German language requirement for visa, citizenship, study, nursing and work in Germany and Austria

The German level you need is set by your goal: joining a spouse, permanent residence, citizenship, a university place or a nursing job. A law or an authority fixes each threshold, and sometimes it also decides which exam it will take. For the integration agreement that Austria ties to residence permits, the only language exam that counts is the integration exam of the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), so a Goethe certificate at the same level does not meet it. Find your goal in the overview below, then read the section for it.

German language requirement for visa, residence, citizenship, study and work

Joining a spouse needs only basic German, permanent residence and the standard route to citizenship need intermediate German, and nursing and university study sit above that. Germany and Austria mostly ask for the same level; where they differ is which exam proves it.

German for a visa and residence permit in Germany

For the spouse of a foreign national living in Germany, § 30 of the Residence Act requires, among other things, that they can communicate in German at least in a simple way; the Act equates that simple German with level A1. Exempt are, among others, spouses of holders of an EU Blue Card or a permit under §§ 18a/18b, and spouses of foreign nationals whose nationality lets them enter and stay in Germany without a visa even for a long stay, not just a short visit.¹

You prove it with a certificate filed with the visa application. The German embassy in Minsk, in its leaflet dated December 2025, lists Start Deutsch 1 from Goethe or telc and the ÖSD Zertifikat A1, and turns down certificates from other providers. As a rule the exam must be no more than a year old, and each embassy publishes its own leaflet. How authorities count a certificate's age is covered in how long a German certificate is valid.²

A permanent settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) requires five years on a residence permit and German at B1; a completed integration course counts as proof. The law asks for the same B1 for EU long-term residence (Daueraufenthalt-EU).¹

Skilled workers can get the settlement permit after three years, also with B1. EU Blue Card holders qualify after 27 months of work with A1, or after 21 months with B1.¹

German for residence in Austria: Deutsch vor Zuzug and the ÖIF modules

Austria checks German before you move. A first application for the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus, a Niederlassungsbewilligung or the «Familienangehöriger» permit needs A1. It is proven by a diploma from ÖSD, the Goethe-Institut, telc or ÖIF that is no older than one year when you hand it in. Exempt are, among others, children under 14, people for whom the proof is unreasonable on health grounds, family members of holders of a Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte for very highly qualified workers, an EU Blue Card or a Niederlassungsbewilligung – Forscher, and family members of people with asylum or subsidiary protection who apply for a Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus.³

The first residence permit starts the integration agreement (Integrationsvereinbarung). Its Module 1 stands for A2 German and must be met within two years, among other ways by the ÖIF integration exam, a school-leaving certificate at Matura level or from a vocational secondary school (BMS), or automatically by holding a Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte. Holders of an Aufenthaltsbewilligung, the permit students get, and of an EU Blue Card are not bound by it.⁴

The Integration Act (IntG) has repealed the clause that once let equivalent diplomas from other providers count. Goethe, ÖSD and telc A2 certificates are therefore not on its list. When you renew your permit, the Module 1 proof must be no older than two years.⁵

Module 2 means B1 and must be met when you apply for Daueraufenthalt – EU. Among language exams, it is met by the ÖIF integration exam at B1, or by an ÖSD B1 integration exam passed before 30 May 2021. Other routes include schooling in Austria with a pass in German, an apprenticeship final exam (Lehrabschlussprüfung), or two years of study in German with at least 32 ECTS. The ÖIF A2 and ÖIF B1 pages describe these exams.⁴

German language requirement for citizenship in Germany and Austria

Germany naturalises after five years of lawful residence, and the Nationality Act (StAG § 10) sets the language condition as meeting the requirements of a B1 exam, alongside other conditions (among them the naturalisation test and supporting yourself).⁶

The naturalisation offices decide which documents count. Berlin lists the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer at B1, any German certificate at B1 or above or an equivalent or higher diploma, and German schooling, vocational training or a degree.⁷

Austrian citizenship normally takes ten years of residence and B1 German as defined in the Integration Act. With B2 it can come after six years, while the law's other conditions still apply. Six years also work with B1 if you prove sustained personal integration, for example three years of volunteering or of work in education, social care or health.⁸

Vienna's citizenship office (MA 35) accepts Module 2 of the ÖIF exam for B1, and an ÖSD B1 integration exam only if it was taken between 29 May 2018 and 30 May 2021. For the B2 route, a certificate from, for example, ÖIF, ÖSD, the Goethe-Institut or telc will do, and Module 2 is then not needed.⁹

German for university study in Germany and Austria

DSH-2, or TestDaF with TDN 4 in all four parts, opens every degree programme in Germany, although a single programme may set its own requirement. The University of Vienna asks for A2 when you apply and C1 at admission.^10·11

Which certificates exempt you from DSH and TestDaF, and how the Vienna universities' lists differ, is explained in which German certificate you need to study. The TestDaF exam has its own article.

