From Iran to Berlin: study, train or work

Where visa applications currently stand, how Iranian documents are legalised, how money and sanctions affect a blocked account, what your school or university certificates are worth, and how to avoid agents who sell what is free. Every statement is tied to an official source. Free, independent, no agency.

Check first: the German visa section in Tehran has been working only in a very limited way. Visa application: current situation. New here? Which route fits me?

A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.

Guide

🧭Which route fits me?Study, skilled work, Opportunity Card, Ausbildung, family or a language course: a short decision guide. 🛂Visa application: current situationThe German embassy in Tehran works in a restricted mode: waitlists, TLScontact, why you should not travel to a neighbouring country on your own, fees and refusals. 📄Documents from IranIran is not an Apostille state: replacement legalisation by the German embassy, sworn translators, what to bring. 🏦Money and sanctions: getting funds to GermanyWhy transfers from Iran are hard, what a blocked account needs, legal alternatives and what to avoid. General information only. 🎓Route: studying in BerlinVisa (§ 16b), the steps in order, timing and what to prepare in Iran. 📄Admission with Iranian certificatesSchool diploma and Konkur, anabin, Studienkolleg, Master applications, uni-assist, language proof. 💶Costs of studying in BerlinBlocked account, semester fee, residence permit fees, health insurance. 🗣️Learning German from IranWhere to learn, which certificates count for the visa, and the level each route needs. 💼Route: skilled worker and EU Blue CardBlue Card, skilled-worker permits, salary thresholds 2026 and the fast-track procedure. 🃏Route: Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)Points system, money, work rights and what the card does not do (§§ 20a, 20b AufenthG). 🛠️Route: vocational training (Ausbildung)Requirements, German level, money, pay, and why this route attracts the most scams. 📚Route: language course (§ 16f)A visa just to learn German: what it needs, what it allows, and why it is rarely the best first step. 👪Route: joining family in GermanySpouse and child reunification in outline: the legal basis and what to check. 🧾Recognition of your qualificationanabin, the ZAB statement, which Berlin body decides, and nursing. 🧭Other routes: nursingNurses and the three ways in (§§ 16a, 16d, 18a AufenthG). ⚖️Iranian rules you should checkMilitary service, exit permission, exit tax and passport: what we could and could not confirm. 🛬After arrival in BerlinAddress registration, bank account, health insurance, residence permit, in that order. 🤝Find your communityWhere Persian speakers in Berlin get free advice, find culture and events, learn about Persian classes for children and see a doctor in their language. 🏠Already in Berlin?Changing your status, staying long term, citizenship and free help. 💶Costs at a glanceFees, salary thresholds and money you must show, by route (2026). ⚠️Avoiding scamsVisa agents, fake job and training offers, paid appointments, forged funding papers.