For German employers
The accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§ 81a) for employers
The beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren lets you, the employer, start and speed up a foreign hire’s work visa from inside Germany, before the candidate ever books a consulate appointment. You initiate it, you pay a one-time €411 fee, and the German-side checks are bundled into a single accelerated track.
Read in Deutsch. For German companies hiring their first non-EU skilled worker.
In short
In the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§ 81a AufenthG), the employer, not the candidate, starts the process at the local foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) using a power of attorney from the worker, signs an agreement, and pays a one-time €411 fee. The authority bundles qualification recognition and Federal Employment Agency approval and issues a pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung). With it, the German consulate must offer the worker a visa appointment within three weeks and normally decides within three weeks of a complete application.
At a glance
- Who starts it
- The employer, not the candidate
- Where
- Local Ausländerbehörde at your company's location
- Employer fee
- €411, one-time, paid on signing the agreement
- From the candidate
- A signed power of attorney (Vollmacht)
- Appointment clock
- Consulate appointment within 3 weeks of pre-approval
- Decision clock
- Normally within 3 weeks of a complete application
- Statute
- § 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.
What the accelerated procedure is
The accelerated skilled-worker procedure (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren), governed by § 81a of the German Residence Act, is a fast lane an employer can open for a specific hire. Instead of the candidate navigating recognition, Federal Employment Agency approval, and the consulate one step at a time from abroad, you bundle the German-side steps into a single procedure run by the foreigners authority where your company is located.
It is optional. The standard route still exists and costs the employer nothing. You choose the accelerated track when speed matters, when the role needs formal qualification recognition (the usual bottleneck), or when it is your first international hire and you want a single counterpart managing the process.
Who does what
The defining feature of § 81a is that the employer drives the German side. The split is clearer than most guides make it:
| Who | Does what |
|---|---|
| Employer | Applies at the local Ausländerbehörde, signs the agreement (Vereinbarung), pays the €411 fee, and supplies the employment contract and company documents. |
| Candidate | Signs a power of attorney (Vollmacht) so the employer can act for them, provides qualification documents, then attends the consulate appointment and carries the pre-approval. |
| Foreigners authority | Coordinates qualification recognition and Federal Employment Agency approval, then issues the pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung). |
| German consulate | Once the pre-approval exists, offers an appointment within three weeks and normally decides within three weeks of a complete application. |
What the €411 fee buys
The accelerated procedure carries a one-time fee of €411, paid by the employer when the agreement is signed. It is the only mandatory government cost the employer carries; the standard procedure has no equivalent employer fee. The candidate’s own national visa fee at the consulate is separate and paid by the candidate.
What the fee buys is coordination and speed: the foreigners authority becomes your single point of contact and bundles the recognition and labour-market approval steps that would otherwise run in sequence.
The two three-week clocks
The most reassuring part of § 81a, and the part most guides omit, is that the pre-approval triggers two fixed deadlines on the consulate:
- Appointment within three weeks. Once the Vorabzustimmung is issued, the German mission must offer the worker a visa appointment within three weeks.
- Decision within three weeks. The mission then normally decides within three weeks of receiving a complete application.
These clocks are the headline benefit. In the standard procedure the consulate appointment queue is usually the slowest part, and it varies widely by mission. The accelerated procedure replaces that open-ended wait with a defined window.
It also speeds the recognition step
For many roles the real delay is not the visa, it is Anerkennung (formal recognition of the foreign qualification). The accelerated procedure folds recognition into the same track and presses it forward in parallel with the labour-market approval, rather than leaving the candidate to pursue it alone. For regulated roles this is where the largest time saving comes from.
Honest note on validity. The pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung) is valid for a limited period, but published sources give different figures for how long. Confirm the current validity with the Ausländerbehörde running your case before you plan timelines around it. We do not state a fixed number here because we could not verify one against a single authoritative source.
Want a candidate to run this for?
Submit a hiring brief and we send visa-checked profiles whose eligibility under § 18g and § 20b AufenthG is already confirmed, so the §81a procedure starts from a clean base.
Submit a hiring brief →Standard procedure vs accelerated procedure
| Standard procedure | Accelerated (§ 81a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who initiates | Candidate, from abroad | Employer, in Germany |
| Employer fee | None | €411, one-time |
| Recognition + approval | Run in sequence, candidate-driven | Bundled by the Ausländerbehörde |
| Consulate appointment | Mission-dependent wait, often the bottleneck | Within 3 weeks of pre-approval |
| Decision | Varies by mission | Normally within 3 weeks of a complete application |
| Best when | Recognition already done, no time pressure | First hire, regulated role, or you need speed |
If you have hired in the UK or US before
Germany has no employer sponsor licence. Unlike the UK’s licensed-sponsor register or the US H-1B petition the employer files, any German employer can hire a third-country skilled worker on a qualifying contract. There is no register to join and no quota lottery. The accelerated procedure is not a licence: it is an optional fast lane you open per hire. Your obligations reduce to a compliant contract at the right salary level, the Federal Employment Agency declaration, and, if you choose it, the §81a fee.
When you still want a lawyer, and how we help
Many accelerated procedures are run by the employer’s HR team directly with the Ausländerbehörde. Bring in an immigration lawyer when the role is regulated and recognition is uncertain, when the qualification needs a ZAB Zeugnisbewertung first, or when you want someone to manage the authority correspondence 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.
Start with a candidate, not paperwork
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.
Submit a hiring brief →Founding-employer access is free while we build the candidate pool.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays the €411 fee, the employer or the candidate?
The employer pays it, once, when signing the agreement (Vereinbarung) with the foreigners authority. It is a one-time procedural fee for the accelerated track, separate from the candidate's own visa fee at the consulate.
Does the candidate still need a job offer first?
Yes. The accelerated procedure speeds up the work-visa process for a concrete hire; it does not replace the job offer. You need a signed or firm employment contract at the applicable salary level before you start.
How much faster is it, really?
It bundles the German-side steps (qualification recognition and Federal Employment Agency approval) into one track and, once the pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung) is issued, triggers two fixed clocks: the consulate must offer the worker an appointment within three weeks and normally decides within three weeks of a complete application. The largest saving is on regulated roles, where the recognition step is usually the bottleneck.
Do we have to prove no EU candidate is available (Vorrangprüfung)?
No. For qualified skilled workers the labour-market priority check was abolished with the Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz (in force since 1 March 2020). The Federal Employment Agency still checks that pay and conditions match those of comparable domestic employees.
Can we use it for an EU Blue Card hire?
Yes. The accelerated procedure works for the EU Blue Card and other skilled-worker residence titles. It is the same § 81a track regardless of which work permit the hire ultimately receives.
What does the employer actually sign?
An agreement (Vereinbarung) with the local foreigners authority to run the accelerated procedure, supported by a power of attorney (Vollmacht) from the worker authorising you to act on their behalf in Germany.
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, Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Stand 1 March 2024)
- Vorabzustimmung für ausländische Beschäftigte, Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- Das beschleunigte Fachkräfteverfahren (Unternehmen), Make it in Germany, Federal Government
We are not a law firm. This page provides general information only, not legal advice. German immigration law and procedural fees change, and practice varies between foreigners authorities and missions. Always verify current rules with the relevant Ausländerbehörde and German mission before acting.
Last reviewed: 3 June 2026. Sources: BAMF, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Make it in Germany, gesetze-im-internet.de (§ 81a AufenthG).