From Auswärtiges Amt
“The visa fee is 75 euros, payable in Vietnamese Dong. We cannot guarantee a specific processing time, as the procedure involves domestic German authorities whose processing times the consular post cannot control. Only after receiving the responses from Germany can the consular post conduct the final review and decision. Plan for a processing time of approximately three months; in individual cases it can take longer. File your application well in advance of your planned entry date. After entry: Everyone who lives in Germany must be registered. Within two weeks of moving in at the latest, you should do this at the Einwohnermeldeamt or Bürgeramt. After entry, contact the foreigners-authority at your place of residence in Germany. There you apply for your residence title (Aufenthaltstitel).”
What you need
- You must submit a VIDEX application form, biometric photos, and a valid passport. Personal documents: a tabular CV and a self-written motivation letter; current students also a matriculation certificate. Au-pair-specific documents: an originally-signed au-pair contract (use the Federal Employment Agency template) with all required clauses (pocket money ≥ EUR 280/month, max. 6 hours/day and 30 hours/week, ≥ 2 holiday days/month, German-course subsidy ≥ EUR 70/month, host family's insurance obligation); a fully-completed host-parents' questionnaire; an extended Meldebescheinigung of the host family (listing all household members); host parents' passport copies. Language skills: an A1 language certificate from a recognised examiner (Goethe-Institut, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF, ECL); additionally, language proficiency is tested at submission via a short conversation. Medical insurance: three alternatives — private German insurance, statutory German insurance plus three weeks of travel insurance, or a private foreign (including Vietnamese) insurance that meets the equivalence criteria stated in the Merkblatt.
Checklist
12 01
Application and identity
- Application form (VIDEX). On your application form you state all information about your entry into and stay in Germany. Please fill in this form completely, print it, and sign it yourself *
- Two recent biometric passport photos (45 mm x 35 mm). Information on biometric passport photos is in the photo specifications template. Glue only one photo onto the application form and bring the second loose *
- Valid passport (or recognised substitute travel document). The document must still have at least two blank pages (your visa will be glued in here later if the decision is positive) *
02
Personal profile and motivation
- CV. Tabular and complete CV, in which you in particular set out your prior education and employment *
- Motivation letter. Self-written letter explaining why you wish to do an au-pair stay in Germany, what you expect from the stay, and how the stay will benefit your future *
- Where applicable, matriculation certificate or student ID. If you are currently studying at a university, please submit evidence (e.g. matriculation certificate, student ID)
03
Au-pair relationship and host family
- Au-pair contract. The contract between you and your host family must contain details on the start and duration of the contract, on the general duties of the au-pair and the host family, an agreement on pocket money (at least EUR 280 per month), working time (max. 6 hours daily and 30 hours weekly), holiday days (at least two days per month), German-course subsidy (at least EUR 70 per month) and the host family's insurance obligation for the au-pair. Please use the Federal Employment Agency template. The contract may be submitted in German or English. The contract MUST be submitted in original with the signatures of the host family and the au-pair. Exception: if the contract was arranged by an RAL-certified agency, a scan is sufficient *
- Au-pair questionnaire for the host parents. The questionnaire must be completely filled in and signed by the host parents *
- Extended Meldebescheinigung of the host family. The certificate must list all persons who live in the household *
- Host parents' passport copies. Please submit passport copies of your host parents *
04
Language skills
- Language certificate. You need German skills at least at A1 level. Certificates from the following examiners are currently recognised: • Goethe-Institut e.V. certificates; • telc GmbH certificates; • Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD) certificates; • „TestDaF" from the TestDaF-Institut e.V. (institute of FernUniversität Hagen and Ruhr-Universität Bochum; exam level starts at B2 CEFR); • ECL Prüfungszentrum certificates. At submission, German skills are tested via a short conversation *
05
Medical insurance
- Medical insurance. Three alternatives: (1) proof of a private German insurance that meets the requirements below and starts on the expected travel date; OR (2) proof of statutory German insurance, consisting of a letter from your German Krankenkasse, plus travel insurance for the first three weeks; OR (3) proof of a private foreign (including Vietnamese) insurance, including the policy you have chosen, that meets the requirements below and starts on the expected travel date. When is an insurance equivalent to a statutory German one? • No limit on reimbursement in case of illness; • If the insured person falls ill, no deductible higher than EUR 300 per year may be required; • Pre-existing conditions must be covered; • No termination clause upon reaching a certain age, change of residence permit, or loss of residence permit; • The insurance cover may not have a time limit (or must renew automatically) *
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