Germany ICT Card for Employers 2026 ICT Karte

Which companies use Jobbatical for Germany ICT Card (ICT Karte) transfers?

This service is designed for HR managers, global mobility leads, and compliance teams at multinationals handling intra-corporate transfers (Entsendung Mitarbeiter) of non-EU employees to Germany.

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Transferring an employee to Germany

Non-EU national moving from your company's non-EU office to your German branch, subsidiary, or affiliate on the same employment contract

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Mobile ICT EU-to-Germany transfer

Employee already holds an ICT Card from another EU country and needs a Mobile ICT Card (Mobiler-ICT-Karte) to extend their stay in Germany beyond 90 days

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Trainee and graduate transfers

Transferring trainees or graduate-programme participants for up to 1 year under the ICT Karte trainee route including beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren Ausbildung cases

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Transferring Employees to Germany? The Intra-Corporate Transfer Card Is Your Route

What is the Germany ICT Card (ICT Karte)?

The Germany ICT Card (ICT Karte, Aufenthaltstitel §19) is a residence permit under the EU ICT Directive (2014/66/EU) for non-EU nationals temporarily seconded from a non-EU office to a German branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of the same corporate group. Unlike standard work visas, the employee's original employment contract remains valid throughout the transfer making the ICT Karte the primary route for intra-corporate transfers (Entsendung Mitarbeiter ins Ausland) to Germany.

Germany ICT Card benefits for employers

No labour market test required no need to prove a German candidate could fill the role
EU mobility included your transferee can work short-term in other EU member states (up to 90 days per 180-day period) once the ICT Card is issued
Covers managers, specialists, and trainees valid for up to 3 years (1 year for trainees); Mobile ICT Card available if your employee already holds an ICT Card from another EU country

Common HR struggles with intra-corporate transfers (Entsendung Mitarbeiter) to Germany

Navigating German immigration processing, the beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren, and multi-authority checklists can be overwhelming for HR and global mobility teams.

Complex multi-authority process: Federal Employment Agency pre-approval, German consulate visa, local Ausländerbehörde each with different requirements and timelines
Salary parity compliance: No fixed minimum, but compensation must align with 2026 German market benchmarks getting this wrong causes rejections
Incorrect role classification: Misclassifying a trainee as a specialist (or vice versa) is one of the most common ICT Card rejection triggers
Appointment bottlenecks: Embassy and Ausländerbehörde slots in major cities can add weeks to your timeline if not booked proactively
Overwhelmed transferees: Employees face registration deadlines, health insurance requirements, and residence permit appointments within days of arrival

what jobbatical does for your HR team

Germany intra-corporate transfer fully managed immigration services for HR teams

Jobbatical handles:

Pre-transfer eligibility assessment role classification (manager, specialist, or trainee), salary parity check against 2026 German benchmarks

Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) pre-approval coordination where required

Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren (§81a AufenthG) initiation and Ausländerbehörde liaison to fast-track the case

Document collection, apostille, and certified translation management for all ICT Karte documents

German consulate visa application coordination for the national D-visa (ICT Visum)

Arrival compliance: residence registration (Anmeldung) within 14 days and Ausländerbehörde appointment within 90 days

Mobile ICT Card applications for employees transferring from another EU ICT Card to Germany

Renewal tracking and permit expiry compliance alerts

All your HR team does

Confirm the transfer agreement, employment contract, and role classification Jobbatical handles the rest

Avg. HR time saved per ICT case

~14 hours

Platform integrations

Workday

BambooHR

HiBob

Personio

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PROCESSING TIME

Germany ICT Card processing time with Jobbatical (2026)

Timeline depends on whether the beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren (§81a AufenthG) fast-track is used, embassy appointment availability in the employee's home country, and Ausländerbehörde wait times at the German host city (e.g. Berlin vs. Munich vs. Hamburg).

With Jobbatical

4–8 weeks

Industry average (DIY)

3–5 months

Eligibility & role classification check

Jobbatical confirms ICT Karte route, role category (manager, specialist, or trainee), prior employment tenure (6+ months for managers/specialists; 3+ months for trainees), and salary parity against 2026 German benchmarks

Day 1–2

Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren initiation (optional fast-track)

Employer initiates accelerated skilled worker procedure at the local Ausländerbehörde (€411 fee); authority coordinates Federal Employment Agency approval and embassy appointment

Day 2–5

Document preparation & Federal Employment Agency pre-approval

Jobbatical collects employer and employee documents; coordinates apostilles, certified translations, and Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) approval for the transfer agreement

Day 3–14

German consulate ICT Visum application

Employee applies for national D-visa (ICT Visum) at the German embassy or consulate in their home country; Jobbatical coordinates appointment booking and document submission

