Germany's hotels, restaurants and kitchens are short of trained staff, and there are real visa routes for qualified international workers — the Skilled Worker Visa for people with a recognised trade like cook (Koch), and the Opportunity Card for qualified job-seekers. We'll be honest about who qualifies.
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There are two realistic ways for an internationally-recruited hospitality worker to move to Germany with a work visa, and both are built around qualifications rather than just experience.
The Skilled Worker Visa (Fachkräftevisum) is the main route for people who already have a recognised vocational qualification — a trained cook (Koch), for example — plus a job offer from a German employer. Since November 2023 the job you take no longer has to match your exact qualification, but it does need to be a "qualified" role by German standards, and the Federal Employment Agency is involved in approval (Handbook Germany, 2024).
The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) is a job-seeker route. It lets a qualified person come to Germany for up to 12 months to look for work and work part-time while searching. You either hold a fully recognised qualification (the direct route) or score at least 6 points on a points system covering your qualification, experience, language and age. It requires a vocational qualification of at least two years or a degree, and proof of funds of roughly €1,091 per month / about €13,092 for the year (as of 2025) (mygermanuniversity.com, 2025/2026).
An honest word on unqualified roles. Waiting tables, bar work or kitchen-help positions with no recognised training behind them are genuinely hard to sponsor, because Germany's work-visa system is designed around recognised qualifications. A trained chef is far easier to place than an untrained one. If you don't yet hold a recognised trade, the Opportunity Card points route may still be worth exploring — check your eligibility before you commit to anything.
For the Skilled Worker Visa, your foreign qualification usually has to be assessed and recognised in Germany — a process called Anerkennung — so it is treated as equivalent to a German vocational qualification. Recognition is normally arranged before or alongside the visa application, and proof of it is part of the paperwork (Handbook Germany, 2024).
For hospitality trades like cook (Koch), recognition is handled through Germany's official recognition system (anerkennung-in-deutschland.de) and qualifications can be checked against the Anabin database. The assessment compares your training and hours against the German standard; where there are gaps, you may be asked to complete an adaptation or additional training. Cook is one of the clearer trades to have assessed because Germany trains chefs through a well-defined apprenticeship.
Many hotel and gastronomy occupations are not strictly "regulated" professions, which can make the practical picture more flexible — but for visa purposes, having a recognised qualification is what unlocks the Skilled Worker route. We'll tell you honestly whether your specific certificate is likely to be recognised before you invest in the process.
Hospitality in Germany is largely German-speaking, so language is a real factor rather than a formality. Guest-facing roles — front office, restaurant service, working in a busy kitchen brigade — typically expect working German, often around A2 to B1, and employers frequently ask for it directly.
The Opportunity Card points route formally accepts at least A1 German or B2 English to qualify, but that is a minimum for the visa, not a guarantee that a hotel or restaurant will hire you without more German. Investing in German early tends to widen your options considerably, and it makes daily life outside work much easier too.
Germany's statutory minimum wage sets the floor: it is €13.90 per hour from 1 January 2026, up from €12.82 in 2025, with a further rise to €14.60 planned for 2027 (iamexpat.de / Minimum Wage Commission, 2025–2026). Qualified chefs and experienced hospitality staff generally earn above the minimum, and pay varies a lot by region, employer, seniority and whether tips or accommodation are part of the package. Treat any figure as approximate and check the specific offer.
On demand: the German hospitality sector (Gastgewerbe) has struggled for years to fill skilled positions, and industry bodies increasingly point to international recruitment as part of the answer. Hotels and restaurants in particular report ongoing shortages of trained cooks and service staff. That demand is real, but it flows most strongly toward people who are qualified and can work in German — which is exactly where we focus.
Want the wider picture? See our Germany work visa guide or browse all our country guides.
We work with both employers and candidates, so we can be straight with you about what's realistic. For hospitality moves to Germany we help you understand which route fits your profile, sense-check whether your qualification is likely to be recognised, and match you to genuine sponsored roles rather than sending you chasing dead ends. Where a role is a fit, we coordinate the visa paperwork and relocation support end to end.
The best first step is simple: submit your CV and we'll assess your eligibility, or try the eligibility checker to get an instant sense of your options.
It's much harder. Germany's main work-visa routes are built around recognised vocational qualifications, so a trained cook (Koch) is far easier to sponsor than an unqualified kitchen or waiting role. Without a recognised qualification, the Opportunity Card's points route may still be an option if you can show relevant experience and language skills.
If you have a recognised qualification and a job offer, the Skilled Worker Visa is usually the route. If you want to come to look for work, the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) lets qualified people stay up to 12 months and work part-time while searching. The best fit depends on your qualification, experience and language.
Guest-facing hospitality roles usually expect working German, often around A2 to B1, and employers frequently ask for it. The Opportunity Card points route accepts at least A1 German or B2 English, but real hotel and restaurant work is largely German-speaking, so language is a genuine factor.
For the Skilled Worker Visa you generally need your qualification assessed and recognised (Anerkennung) so it's treated as equivalent to a German vocational qualification. Recognition is normally arranged before or alongside the visa application.
Germany's statutory minimum wage is €13.90 per hour from 1 January 2026 (up from €12.82 in 2025), which sets the floor. Qualified chefs and experienced hospitality staff typically earn above the minimum, and pay varies by region, employer and role.
Indicative information only, current as of 2026 and subject to change. This page is general guidance, not legal or immigration advice. Visa routes, salary thresholds, recognition and language requirements are set by the German authorities and each case is assessed individually. Always confirm current rules with official sources or a qualified adviser before making decisions.
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