German for work and nursing in Germany and Austria

To look for work in Germany there is the Chancenkarte (opportunity card). On its points route it requires at least A1 German or English at B2.¹

Austria awards the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte for shortage occupations on points, with at least 55 needed. German earns 5 points at A1, 10 at A2 and 15 at B1, and the certificate from ÖSD, Goethe, telc or ÖIF must be no older than five years. German is not mandatory, since English also earns points, and the card needs a binding job offer.¹²

A registered nurse (Pflegefachperson) may work in Germany only once the qualification is recognised. For Berlin, the federal recognition portal names B2 as the level for the right to use the professional title. Through a recognition partnership (Anerkennungspartnerschaft) with a future employer you can start recognition after entry, and that needs A2.¹³

Austria's social affairs ministry sets B2 for registered general nurses (DGKP) to enter the health professions register, and B1 for Pflegeassistenz and Pflegefachassistenz. German is checked at registration, not during the recognition of the diploma (Nostrifikation).¹⁴

Example: joining family in Austria and the route to citizenship

Say you are applying for your first «Familienangehöriger» permit in Vienna, are over 14 and fall under none of the exemptions above. Before entry you need an A1 diploma from ÖSD, Goethe, telc or ÖIF, at most one year old.³

Once the permit is issued, you have two years for Module 1, which means the ÖIF integration exam at A2; a Goethe A2 certificate does not replace it. For Daueraufenthalt – EU you later add Module 2, the ÖIF exam at B1.⁴

Citizenship on the standard route is possible after ten years. Passing B2 shortens that to six years, provided the other conditions are met.⁸

On that shorter route, Vienna accepts a B2 certificate from ÖSD, Goethe, telc or ÖIF without Module 2. So in this case the ÖIF exams carry your residence, while at entry and on the faster path to a passport ÖIF, Goethe, ÖSD and telc count alike.⁹

Choosing a German certificate for Austria and Germany

Which German certificate is valid in Austria or Germany depends on who asks for the proof. In Austria, the ÖIF exam is the only language exam that meets the modules of the integration agreement. For Deutsch vor Zuzug, Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte points and the shorter citizenship route, Goethe, ÖSD and telc count as well. In Germany the law names the level, and the authority or embassy names the documents.

B1 German is enough for permanent residence and standard citizenship in both countries. A registered nurse in Austria needs B2.¹⁴

Where an authority takes several exams, the choice comes down to format and retake rules, compared in Goethe vs ÖSD vs telc. For intermediate-level preparation there are the Goethe B1 and telc B2 pages.

Источники

· 14 проверены 08.11.2026

1. 1Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG), Bundesministerium der Justiz · от 22.10.2026
2. 2Merkblatt Nachweis einfacher Deutschkenntnisse, Deutsche Botschaft Minsk
3. 3Nachweis von Deutschkenntnissen vor Zuzug, oesterreich.gv.at
4. 4Integrationsvereinbarung, migration.gv.at
5. 5Integrationsgesetz, geltende Fassung, RIS
6. 6Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG) § 10, Bundesministerium der Justiz · от 21.07.2026
7. 7Einbürgerung: Verleihung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit beantragen, Service Berlin
8. 8Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985, geltende Fassung, RIS
9. 9Deutschkenntnisse für die Staatsbürgerschaft, Stadt Wien
10. 10Rahmenordnung über Deutsche Sprachprüfungen für das Studium an deutschen Hochschulen (RO-DT), HRK und KMK
11. 11Deutschkenntnisse, Universität Wien, Aufnahmeverfahren
12. 12Fachkräfte in Mangelberufen, migration.gv.at
13. 13Anerkennungsverfahren als Pflegefachperson in Berlin, Anerkennung in Deutschland · от 14.10.2026
14. 14Prüfung der Deutschkenntnisse (Gesundheitsberuferegister), Sozialministerium