For German employers
What a foreign hire really costs and how long it takes
The mandatory government cost on a German employer is small and itemisable. The numbers that scare HR teams come from optional service fees and from an open-ended consulate queue, not from the state. This page separates the two and explains why an honest standard-procedure timeline is a range, not a fixed number.
Read in Deutsch. For German companies hiring a non-EU skilled worker.
In short
The only mandatory government cost on the employer is the accelerated procedure (§ 81a AufenthG) fee of €411, and that is optional. The standard procedure has no employer fee. The candidate pays their own national visa fee at the consulate (confirm the current amount on the Auswärtiges Amt fee schedule). An immigration lawyer and relocation or language support are optional service costs, not government charges. On time: the accelerated procedure gives two fixed three-week clocks once the pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung) is issued; the standard procedure takes several months and is dominated by the consulate appointment queue, which varies by mission. We do not publish a fixed standard-procedure duration because no primary source states one.
At a glance
- Mandatory employer cost
- €411 fast-track fee (optional); standard procedure has no employer fee
- Candidate pays
- Own national visa fee at the consulate (confirm current amount)
- Optional service cost
- Immigration lawyer, relocation, language support (variable)
- Fast-track appointment clock
- Consulate appointment within 3 weeks of pre-approval
- Fast-track decision clock
- Normally within 3 weeks of a complete application
- Standard procedure
- Several months, consulate-queue dependent, varies by mission
- Statute (fast-track)
- § 81a AufenthG
Hiring a non-EU skilled worker?
Tell us the role, seniority, stack, city, and salary. We send matched, visa-checked candidates and connect you with an immigration lawyer who can run the §81a procedure with your Ausländerbehörde.
Submit a hiring brief →No upfront fee. No account required. Founding-employer access while we build the pool.
Mandatory government cost vs optional service cost
The first thing to fix is the framing. Most “total cost of hiring a foreign worker” figures online merge two different things: what the German state charges, and what a service provider charges. They are not the same, and only the first is mandatory.
The mandatory government cost on the employer is small. In the standard procedure it is nothing. In the accelerated procedure (§ 81a AufenthG) it is a one-time €411 fee, and that procedure is optional. The candidate, separately, pays their own national visa fee at the consulate.
| Mandatory government cost | Amount and who pays |
|---|---|
| Standard procedure, employer fee | None. The standard route costs the employer nothing in government fees. |
| Accelerated procedure (§ 81a) fee | €411, one-time, paid by the employer. Optional, only if you choose the fast-track. |
| Candidate's national visa fee | Paid by the candidate at the German mission. Confirm the current amount on the Auswärtiges Amt fee schedule. |
By contrast, the costs that actually move a budget are optional and variable. They are services you choose, not fees the state imposes:
| Optional service cost | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Immigration lawyer | Optional. Worth it for regulated roles, uncertain recognition, or end-to-end authority correspondence. Priced by the lawyer, not the state. |
| Relocation and language support | Optional. Flights, housing search, registration help, integration and language courses. Entirely a business decision. |
Watch the bundling.Relocation agencies often quote a single “total cost” that folds their own service fee into the government fee, which inflates how large the state’s charge looks. Before you compare quotes, ask any provider to itemise the government fee (the €411 fast-track fee) separately from their service fee. The government line should be small.
Honest note on the candidate’s visa fee. We do not state a figure for the national visa fee here because we could not confirm a current amount against the primary Auswärtiges Amt fee schedule at the time of review. Confirm the current national visa fee on the Auswärtiges Amt fee schedule before you brief a candidate.
Want the cost split done for a real role?
Submit a hiring brief and we send visa-checked profiles plus, where you want it, an immigration lawyer quote so you can see the government fee and the service fee as separate lines.
Submit a hiring brief →Timeline: two clocks you can rely on, and one you cannot
Timeline is where most pages overpromise. There is one part of the process with fixed, published deadlines, and one part that no honest page can pin to a number.
The accelerated procedure: two three-week clocks
In the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§ 81a AufenthG), once the foreigners authority issues the pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung), two fixed clocks start on the consulate:
- Appointment within three weeks. The German mission must offer the worker a visa appointment within three weeks of the pre-approval.
- Decision within three weeks. The mission then normally decides within three weeks of receiving a complete application.
These two windows are confirmed in BAMF’s official summary of the procedure. They are the reason the fast-track exists: they replace an open-ended wait with a defined one.
The standard procedure: a range, not a guarantee
The standard procedure takes several months from offer to start date, and the largest, least predictable part is the consulate appointment queue, which varies widely by mission. We deliberately do not publish a fixed week count for the standard procedure. No primary German government source states one, and the figures that circulate on secondary sites are mission-specific snapshots, not a constant you can plan against.
