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HVAC / AC technician in Germany
Plumbing, heating and air conditioning technology is named by the Federal Employment Agency as a shortage trade area.
Source for this ranking: Federal Employment Agency — Engpassanalyse, 2025 data year (Presseinfo 32, 2 September 2026) (checked 2026-11-03)
Can you go?
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)
OpenA one-year residence permit that lets you enter Germany to look for work, without needing a job offer first.
Germany names hvac / ac technician at No. 2 of 8 in its own shortage analysis. That is a ranking, and a ranking is not a job offer. It tells you the demand is real; it does not tell you that you will be hired.
Source: Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card (Federal Government portal) (checked 2026-11-03)
What do you need?
In the order you should actually do them. The first item is the longest one, so it goes first.
- 1
The language, at B1
B1 is the level stated in our sources for this work. It is the longest item on your list. Start it before you spend money on anything else.
- 2
Recognition of your qualification
Your qualification must be formally assessed against the Germany standard before you can work in this job. Start it early: it runs for months and it gates everything after it.
- 3
Every requirement of the Opportunity Card
Each line below is a hard condition. Missing one closes this route.
- You are a national of a country outside the EU and EFTA
- Either your qualification is fully recognised in Germany (no points needed), or you score at least 6 points on the points system
- For the points route: vocational training of at least two years, recognised in the country where you obtained it
- For the points route: a positive anabin result, Statement of Comparability, or Digital Statement on Professional Qualification
- For the points route: German at A1 or English at B2
- Proof of funds: a blocked account with at least EUR 1,091 net per month (2026 figure), or a formal declaration of commitment
Source: Federal Employment Agency — Engpassanalyse, 2025 data year (Presseinfo 32, 2 September 2026) (checked 2026-11-03) · Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card (Federal Government portal) (checked 2026-11-03)
How long will it take?
12 to 30 months
The visa itself is a matter of weeks. Reaching B1 from zero typically takes 9 to 18 months of consistent study, and recognition runs in parallel but can take several months longer. Anyone promising you Germany in three months is selling something.
How much will it cost?
Published costs for Germany on this track. Your largest single item is normally blocked account (proof of funds).
The same EUR 75 whichever route you apply on. Minors pay half. The residence permit issued after you arrive costs up to EUR 100 more.
Source: Federal Foreign Office — visa fees (checked 2026-11-03)
EUR 75You payThe single largest cost and the one most people underestimate. Employer-funded in some recruitment programmes.
Source: Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card (Federal Government portal) (checked 2026-11-03)
EUR 1,500 to EUR 5,000Sometimes the employer paysFees vary by federal state and by the body assessing your trade.
Source: Anerkennung in Deutschland — recognition statistics 2024 (checked 2026-11-03)
EUR 500 to EUR 1,500You payYour own money, returned to you monthly after arrival. Not a fee. EUR 1,091 x 12 at the 2026 rate.
Source: Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card (Federal Government portal) (checked 2026-11-03)
EUR 13,092You payWhere a blocked account appears above, that is your own money and it comes back to you monthly after arrival. It is not a fee to anyone, and no agent needs to hold it for you.
What changes because of where you are from
Germany's rules are the same for everyone. What changes is how you prove your documents are genuine. Pick your country.
What do you do first?
Check where you actually stand, today
Free, no sign-up, no email. Built from the official requirements on this page. It will tell you what is blocking you as a hvac / ac technician and the fastest thing you can change. If the answer is no, it says no.
Start the checkCompare this against your other option
Most people are choosing between two things. This shows the two side by side on the lines that differ.
HVAC / AC technician in Germany, against something else
1 of 6 lines differSide one
Side two
Where this sits in the country's own official shortage analysis.
Whether the country is taking new applicants from overseas right now.
The longest item on anybody's list. It decides your start date more than the visa does.
B1 is the practical working minimum. Some employers accept A2 on arrival if you commit to B1 within months, but recognition bodies and safety-critical work push this higher.
If recognition is required by law, you cannot work in the job until it is finished.
Everything the published cost list adds up to, including deposits that come back to you.
Start to arrival, as the official timeline note states it. Not the visa stamp alone.
“Lower bar” means fewer requirements or less time or money on that one line only. It is not advice on which is better for you. Money and timeline figures are the whole published range for that country and track, not for this path alone.
Sources: Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card (Federal Government portal) (checked 2026-11-03) · Federal Employment Agency — Engpassanalyse, 2025 data year (Presseinfo 32, 2 September 2026) (checked 2026-11-03)
Where to go next
Also searched as
- air conditioning technician
- refrigeration mechanic
- heating engineer
- AC mechanic