Is telc Accepted for German Visas? What Offices Accept

Short answer

Is telc accepted for a German visa? It is accepted where the office that handles your visa lists it. In the clearest case, telc is on the list. The German Missions in India (the German embassy and consulates in India) have a checklist for joining a husband, wife or partner in Germany. It lists Start Deutsch 1 from telc as one example of a recognised A1 certificate. The exam must not be more than one year old. Other routes name a level, not one exam: normally B1 for the training visa (for job training in Germany), A2 for a recognition partnership (a German employer brings you in and you get your qualification recognised in Germany), and B2 for recognition as a nurse (Germany officially accepting your nursing training). On those routes, each office decides which certificates it accepts. Before you book any telc exam for a visa, read the checklist of the embassy, consulate or office you will apply to.

What people really want to know

People who ask "is telc accepted" are often worried. They fear paying for an exam, waiting for the result, and then hearing at the visa desk that it was the wrong certificate. The good news: you can check this before you book, because the language rules for visas are published. The harder news: there is no one answer for all German visas. Each visa type, and sometimes the German embassy or consulate in each country, publish their own rule. The office's own list decides what is accepted, not the leaflet of the exam provider (the group that runs the exam, like telc or the Goethe-Institut). This is true for every certificate, and it is explained exam by exam in which German certificate counts.

Route	Level asked	What the official source says about certificates
Family reunion with a husband, wife or partner, India	A1	The German Missions' checklist for this visa names examples of recognised certificates: Start Deutsch 1 from the Goethe-Institut, Start Deutsch 1 from telc, and the ÖSD Grundstufe Deutsch 1. The exam must not be more than one year old. Other family visa types have their own checklists
Training visa for an Ausbildung (job training)	normally B1	Make it in Germany (the German government's website for people who move to Germany to work or train) says B1 is the normal rule. It gives no list of exam providers; the visa office checks your certificate
Recognition partnership (qualified workers)	A2	Make it in Germany says A2 is the language level for this route. It gives no list of exam providers
Nursing recognition (the final goal for nurses)	B2	Make it in Germany says at least B2 is needed for recognition as a nurse. The recognition office in your German state decides which certificate it accepts

Where telc is named, and where only a level is named

The clearest case is the one most Indian applicants care about. The German Missions in India publish a checklist for joining a husband, wife or partner in Germany. It names examples of recognised A1 certificates: Start Deutsch 1 from the Goethe-Institut, Start Deutsch 1 from telc, and the ÖSD Grundstufe Deutsch 1. So this office clearly says telc is accepted. The same checklist says the exam must not have taken place more than one year before you apply. It also says a certificate is not needed in every case on this checklist. So read its rules for your own case before you decide you need one. Other kinds of family visa use their own checklists from the same embassy and consulates, so first make sure you have the checklist for your exact visa type.

Most other routes name a level, not a list of certificates. For the training visa, you will normally need German at level B1. This applies when the place that gives you the training has not tested your German itself. For a recognition partnership, Make it in Germany says A2, and for recognition as a nurse, at least B2. But a level does not mean every certificate is accepted. The visa office, the place that gives you the training, or the recognition office handling your case decides which certificate it accepts. telc has exams at every one of these levels, from Start Deutsch 1 at A1 up to telc Deutsch B2 and higher. So the real question is rarely whether a telc exam exists for your level. It is whether your office accepts it, and how new it must be.

Three checks before you book

First, find your office's own page. This is the German embassy or consulate where you will apply for the visa, or the recognition office that checks your qualification. Look for the part about language and read exactly what it says. If the page names certificates, like India's checklist for joining a husband, wife or partner, picking one of those is the safest choice. If it only names a level, that office decides which certificate it accepts. If the words leave you unsure, ask the embassy or consulate through its contact form and get the answer in writing.

Second, check the date. A certificate that is still valid can be too old for a checklist with a one-year rule. Count backwards from the day you expect to apply, and leave some spare time in case things take longer. The visa process itself can also take months.

Third, check the level for your own route. Do not trust what people on a forum remember. A1 for joining a husband, wife or partner, normally B1 for the training visa, and B2 for recognition as a nurse are different rules from different sources. The A1 exams from the Goethe-Institut and telc are compared in Goethe vs telc.

If your list names a different exam

Sometimes your checklist or your employer asks for an exam that is not telc. Then take the exam the list names. A certificate the office did not ask for still shows your German, but it may not count for your application. If the list lets you choose, compare the exams in which German exam to take. Whichever exam the list asks for, you get ready the same way: learn the format, practise the tasks, and know the exam well before exam day. If Start Deutsch 1 is your target, start with the telc A1 exam guide.

Fees, dates and centres change; BookGermanTest keeps the live list (opens in a new tab).