Post-Study Work Visa in Germany for Nepali Graduates: The 18-Month Permit

Finishing a German degree changes your legal position overnight. The student permit was tied to studying, and studying is over. Germany's answer is a residence permit for job search that lasts up to 18 months, set out in Section 20 of the Residence Act. This guide explains who qualifies, when to apply, what the foreigners office will ask for, and the details that are easy to get wrong.

Who qualifies

Section 20(1) No. 1 covers a foreign national who has successfully completed a degree in Germany while holding a student permit (Section 16b) or a mobility permit for study (Section 16c). Bachelor's and master's graduates both qualify. The wording matters: the law says the permit "is issued", not that it "may be" issued, so if you meet the conditions you are entitled to it.

It does not cover a finished Studienkolleg on its own, a degree you abandoned, or a degree you completed in Nepal. Graduates of Nepali universities who want to job-hunt in Germany use a different route, the Opportunity Card.

What the permit allows

Berlin's immigration office describes the permit as issued as a rule for 18 months and as allowing any gainful employment, and the federal Make it in Germany portal agrees that you may take any job while you search. The 140-day limit from your student days stops applying. You can work full time in a restaurant to pay rent while you apply for engineering jobs.

The 18 months are a hard ceiling. Section 20(2) rules out extending the permit for further job search, and Berlin adds that a new permit can only be issued for a different purpose, such as employment.

When to apply: earlier than you think

Two dates matter, and they are not the same.

The first is the day your degree is complete. Muenster's foreigners office states that it issues the permit for up to 18 months counted from the day of your degree. If your office counts the same way, every week you wait after your final results is a week of job search lost.

The second is the expiry date of your student permit. Apply before it, and Section 81(4) treats your old permit as continuing until the office decides; you receive a certificate of this, the Fiktionsbescheinigung. Apply after it, and the office may grant that protection only to avoid undue hardship. In Berlin, the confirmation PDF you get after applying online is your proof that the permit remains valid.

While you wait, your old student rules still apply. Section 81(5a) changes that once the office has ordered your new card: from then on you may already work as the new permit allows, and this must be written on the Fiktionsbescheinigung. If a full-time offer arrives during the wait, tell the office.

Documents to prepare

Requirements differ between cities. Berlin's list is a good reference:

• colour copies of your passport's data pages and a copy of your current residence permit;
• your degree certificate, final transcript, or a letter from the university confirming successful completion;
• proof of address, such as your registration certificate (Meldebestaetigung) or rental contract;
• your rental contract and proof of the monthly warm rent;
• proof that you can support yourself;
• proof of German health insurance.

Berlin charges EUR 56 for a permit issued as a passport sticker and EUR 100 for the electronic card, which takes 4 to 6 weeks to produce. Muenster charges up to EUR 100.

Money and health insurance

The law requires that your living costs are covered, but Section 20 sets no fixed amount. Muenster accepts an employment contract with payslips, a formal declaration of commitment from a sponsor (Verpflichtungserklaerung) or a blocked account. Berlin mentions bank statements, a sponsor's declaration or a scholarship. Ask your own office what monthly figure it applies.

Health insurance is the trap. Your membership as a student ends with the last semester for which you were enrolled (Section 190(9) SGB V). It then continues automatically as voluntary membership unless you leave within two weeks and prove other cover (Section 188(4) SGB V). Voluntary membership is no longer charged at the student rate, so ask your insurer for the new contribution before you budget. Berlin warns that a foreign policy is generally not sufficient. Our health insurance guide explains the student rate you are leaving behind.

From job search to a work permit

You do not have to wait for the 18 months to end. Muenster confirms you can apply for a skilled-worker permit as soon as you have found a job. Whether that becomes an EU Blue Card or a regular skilled-worker permit depends mainly on salary, as our skilled worker and PR guide explains. For the search itself, see our job search guide for Nepali graduates.

If the months run out without a qualified job, the Opportunity Card is a narrower fallback: one year, with work capped at an average of 20 hours a week. Someone already in Germany can only get it while holding a permit for education or employment, and the job-search permit counts, so apply before it ends, not after.

Two checks on the Nepal side

First, your passport. The foreigners office needs a valid one, so if yours is close to expiry, book a renewal at the Embassy of Nepal in Berlin early: e-passport enrolment is in person, by appointment only, and a renewal costs EUR 120.

Second, your papers. Collect the original degree certificate, transcript and Diploma Supplement before you leave university life behind; employers ask for them, and so does any recognition process back home. Our guide to verifying a German degree in Nepal covers that process.