Avoiding scams
Rule of thumb: nobody can buy you a German visa, a Working Holiday place, a study place or a job. Anyone who promises that for money is either useless or a fraudster.
What is free or has a fixed official fee
- Visa appointments at the Consulate General are booked online through the official system. The visa fee is €75, paid in HKD at the Consulate.
- Working Holiday places are given first-come, first-served by the Consulate (Working Holiday). There is no paid “fast lane”.
- Recognition information at anabin and Anerkennung in Deutschland is free.
- Blocked accounts: the Consulate no longer keeps a list of providers and recommends none (blocked account page). Check the provider yourself, open the account on the provider's own website, and transfer money only to your own blocked account.
Warning signs
- Guaranteed visa, guaranteed job or “contacts at the consulate”.
- Payment for an appointment slot or a Working Holiday “quota”.
- Job offers that ask you to pay for the contract, training or accommodation in advance.
- Pressure to decide today, or to pay in cryptocurrency or to a private account.
- “Agents” who want to keep your passport or originals.
Where to check
Hong Kong Police offer the Scameter search engine for phone numbers, accounts and websites on CyberDefender (the direct page could not be checked automatically; see TODO). In Germany, report fraud to the police. If an offer mentions the Consulate, ask the Consulate directly.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.