Do I need my foreign degree recognised before applying for a work visa?

For the EU Blue Card (§18g) and the academic skilled-worker permit (§18b), your university degree must be officially recognised in Germany or assessed as comparable to a German degree, typically checked via the anabin database or the Central Office for Foreign Education. For vocational qualifications under the skilled-worker vocational track (§18a), full recognition is normally needed, though a Recognition Partnership can let you start work while recognition is completed. The Opportunity Card's points-based route is more flexible: a foreign qualification recognised in your country of origin is enough to qualify. Use anerkennung-in-deutschland.de to check your specific qualification.