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Subject-related internships for foreign students; application for confirmation

If you as a company or exchange organization would like to offer foreign students or university graduates an internship in Germany, you must obtain prior confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency under certain conditions.

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Procedure details

Students or graduates who are citizens of an EU country, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland do not require confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency, regardless of the duration of the internship. This also applies to nationals of other countries in the case of EU-funded programs, such as LEONARDO, SOCRATES, TACIS or ERASMUS.

For students with other nationalities who do not participate in EU-funded programs, the following regulations apply:

You need a confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency if you offer foreign students or graduates of a university an internship in your company.

If you wish to employ several students or university graduates at the same time as part of an internship, you must submit a separate application for each intern.

A study-related internship may last a maximum of 12 months. The internship can also be carried out in several parts if this was planned from the outset in order to achieve the further education goal. However, in this case you must submit a new application for each new internship.

For study-related internships in internship companies:

  • In order for the Federal Employment Agency to be able to confirm the internships in internship companies, the following must be completed
    • the student must be
      • be enrolled at a university abroad and
      • have completed at least 4 subject-related semesters
    • the internship must provide practical knowledge that is relevant to the student's field of study and complements the course content in a meaningful way
    • it must be ensured that the foreign interns have the same working conditions as the domestic interns in a comparable workplace

In the case of internships through exchange organizations:

  • In order for the Federal Employment Agency to confirm an internship for you,
    • the exchange organization must be recognized, i.e:
      • it is a non-profit organization
      • the activity of the organization is predominantly directed towards the exchange of interns during or after their studies, and
      • the exchange organization has a letter of recognition from the Federal Employment Agency
      • Exchange organization is an organization that is directed towards the international placement of student interns, whereby the placement activity may not only be directed towards the recruitment of foreign students for domestic internships, but must also include the placement of German students for foreign internships.
    • the exchange must be reciprocal in principle, i.e. the program must be designed in such a way that both interns come from abroad to Germany and interns go from Germany to abroad,
    • if they are not students, university graduates may not have graduated more than 18 months previously.

  • Required document/s

    For study-related internships in internship companies:

    • Application form "Internship for further education purposes"
    • Form "Declaration of enrolment certificate"
    • "Internship plan" form, which clarifies what professional knowledge and experience will be acquired during the internship
    • Copy of the intern's passport
    • Declaration of consent" form
    • Printout from the information portal "anabin", which certifies the status of the foreign university
    • Copy of the certificate of enrollment
    • Power of attorney if the application is submitted via a third party such as a relocation company
    • For compulsory internships, additional proof that the foreign school or study regulations provide for such an internship and that the internship abroad is recognized as a compulsory internship

    For internships for further education purposes for exchange organizations:

    • Form "Agreement for exchange organizations"
    • Application form "Internship for further education purposes"

To obtain confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency for a study-related internship in your internship company, proceed as follows:

  • Download the application form "Internship for Further Education Purposes" and the application form "Internship for Further Education Purposes" from the website of the Federal Employment Agency.
  • Complete the documents in full and send them with all the required documents to the Central International and Specialist Placement Office of the Federal Employment Agency
  • The Central International and Specialized Placement Office will check your documents and, if all requirements are met, will give its approval (confirmation of the internship).

In the case of internships through exchange organizations, the Central Placement Office sends the agreed application documents.

Alternatively, you can apply for the confirmation of the Central International and Professional Placement Office online. Proceed as follows:

  • Upload the following forms and supporting documents in the upload service of the Federal Employment Agency:
    • Form "Application form internship for further education purposes".
    • Form "Declaration of enrollment certificate
    • Form "Internship plan", which clarifies which professional knowledge and experience will be gained during the internship
    • Certificate of enrollment
    • Copy of the intern's passport
    • Form "Declaration of consent" for electronic processing of data
    • Printout from the information portal "anabin", which certifies the status of the foreign university
    • Power of attorney, if the application is submitted via third parties such as relocation companies
    • In case of compulsory internship additionally: proof that the foreign school or study regulations provide for such an internship and that the internship abroad is recognized as a compulsory internship
  • Your documents will then be forwarded to the Central International Placement Office.
  • They will check your documents and, if all requirements are met, will give their approval (confirmation of the internship).

You will receive the confirmation by mail.

Fee: none

Application is possible at the earliest 6 months before the start of the internship.

The processing of your application usually takes between 1 and 3 weeks. (1 to 3 weeks)

The decision made by the BA within a procedure for issuing a visa or residence title is not an independent administrative act. It is an internal act of cooperation with the foreign mission or foreigners authority that decides on the residence title. An appeal can therefore only be lodged against the decision of the diplomatic mission or foreigners authority. This applies accordingly to the agreement (confirmation of the internship), since the act of cooperation is merely upstream.

Status: 15.03.2023
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Source: Federal Portal
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