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

Students or university 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 EU-funded programs such as LEONARDO, SOKRATES, TACIS or ERASMUS for nationals of other countries.

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 university graduates an internship in your company.

If you wish to employ several students or 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 training objective. However, in this case you must submit a new application for each new internship.

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"

For study-related internships in internship companies:

• In order for the Federal Employment Agency to confirm the internships in internship companies, you must
  • the student must
    • be enrolled at a university abroad and
    • have completed at least 4 semesters of study
  • the internship must provide practical knowledge that is relevant to the subject being studied and meaningfully complements the course content
  • ensure that the foreign interns have the same working conditions as domestic interns in a comparable workplace

For internships via exchange organizations:

• So that the Federal Employment Agency can confirm an internship for you,
  • the exchange organization must be recognized, which means
    • it is a non-profit organization,
    • the organization's activities are primarily geared towards the exchange of interns during or after their studies and
    • the exchange organization has a letter of recognition from the Federal Employment Agency
    • An exchange organization is an organization that focuses on the international placement of student internships, whereby the placement activities may not only be aimed at recruiting foreign students for internships in Germany, but must also include the placement of German students for internships abroad.
  • the exchange must be fundamentally reciprocal, i.e. the program must be designed in such a way that both interns from abroad come to Germany and interns from Germany go abroad,
  • if they are not students, university graduates must not have completed their degree more than 18 months previously.

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 necessary documents to the International Placement Services of the Federal Employment Agency
• The International Placement Office will check your documents and give its approval (confirmation of the internship) if all requirements are met.

For internships via exchange organizations, the International Placement Services will send the agreed application documents.

Alternatively, you can apply for confirmation from the International Placement Office online. Proceed as follows:

• Upload the following forms and supporting documents to the Federal Employment Agency's upload service:
  • Form "Application form for internship for further education purposes"
  • "Declaration of enrolment certificate" form
  • "Internship plan" form, which clarifies what professional knowledge and experience will be taught during the internship
  • Certificate of enrolment
  • Copy of the intern's passport
  • "Declaration of consent" form for the electronic processing of data
  • Printout from the "anabin" information portal certifying the status of the foreign university
  • Authorization 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
• Your documents will then be sent to the International Placement Office.
• They will check your documents and give their approval if all requirements are met (confirmation of the internship).

You will receive the confirmation by post.

An application can be submitted at the earliest 6 months before the start of the internship.

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 vis-à-vis the diplomatic 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 immigration authority. This applies accordingly to the agreement (confirmation of the internship), as the act of cooperation is merely upstream.

• Internships for further education purposes Confirmation
• Confirmation issued by the Federal Employment Agency for foreign students or university graduates for internships in Germany
• Confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency must be obtained by the internship company or exchange organization before the internship begins
• Maximum internship duration is 12 months
• Responsible: Central International and Specialized Placement Service of the Federal Employment Agency

Forms available: Yes
Written form required: Yes
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance necessary: No
Online services available: Yes