Guide · Certified translations
Which documents need translating for Germany’s Opportunity Card?
The Opportunity Card brings together several types of evidence. Match the translation assignment to your actual visa application and competent German mission.
Reviewed on 27 October 2026
The short answer
Use your German mission’s current checklist and the application route applicable to your case. Qualification, recognition status and professional experience can require different evidence. Make it in Germany identifies translation needs to check; establish the actual language and format requirements before commissioning.
Separate qualifications from supporting evidence
Create an inventory of the qualification, associated assessment and other requested evidence. Note whether a ZAB statement, DAB or recognition decision is already available.
The official Opportunity Card FAQ explains different evidence routes. Select translation scope from your checklist; a certificate translation replaces neither a required assessment nor a visa decision.
Read more: Make it in Germany: Opportunity Card questions and answers
Check your mission’s language rules
German missions in Kazakhstan, for example, specify German translations with exceptions for English records and the passport data page. This is a specific procedural source, not an identical checklist for every application country.
Save the translation instructions from your competent mission. Tell us which records already exist in German or English and which additional confirmations are expressly requested.
Match employment evidence, names and files
Name employment records by employer and period and retain the relevant pages together. Explain spelling differences with available official records without altering the source files.
List language certificates, qualification assessments and translations as separate items. Translating a record does not itself establish your language proficiency or a particular points score.
Your next steps
Record the application route and competent mission.
List qualifications and associated assessments.
Check language exemptions and format requirements.
Enquire with the confirmed files and visa checklist.
More questions
Does every Opportunity Card application need the same translations?
No. Use the requirements for your evidence route and competent mission.
Does translation replace a DAB or ZAB assessment?
No. Assessment, recognition and language translation are different preparation steps.
Can translating a document provide a language certificate?
No. Translation renders existing information and does not replace required evidence of language proficiency.
Sources and further reading
- Make it in Germany: Opportunity Card questions and answers
- German missions in Kazakhstan: Opportunity Card
The receiving organisation’s current instructions matter for your assignment. Send them to us with your documents.
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