Week 2–6

ICT Card issued case complete

Jobbatical books Ausländerbehörde appointment; employee attends biometrics and collects the ICT Card (Aufenthaltstitel) within 90 days of arrival your employee is fully compliant and authorised to work

Week 6–10

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ELIGIBILITY FOR YOUR TRANSFER

Germany ICT Card eligibility requirements and salary parity 2026

The Germany ICT Card (§19 AufenthG) is available to non-EU nationals employed as managers, specialists, or trainees at a company headquartered outside the EU, who are temporarily seconded to a German branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of the same corporate group. The employee must have worked for the company for at least 6 months prior to the transfer (3 months for trainees). There is no fixed minimum salary however, compensation must be equivalent to that of comparable German employees in the same role and region, in line with 2026 social security contribution benchmarks. The employer's German entity must be a registered legal entity in Germany. Verify salary parity with BAMF or a qualified immigration adviser before submission.

Transfer category	Min. prior employment	Max. ICT duration	Salary requirement
Manager	6 months	Up to 3 years	Parity with comparable German manager roles (2026 benchmarks)
Specialist	6 months	Up to 3 years	Parity with comparable German specialist roles sector-specific
Trainee	3 months	Up to 1 year	Parity with comparable German trainees no below-minimum-wage transfers

document preparation

Germany ICT Card document checklist for employers 2026

Jobbatical sends your transferee a personalised digital checklist tailored to their role category (manager, specialist, or trainee) and reviews every document before submission to the German authorities no incomplete ICT Karte applications reach the Ausländerbehörde or consulate.

Personalised ICT Karte checklist sent directly to your employee employer and transferee documents separated

Every document reviewed for completeness before submission apostilles, certified translations, and assignment letters checked

Transfer agreement and employment contract verified against 2026 German salary parity benchmarks

Federal Employment Agency pre-approval documentation prepared and filed where required

Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren forms and Ausländerbehörde Vollmacht (power of attorney) prepared

Germany ICT Card document checklist for employers and transferees 2026

Download ICT Card document checklist (PDF)

WHY HR TEAMS CHOOSE JOBBATICAL

Built for global mobility teams managing Germany intra-corporate transfers (ICT Karte)

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4.9/5, Highly rated service

Our award-winning immigration experts and best-in-class platform make Germany ICT Card management straightforward for HR teams of any size.

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Compliance tracking

Automatic ICT Karte renewal alerts, permit expiry monitoring, and beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren deadline tracking. Full audit log for every ICT case.

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Named case manager

A dedicated Germany immigration expert assigned to your account one point of contact for all your intra-corporate transfer (Entsendung Mitarbeiter) cases.

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ISO 27001 + OISC

Certified data security and regulated immigration advice. Your employees' data and ICT Card applications are always handled compliantly.

"We transferred six senior managers to our Berlin office through Jobbatical. They handled the ICT Card applications, Federal Employment Agency approvals, and Anmeldung registrations our HR team barely needed to lift a finger."

Head of Global Mobility International Technology Group

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Frequently Asked Questions - Germany ICT Card (Intra-Corporate Transfer Visa)

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Anton Samarin

August 28, 2025

Positive impressions, long-time support within all immigration stages :)

Talent from India to Germany

Exceptional experience. It was great working with you guys. ontime response and very quick in the process

Talent from Australia to Germany

Couldn’t have been better. Thank you!

Talent from India to Germany

Anita (agent) is consistently outstanding, exceeding my expectations every time. I was completely impressed with their professionalism and customer service.

Talent from Sri Lanka to Germany

My agent is very friendly and helpful with my process. I'm happy with the overall service.

Talent from Greece to Germany

My agent (Stavroula) was exceptionally good. She helped a lot and answered all of my questions.

Germany ICT Card (ICT Karte) Intra-Corporate Transfer, Employer-Managed by Jobbatical

Which companies use Jobbatical for Germany ICT Card (ICT Karte) transfers?

Transferring Employees to Germany? The Intra-Corporate Transfer Card Is Your Route

Germany ICT Card benefits for employers

Common HR struggles with intra-corporate transfers (Entsendung Mitarbeiter) to Germany

Let Jobbatical Manage Your Employees Germany ICT Card Applications

Germany intra-corporate transfer fully managed immigration services for HR teams

Germany ICT Card processing time with Jobbatical (2026)

Transfer global talent to Germany fast with the ICT Card

Germany ICT Card eligibility requirements and salary parity 2026

Germany ICT Card document checklist for employers 2026

Germany ICT Card support for intra-company transfers

Built for global mobility teams managing Germany intra-corporate transfers (ICT Karte)

17000+ relocations done.Your employee could be next. Talk to us

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