Honest note on standard-procedure timing.Any “X weeks” figure for the standard procedure is directional, not a guarantee. The bottleneck is the consulate appointment queue at the specific mission, not the German authority, and it changes over the year. Check the current appointment situation at the relevant German mission for the candidate’s country before you commit to a start date.
Standard procedure vs accelerated procedure: time
| Standard procedure | Accelerated (§ 81a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Consulate appointment | Mission-dependent wait, often the bottleneck, no fixed clock | Within 3 weeks of pre-approval |
| Decision | Varies by mission | Normally within 3 weeks of a complete application |
| Recognition (Anerkennung) | Candidate-driven, can run long for regulated roles | Bundled into the same track, pressed forward in parallel |
| Honest framing | Several months, range only, not a guarantee | Two fixed three-week windows, confirmed by BAMF |
| Employer fee | None | €411, one-time |
How to keep both cost and time down
The two levers that move cost and time are within your control. First, decide early whether the speed of the accelerated procedure is worth the €411 fee for this role; for a first hire or a regulated role it usually is, because it also bundles the recognition step that otherwise stalls. Second, start the German-side work before the candidate ever needs a consulate appointment, so the only remaining wait is the one with a fixed clock. For the full step-by-step of the fast-track, see the accelerated skilled-worker procedure. For the wider picture of what an employer has to do at all, see how to sponsor a foreign hire.
When you want a lawyer, and how we help
A lawyer is an optional service cost, so treat it as a decision, not a default. Bring one in when the role is regulated and recognition is uncertain, when the qualification needs a ZAB Zeugnisbewertung first, or when you want the authority correspondence handled end to end. We connect you with vetted immigration lawyers for exactly this, and the candidates we send already have their Blue Card or Chancenkarte eligibility checked, so the procedure starts from a clean base and you spend the budget where it counts.
Start with a candidate, not a cost guess
Submit a hiring brief in five minutes. We send matched, visa-checked profiles and, where you want it, an immigration lawyer who runs the §81a procedure for you, with the government fee and service fee shown separately.
Submit a hiring brief →Founding-employer access is free while we build the candidate pool.
Frequently asked questions
What does it actually cost the employer to bring on a foreign hire?
The only mandatory government cost on the employer is the accelerated procedure (§ 81a) fee of €411, and that is optional. The standard procedure has no equivalent employer fee. The candidate pays their own national visa fee at the consulate. Everything else, an immigration lawyer or relocation and language support, is an optional service cost the employer chooses, not a government charge.
Who pays the candidate's visa fee?
The candidate pays the national (D) visa fee directly at the German mission when they apply. It is separate from the employer's €411 fast-track fee. Confirm the current amount on the Auswärtiges Amt fee schedule before you plan a budget; published figures change.
How long does it take from offer to start date?
There is no single honest number. In the accelerated procedure (§ 81a), once the pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung) is issued the consulate must offer the worker an appointment within three weeks and normally decides within three weeks of a complete application. The standard procedure takes several months and is dominated by the consulate appointment queue, which varies by mission. We do not publish a fixed standard-procedure duration because no primary source states one.
Why do relocation agencies quote a much higher total cost?
Because they bundle their own service fees into the same line as government fees, which makes the government cost look larger than it is. The mandatory government cost on the employer is small and itemisable. Ask any provider to separate the government fee (the €411 fast-track fee) from their service fee before you compare quotes.
Is the €411 fast-track fee worth it?
It buys coordination and two fixed consulate clocks, so the value is highest when speed matters, when the role needs qualification recognition (the usual bottleneck), or when it is your first international hire. If recognition is already done and there is no time pressure, the standard procedure costs the employer nothing.
Do we need an immigration lawyer?
Not always. Many employers run the procedure directly with the Ausländerbehörde. A lawyer is worth it when the role is regulated and recognition is uncertain, when a ZAB Zeugnisbewertung is needed first, or when you want someone to manage the authority correspondence end to end. It is an optional service cost, not a government requirement.
Sources
All factual claims on this page are sourced from German government publications only:
- § 81a AufenthG: Accelerated skilled-worker procedure, Bundesministerium der Justiz
- Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren (the two three-week clocks and the €411 fee), Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Stand 1 March 2024)
- Vorabzustimmung für ausländische Beschäftigte, Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- Visa service and fee information, Auswärtiges Amt (confirm the current national visa fee here)
We are not a law firm. This page provides general information only, not legal advice. German immigration law, procedural fees, and consulate appointment waits change, and practice varies between foreigners authorities and missions. Always verify current fees and timing with the relevant Ausländerbehörde and German mission before acting.
Last reviewed: 3 June 2026. Sources: BAMF, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Auswärtiges Amt, gesetze-im-internet.de (§ 81a AufenthG).