Non-EU foreign nationals (third-country nationals) need a residence permit that allows them to work in order to take up employment or participate in vocational training at a company. Residence documents and the residence permit are issued by the Foreigners’ Registration Office. As a general rule, this requires approval from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) to engage in a specific occupation. To this end, an assessment of the workplace conditions is conducted. This assessment focuses on fair compensation and equivalent working conditions for foreign workers.
For a clear overview of which residence permits grant access to employment and under what conditions, please refer to this guide from GGUA Refugee Aid (as of December 2025).