Job-seeker permit after graduating in Germany: how to prove you can support yourself

🇩🇪 DE · permits · 2026-10-26

Translating to Swedish. Showing the English original for now.

If you graduated in Germany and want the job-seeker residence permit, the law asks for one thing on money: that your living costs, including health insurance, are covered without public funds. It does not name the documents you must show. Nothing in the Residence Act (AufenthG) says that only a Verpflichtungserklärung or a job contract counts, and nothing in it excludes a blocked account (Sperrkonto) or your own savings. If the local Ausländerbehörde refuses everything except a sponsor or a contract, apply anyway before your student permit expires, put your proof of funds on file, and ask for a written decision. This is general information, not legal advice.

What the law says about the graduate job-seeker permit

The permit is in section 20 AufenthG. In the current text, section 20(1) no. 1 says that after successfully finishing a degree in Germany during a stay under section 16b or 16c, a residence permit to look for work "wird ... erteilt" (is granted). Older guides and forum posts still call this section 20(3) no. 1; the numbering changed. The wording is "wird erteilt", not "kann erteilt werden", so the office has no free choice once the conditions are met.

Section 20(2) adds the conditions that matter here. Sentence 1: "Die Erteilung einer Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach Absatz 1 setzt die Lebensunterhaltssicherung voraus." Sentence 2: in the cases of paragraph 1 numbers 1 to 4 the permit is issued "für einen Zeitraum von bis zu 18 Monaten". So you can get up to 18 months, but only if your living costs are secured. Section 5(1) no. 1 repeats the same general rule for every residence title: a secured livelihood is a requirement "in der Regel", as a rule.

If your question is the next step, moving from this permit to a Blue Card once you have an offer, we covered it in switching from the job-seeker permit to a Blue Card.

What "secured livelihood" means, and what it does not say

The definition is in section 2(3) AufenthG. Sentence 1 says your livelihood is secured if you can cover it, "einschließlich ausreichenden Krankenversicherungsschutzes", without using public funds. That is the whole test for the job-seeker permit. The section does not list forms of proof. The words Sperrkonto and Verpflichtungserklärung do not appear in it.

Section 2(3) does set a fixed monthly amount for some permits. Sentence 5 says that for permits under sections 16a to 16c, 16e and 16f the livelihood counts as secured if you have monthly means equal to the need set by sections 13 and 13a(1) of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG). Section 13 BAföG sets the basic need for university students at 475 euros a month, plus 380 euros for housing if you do not live with your parents. Section 20 is not in that list. So the law does not tie the job-seeker permit to the student amount, and it gives no other fixed figure for it either. What counts as enough is left to the office.

In practice three kinds of proof can work, and the law prefers none of them:

Your own money. Savings in your account or in a blocked account are money you can live on without public funds.
A sponsor. Section 68 AufenthG describes the Verpflichtungserklärung: the person who signs it must repay all public funds spent on your living costs, including housing and care in case of illness, "für einen Zeitraum von fünf Jahren". That is why people refuse to sign. It is a heavy promise.
Income. A job contract shows future income, but if you already had one you would usually apply for a work permit instead.

What to do if the office refuses your blocked account

Apply before your student permit runs out. Section 81(4) AufenthG says that if you apply for another residence title before your current one expires, the old permit "gilt ... bis zur Entscheidung der Ausländerbehörde als fortbestehend": it counts as continuing until the office decides. Section 81(5) obliges the office to give you a certificate of this, the Fiktionsbescheinigung. If you apply late, section 81(4) sentence 3 only lets the office order this effect to avoid undue hardship, so do not wait for a sponsor to appear. What this certificate covers is explained in what a Fiktionsbescheinigung allows while an application is pending.

Put the application and the proof in writing. File the application with your degree certificate, health insurance, and bank or blocked account statements. Write in the cover letter that section 2(3) sentence 1 AufenthG asks only that living costs including health insurance are covered without public funds, and that it names no form of proof.

Ask for a written decision. An oral "we do not accept that" at the counter is not a decision you can challenge. A written decision is the starting point for any challenge, and the route depends on your federal state. If the office refuses and you are unsure about deadlines, this is the moment for a lawyer or a university or migration counselling service. If you have dealt with a refusal before, our article on refusals and section 81(4) walks through what keeps protecting you.

Can you work while you search?

Yes, as a rule. The text of section 20 contains no ban on work. Section 4a(1) AufenthG says that foreigners who hold a residence title "dürfen eine Erwerbstätigkeit ausüben, es sei denn, ein Gesetz bestimmt ein Verbot". Since section 20 sets no such ban, the permit lets you take jobs while you look for one that fits your degree. If you are still on the student permit, your limits are different, and we explain the student work-hour rules here.

Country specifics

The Residence Act is federal law, so the requirement is the same in every German city. What differs is how each Ausländerbehörde handles proof of funds in practice. Moving to another city changes which office's staff look at your file, not the law they apply. If you move only to change offices, think about timing: register at the new address, contact the new office, and make sure an application is filed before your student permit expires, so you are not left between two offices without a permit.

FAQ

Is the job-seeker permit after a German degree a right?

Section 20(1) no. 1 AufenthG says the permit "wird ... erteilt" after a successful degree under section 16b or 16c. The conditions still apply, above all a secured livelihood under section 20(2).

Does a blocked account count as proof of funds?

The law does not exclude it. Section 2(3) sentence 1 AufenthG asks only that living costs including health insurance are covered without public funds, and names no form of proof.

How much money do I need for the job-seeker permit?

The Residence Act gives no fixed amount for section 20. The BAföG-based amount in section 2(3) sentence 5 applies to student and training permits, not to section 20.

What does a Verpflichtungserklärung commit the sponsor to?

Under section 68(1) AufenthG the sponsor must repay public funds spent on your living costs, including housing and care in illness, for five years.

What happens if my student permit expires while the office decides?

If you applied before it expired, section 81(4) AufenthG treats the old permit as continuing until the decision, and section 81(5) entitles you to a Fiktionsbescheinigung.

Does moving to another city help?

The law is the same everywhere because it is federal. Only the office's practice differs. Make sure an application is on file before your permit expires, wherever you live.

How Jobsy fits

We build Jobsy, a job search service for Europe that searches for you: you say what work you want, and Jobsy finds employers and recruitment and staffing agencies in Germany, from a base of more than 2.6 million employers and agencies, and prepares personal messages in the recipient's language. It cannot change how an Ausländerbehörde reads proof of funds. A job contract is one of the proofs offices accept, so if you want to reach employers sooner, the first result is free, and Jobsy Active, which keeps the search going, costs 6.70 euros a month.

Sources

Sources: Gesetze im Internet: § 20 AufenthG, Arbeitsplatzsuche im Anschluss an Aufenthalte im Bundesgebiet · Gesetze im Internet: § 2 AufenthG, Begriffsbestimmungen · Gesetze im Internet: § 5 AufenthG, Allgemeine Erteilungsvoraussetzungen · Gesetze im Internet: § 68 AufenthG, Haftung für Lebensunterhalt · Gesetze im Internet: § 81 AufenthG, Beantragung des Aufenthaltstitels · Gesetze im Internet: § 4a AufenthG, Zugang zur Erwerbstätigkeit · Gesetze im Internet: § 13 BAföG, Bedarf für Studierende