A driver has an employment contract, a visa, and several years of professional experience – may he therefore drive a German truck in commercial freight transport on the first day of work? Not necessarily.
That is precisely the special feature of the West Balkan regulation for professional drivers. It can open the door to the German labor market for citizens from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. However, it does not replace the required driver's license nor the professional driver qualification or the driver qualification certificate.
Therefore, two questions must be examined separately for employers:
Can the candidate be employed in Germany?
And: From when onwards can he actually be employed as a professional driver?
The West Balkan regulation primarily answers the first question. For the second, it depends on the specific driver profile.
The Western Balkans regulation is based on Section 26, paragraph 2 of the Employment Ordinance (Beschäftigungsverordnung). It generally allows nationals of six Western Balkan states to access employment in Germany, without the need for a vocational training qualification recognized in Germany to be present for this access route.
Citizens from the following countries are recorded:
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kosovo
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Serbia
What is crucial is the Nationality. A place of residence, a previous employment, or a longer stay in one of these countries is not sufficient on its own.
In principle, approval from the Federal Employment Agency is required for employment. The number of first approvals under § 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV is up to 50,000 per calendar year limited.
For employers, this means that an employment offer alone does not automatically lead to a visa. The employment conditions and personal requirements of the candidate must meet the requirements of the intended procedure.
Official legal basis: Section 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV
In addition to the nationality of one of the six states, the candidate needs, in particular, a concrete job offer. The proposed employment conditions are also examined.
In addition, there are specific requirements. In principle, the applicant must not have received any benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act in the last 24 months before submitting the application. The initial application must be made through the competent German diplomatic mission abroad.
Special requirements apply for initial approval for persons who are older than 45 years. The Federal Employment Agency lists the following requirements: 2026: a required gross annual salary of 55,770 euros or alternatively proof of adequate retirement provision.
Since this salary threshold can change annually, it should be reviewed again immediately before the contract is concluded or the application is submitted.
More information: Federal Employment Agency – West Balkan Initiative
In principle, § 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV can also allow for labor market access for a professional driver.
But for the employer, this is only the question of Labour market access Resolved. Additional requirements apply for actual use behind the wheel.
Therefore, a candidate can be admitted to employment in terms of residence and work rights and still not meet all the requirements to immediately take on regular truck driving duties.
In particular, three points need to be examined:
Does the candidate hold the appropriate driver's license for the required vehicle class?
Does he meet the requirements for the professional driver qualification?
Is there valid proof of this qualification?
Especially for drivers from third countries, these questions should not be answered solely based on their previous professional experience.
A driver qualification acquired in the country of origin does not automatically lead to a European professional driver qualification. Likewise, a third-country driver’s license is not automatically equated to a German or EU/EEA driver’s license on a permanent basis.
The Federal Ministry of Transport points out that third-country qualifications are not recognized as EU professional driver qualifications. In Germany, the system has been in place since May 2021. Driver qualification certificate, abbreviated as FQN, as proof of an existing qualification.
More information: Federal Ministry of Transport – Professional driver qualification law
For employers, this distinction is more important than the question of which regulation appears more straightforward at first glance.
The West Balkan regulation pursuant to § 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV is a general access route to the labor market for nationals of the six Western Balkan states.
§ 24a BeschV It was created specifically for the employment of professional drivers from third countries. The provision explicitly takes into account situations where certain German or European requirements still need to be acquired.
|
Checkpoint |
West Balkan regulation, § 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV |
Professional driver regulation, § 24a of the BeschV |
|
Target group |
Nationals of the six Western Balkan states |
Third-country nationals with a professional driver profile |
|
Main purpose |
General access to employment |
Specific employment as a truck or bus driver |
|
Accredited vocational training |
Not generally required for this access route |
Formal vocational training not necessarily a core prerequisite |
|
Driver's license and driver qualification |
Will not be replaced by the regulation |
Are explicitly part of the employment path |
|
Qualification after entry |
Not the central purpose of the regulation |
Provided under the conditions of § 24a, paragraph 2 |
|
Employer planning |
Workplace and employment conditions |
Additional qualification and later deployment plan |
The practical difference becomes particularly clear when prerequisites are missing.
Example 1: A candidate from Serbia already has a driver profile where the necessary driver license and qualification questions are largely resolved. Then the question for the employer can be whether the labor market access via § 26 (2) of the BeschV is possible.
Example 2: Although a candidate already holds a relevant driver's license from their home country, they still need to obtain German or European qualification requirements first. Then it should be examined whether the special course designed for professional drivers is the right way to go. § 24a, paragraph 2 of the BeschV fits the candidate and employment profile.
Section 24a, paragraph 2, allows employment under certain conditions where the necessary qualification measures are completed after entry. The employment contract, the measures, and the subsequent job offer must be coordinated in such a way that the necessary prerequisites are generally met within a period of 15 months can be acquired.
