provision ¹. That ceiling is €101,400 in 2026 ⁸, and the Federal Ministry of the Interior published the minimum for 2026: €55,770 gross a year ¹⁰. The authority can make an exception if there is a public interest, for example when the salary or the age is only slightly off ¹. The rule also applies if you move to this permit from the Chancenkarte or from a recognition measure ¹⁴, and the same minimum applies from age 45 for the experience route ¹⁰.

Other figures of the year:

• EU Blue Card: €50,700 gross a year, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations and for those who graduated three years ago or less ⁹.
• Experience route: 45% of the same ceiling, that is €45,630 a year; if the company applies a collective agreement, that minimum is not required ^{7 11}.

Some embassy leaflets show figures from earlier years: Bogotá quotes €49,830 (January 2025) and Mexico City €53,130 (November 2024) for people over 45 ^{12 13}. For 2026 the figure published in the Bundesanzeiger applies ¹⁰.

Since 1 January 2025 all German visa sections are connected to the Auslandsportal, where long-stay visas for work, study, training and family can be filed online ¹⁵. In Mexico, for example, the visa under sections 18a and 18b can be started online and then filed by appointment at the embassy ¹³.

What the embassies of the region usually ask for ^{12 13}:

• Application form, biometric photo and passport (Bogotá asks for six months of validity; Mexico, one year).
• Signed contract or job offer, with duration and salary, and the "Declaration on the employment relationship" completed by the employer.
• Apostilled degrees translated into German or English, with the anabin printout or the equivalence decision.
• Travel health insurance valid in Schengen, with minimum coverage of €30,000, until your insurance in Germany starts.
• €75 fee, paid in cash in local currency.

The embassy in Mexico estimates about 4 weeks of processing, sometimes more, because the visa waits for the approval of the Federal Employment Agency ¹³. To speed things up, your employer can start the accelerated procedure for skilled workers at the German immigration office, with your power of attorney ⁶.

Without a contract, these visas are not granted ¹. If you want to look for work from Germany, the guide on the Chancenkarte explains that job-seeker permit, its points and the funds required, and the blocked account guide explains how those funds are proved.

The information in this guide applies to Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico. Each embassy publishes its own list and its own appointment system: check the page of yours before paying for translations or apostilles.