Who can apply for a working holiday visa?

Citizens of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan and Canada may apply for
Working Holiday visa at the German embassy in Sofia, even if they do not have their habitual residence in Bulgaria.

Citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Canada can enter Germany visa-free for three months and apply for the necessary residence permit at an immigration office in Germany. However, they are not allowed to work till they received the residence permit.

Citizens of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay have to apply for a visa before entering Germany.

What are the prerequisites?

• 18 to 30 years old (at time of submitting your application), except Canadian applicants: 18 – 35 years.
• A working holiday visa can be issued only once.
• Main purpose of stay is holiday and travel in Germany.
• Family members cannot accompany you, unless they have their own residence permiit.

How do I get an appointment?

Please book an appointment online

Please book in the correct category, not in the general visa category.

Every applicant has to appear personally. If you do not speak English, German or Bulgarian, please bring a translator with you.

Due to high demand, it is possible that there are currently no available appointments. However, new appointments are added regularly. Additional appointments also become available due to cancellations. Special appointments are not available upon request.

Which documents do I have to submit?

Before your application, please check the list of required documents on the website of the
German Embassy in the country of your origin and prepare the necessary documents accordingly.

Documents which are neither in German or English, have to be submitted with a certified translation (except the passport copy).

All documents have to be submitted in the orginal together with one copy.

Additonal requirements for all applicants:

• proof of sufficient financial means (bank account statement, blocked account or
  Verpflichtungserklärung):
  • with invitation or paid accommodation for the first three months of your stay: 1,326 €
  • without invitation or paid accommodation for the first three months of your stay: 2,466 €
  • proven by bank statement of a personal account for the past three months, with a currency conversion in case the account is not in EUR
• health insurance according to EU regulations (minimum 30,000 €/ USD 50,000) for the entire
  stay including coverage of return flight in case of sickness or death and coverage for accidents
• paid return flight ticket to your home country or additional financial means of 1,000€
• The visa fee is 75 EUR, payable in cash or with credit card (Visa/Mastercard)

For Argentinian applicants additonally:

• Proof of financial means by a bank statement have to be shown for 3 months in foreign
  currency (e.g. € or USD)

Your application can only be accepted if all required documents are submitted at the appointment. The Embassy reserves the right to ask for additional documents, if necessary.

When do I get the visa?

The Embassy will decide on your application as quickly as possible.

Based on experience, processing can take up to two weeks from the date of application. Please refrain from inquiring about the status of your application during this time.

We will contact you as soon as your visa application has been processed. If your application has been approved, we will notify you by email when and how you can submit your passport to receive the visa.

If your visa application has been rejected, there may be various reasons for this. We will state these reasons in a rejection letter. You can submit a new application at any time.