What must the CV and motivation letter for a Germany Opportunity Card include in Nigeria and Ghana?
Short answer
In Nigeria, the German Missions ask for a CV listing your certificates, training and work experience, plus a motivation letter you sign that covers your expectations, the career and personal benefits you expect, and your future plans. In Ghana, the German Embassy Accra asks for a CV with the same three points but lists no motivation letter. Neither the Nigeria nor the Accra page offers a CV or motivation letter template. 13
On this page
Do Nigeria and Ghana both ask for a CV and motivation letter?
The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) page of the German Missions in Nigeria lists a CV and a letter of motivation among the documents. On the Lagos checklist (status June 2026) they are item 7, "CV", and item 8, "Letter of Motivation".
That checklist splits item 6 into "skilled worker" and "unskilled worker". The CV and letter sit after it as items 7 and 8, numbered on their own, outside that split.
The German Embassy Accra lists a CV among the documents needed for the application through the Consular Service Portal (the online application site). Its Opportunity Card page lists no motivation letter.
What must the CV include?
Applicants report that Lagos officers ask about education dates and national service, so make the dates in your CV match your certificates and your answers.
The Nigeria missions and the Accra embassy ask for the same three points in the CV:
- The certificates, diplomas and qualifications you have obtained.
- Your professional training.
- Your work experience.
What the CV needs if you claim points for work experience
Make it in Germany lists the CV as one of the documents that can prove professional experience for points. It says the CV must describe your career path in detail.
The CV must make clear how long you worked, the type of employment and your exact occupations.
Sources for this part4
What must the motivation letter say in Nigeria?
Some Lagos applicants refused for weak job-search evidence report refusal grounds noting that no professions or employers were named. One applicant at the German Embassy in Nairobi says the letter should name the areas you will work in, where you will stay and apply, and which companies.
The German Missions in Nigeria say the letter of motivation must:
- Be signed by you, the applicant.
- Set out in detail what you expect from your planned stay in Germany.
- Cover the career and personal benefits you expect, and your future plans.
Checklist before you upload
Each line comes from the official wording above. The first three apply in Nigeria and Accra. The fourth comes from Make it in Germany and only matters if you claim points for experience.
- The certificates, diplomas and qualifications you have obtained are listed.
- Your professional training is shown.
- Your work experience is shown.
- If you claim points for experience: the CV shows how long you worked, the type of employment, and your exact occupations.
- Nigeria only, for the letter: it is signed by you.
- Nigeria only, for the letter: it sets out in detail what you expect from your stay.
- Nigeria only, for the letter: it says what career and personal benefits you expect, and what your future plans are.
What applicants report
Some applicants in Nigeria say skilled-worker applicants with a recognised degree are not asked for a CV or motivation letter, while others say they were asked for them. The Lagos checklist shows both as separate numbered items, outside the skilled and unskilled split. The checklist lists both for everyone, so prepare both.
One applicant who applied at the German Embassy in India lists the motivation letter among the things officers ask about. She gave this as a general description, not as a question put to her. It's a single report, and it comes from outside Nigeria and Ghana.
Reading the answer is the easy part. Say it out loud.
The officer will ask about this. Answer in your own words, then read what your answer missed. Your first practice interview is free.
Practise saying it out loudPeople also ask
Does the Opportunity Card motivation letter have to be signed?
Yes, for the Nigeria missions: their Opportunity Card page says the letter of motivation must be signed by the applicant. The Accra page does not list a motivation letter. 13
Do I need a motivation letter if I apply in Ghana?
The German Embassy Accra's Opportunity Card page lists a CV but no motivation letter. The page also says the Consular Service Portal will tell you which original documents are needed. We found no applicant reports from Accra; applicants at other German missions report bringing a motivation letter, so if the portal's list doesn't settle it, ask the embassy in Accra. 37
Sources
- 1Opportunity CardOfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 2Opportunity Card checklist, Lagos (status June 2026)OfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 3Opportunity CardOfficialGerman Embassy Accra · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 4Questions and Answers Regarding the Opportunity CardOfficialMake it in Germany (Federal Government portal) · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 5Opportunity Card applicant reports, NigeriaApplicant reportsApplicant reports gathered by VisaRoom · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 6Opportunity Card applicant at the German Embassy in India (first-hand, video uploaded August 2024)Applicant reportsApplicant reports gathered by VisaRoom · checked 2 Nov 2026
- 7Applicant at the German Embassy Nairobi (first-hand video)Applicant reportsApplicant reports gathered by VisaRoom · checked 3 Nov 2026
Official is the embassy or a German government page. Applicant reports are what applicants say happened at their appointment. Secondary is everything else we checked.
General information, not legal advice. VisaRoom isn't connected to any embassy or government, and only the embassy decides on your visa. Something out of date? Tell us.