The German cover letter (Anschreiben) for people from abroad

A German cover letter is one page on why you fit this job and when you can start. Here is the structure, and what to say about visa, language, notice and pay.

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Contents
  1. Step by step
  2. Structure and length
  3. Tone
  4. What to say about your visa or work permit
  5. What to say about your move and start date
  6. What to say about your German level
  7. What to say about your notice period
  8. What to say about salary (Gehaltsvorstellung)
  9. How cvscored helps
  10. Ravi Menon writes his letter
  11. Checklist
  12. One honest limit
  13. Sources
  14. Key takeaways
  15. Frequently asked questions
  16. Related guides

Step by step

  1. Find the name of the contact person

    Look for a named contact in the ad and write to that person. If there is none, write politely to the team.

  2. Open with the job and your reason

    In the first sentence, name the job and where you found it. Then say in one sentence why this job interests you.

  3. Show why you fit, with two or three facts

    Take the biggest requirements in the ad. For each one, give a fact from your CV: a result, a number or a project.

  4. Add the practical lines

    Give one line each to your work permit, your move, your German level and your start date.

  5. Add pay only if asked

    The Federal Employment Agency advises naming your pay wish only when the employer asks for it.

  6. Close and ask for the interview

    End with a friendly line that asks for an interview. Sign the letter, with the same date as your CV.

  7. Check the length and the facts

    The letter should fit on one page. Check every date, name and number against your CV.

Structure and length

The Federal Employment Agency says a cover letter should be one A4 page if possible.

Say how you found the job and why you fit it. Give a start date if the ad asks for one.

End with a friendly request for an interview.

Write to a named person where you can. Read the ad for special requests, such as a reference number.

Use the letter for what the CV cannot say: soft skills, and the reason for a gap.

Tone

Be polite, direct and factual. Keep the sentences short. Say what you did and what changed.

Do not repeat your CV line by line. Pick the facts that match the ad.

If you write in German, ask a native speaker to read the letter first.

What to say about your visa or work permit

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need no work permit. Say nothing, or write one line that you may work freely.

If you come from another country, one honest line is enough. Say which permit you hold or will apply for.

The EU Blue Card needs a gross salary of at least EUR 50,700 a year in 2026.

For shortage jobs and recent graduates the minimum is EUR 45,934.20, and the Federal Employment Agency must agree.

The figures change every January, so check the value for the year you apply.

The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) lets you look for work in Germany for up to one year.

Without a recognised qualification, it needs enough points and German at A1 or English at B2.

What to say about your move and start date

Say when you can start. A date or a month is enough: "I can start on 1 February."

If you need time for a visa, say so in one line and give the earliest realistic date.

Leave questions about help with moving for the interview.

What to say about your German level

Give your level on the A1 to C2 scale and say how you use German at work.

Many jobs run in English. If the ad is in English, write in English and add your German level.

Regulated jobs set their own levels. Baden-Württemberg asks doctors for B2 German and medical German at about C1.

Bavaria asks nurses for a B2 certificate before the licence.

What to say about your notice period

Write the date you can start, not the legal rule. For example: "My notice period is two months, so I can start on 1 March."

German law sets a basic notice period of four weeks, to the 15th or the end of a month.

For notice from the employer it rises with the years of work, up to seven months after 20 years.

During a probation period of up to six months, either side can give two weeks' notice.

Your own contract may say something else. Read it before you write a date.

What to say about salary (Gehaltsvorstellung)

The agency says: name your pay wish only if the employer asks. Otherwise, settle it in the interview.

If the ad asks, give a range in gross euros a year, such as "EUR 62,000 to 68,000 gross a year".

Base the range on real figures. Our guide to salaries in Germany shows where to find them.

An EU directive gives applicants a right to the pay range, but Germany has not yet made it law.

How cvscored helps

cvscored writes your cover letter from your CV and the job ad, in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.

The letter gets the greeting and closing for the country you apply in.

You build it as a PDF. Check the tone, the name and every number, then send it yourself.

Ravi Menon writes his letter

Ravi Menon is a made-up mechanical engineer from India who applies to a pump maker in Stuttgart. The company and job are made up too.

Part of the letterWhat Ravi writes
OpeningI am applying for the position of Design Engineer that I found on your careers page.
Why he fitsI designed pump housings for six years and cut the failure rate of one model by 30 percent.
Work permitI will apply for the EU Blue Card once I have an offer.
LanguageMy German is B1. I work daily in English.
Start and noticeMy notice period is two months, so I can start on 1 March.
SalaryLeft out, because the ad does not ask for it.
ClosingI would be glad to explain my work in an interview.

A made-up example.

Good points

  • One page keeps you focused.
  • The practical lines answer questions before the interview.

Not so good

  • A draft still needs your own check.
  • Employers differ in what they like.

Checklist

  • The letter fits on one A4 page.
  • It is addressed to a named person, or politely to the team.
  • The first sentence names the job.
  • Two or three facts match the biggest requirements in the ad.
  • Permit, move, German level and start date have one line each.
  • Salary appears only if the ad asks for it.
  • The date matches the CV.
  • The letter is signed.

One honest limit

This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. The letter is a draft you check, and no letter promises an interview.

Sources

Checked on .

Key takeaways

  • One page, a named person, a clear reason you fit.
  • One line each for permit, move, German level and start date.
  • Name pay only if the ad asks.
  • Write the date you can start, not the legal rule.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a German cover letter be?
One A4 page, if possible. The Federal Employment Agency gives this length.
Do I write the letter in German or English?
Follow the ad. A German ad means a German letter. If the ad is in English, an English letter is fine.
Should I mention my visa in the letter?
Yes, in one line, if you need a permit. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need not mention it.
Do I name my salary expectation?
Only if the ad asks. Otherwise the agency advises raising pay in the interview.
How do I write my notice period?
Write the date you can start. Check your contract; German law sets four weeks as the basic period.
Does cvscored write the letter for me?
It writes a draft from your CV and the ad. You check it and send it yourself.

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