The important thing is that employers cannot simply choose between § 26, paragraph 2, and § 24a at will. Which path is appropriate depends on the candidate profile, the available documents, the job, and the requirements of the specific procedure.
Legal basis: § 24a BeschV
More information: Employment under § 24a of the BeschV
The most meaningful examination does not begin with the question „Does the candidate have a visa?“ but with the planned deployment.
What vehicle class is required? What qualifications must be present? What documents are still missing?
Only after that should the immigration and qualification process be determined.
For heavy trucks, the driver's license classes are particularly important. C and CE relevant.
For a driver from a third country, employers should at least consider:
which driver's license classes are registered,
when and where the driver's license was issued,
how long it is valid for and
What requirements apply for a German driver's license or for its conversion.
General statements such as „a Serbian driver’s license is recognized“ or „an Albanian driver’s license is sufficient“ are too inaccurate for personnel planning.
The requirements may vary depending on the country of issue and the driver's license class. Therefore, the specific driver's license should be checked.
More about it: Rewrite foreign truck driver's license
The driver's license answers the question of whether a person may drive a particular vehicle.
The Professional driver qualification On the other hand, it concerns the requirements for commercial activity.
This is particularly important for drivers with international experience. Five or ten years of driving experience in the country of origin can be a valuable professional background. However, they do not automatically replace the qualification required for commercial use in accordance with the relevant European or German regulations.
Employers should therefore evaluate experience and legal qualifications separately.
Also FQN, Basic Qualification and Further Training are not the same thing.
The basic qualification or accelerated basic qualification describes the acquisition of the necessary qualification. Further training serves to regularly update it.
The Driver qualification certificate On the other hand, documentation documents an existing qualification.
Even with a „Code 95“ from abroad, one should not rely solely on the fact that a corresponding registration exists. What is crucial is whether the proof of the specific driver profile in Germany or in the intended deployment can be accepted.
More information: Driver qualification certificate and basic qualification
Depending on the job, driver cards, health and fitness certificates, and, if applicable, an ADR certificate may also be required.
In addition, there are the documents regarding residence and employment rights: the employment contract, the visa or residence permit, and the authorization contained therein for the intended employment.
Instead of treating the visa, driver's license, and qualification as separate projects one after the other, the employer should consider the profile in its entirety from the outset.
Define the use case. Define the vehicle class, type of tour, place of work, and any additional qualifications that may be required.
Check citizenship and residence status. This leads to possible immigration routes.
Register the driver's license. Front and back, class, country of exhibition and validity are documented.
Check driver qualification. Classify FQN, Code 95 and other qualification certificates.
Identify the missing prerequisites. Keeping track of what still needs to be done before or after a visa has been granted.
Check the appropriate employment path. For example, § 26, paragraph 2, of the BeschV or the occupational-specific regulation under § 24a.
Design a suitable employment contract. The activity, remuneration and, if applicable, qualification must be compatible with the intended procedure.
Initiate the visa and approval procedures. Take into account the requirements of the relevant authorities.
Organizing qualification and driver's license procedures. Include open positions with realistic time delays in personnel planning.
Only release the deployment after a complete review has been completed. Only then should the driver be scheduled for regular tours.
More about the overall process: International recruitment process
A good pre-screening does not require a complete visa application form. It first requires the documents that can be used to assess the driver's actual status.
These include in particular:
Passport and citizenship
CV and proven driving experience
Driver's license, front and back
Registered driver's license classes
Exhibition country and validity
FQN, Code 95 or other qualification certificates
Driver card, if available
if applicable, ADR proof
intended vehicle class and activity
Job offer
planned workplace
anticipated remuneration
qualification plan if applicable
previous stays in Germany
Age of the candidate
A standardized Driver aptitude check This can form three categories that are crucial for personnel planning:
already met the requirements, still to be checked and Still needs to be done before deployment.
Thus, a concrete roadmap is created from a pile of documents.
1. Equalize a visa with immediate applicability.
The right of residence and the ability to drive must be examined separately.
2. Only assess the foreign driver's license according to vehicle class.
The issuing state, validity and conversion rules also fall within the scope of the examination.
3. FQN, Code 95 and basic qualification are equivalent.
A document is not the same as the underlying qualification.
4. Consider previous driving experience as sufficient proof of qualification.
Professional experience and legal qualification are two different criteria for assessment.
5. Check the visa category only after the contract is signed.
The employment contract must be compatible with the intended immigration and qualification pathway.
6. Set the same schedule for all candidates.
Two drivers from the same country of origin may require completely different procedures based on their documents.
7. Transfer the procedure of one country to all six Western Balkan states.
The responsibilities, appointment procedures, and practical procedures of the foreign representations may differ.
The Western Balkans can be a relevant recruitment market for freight forwarders and logistics companies. However, what is crucial is not so much the region of origin as the quality of the preparation.
Such recruitment is particularly suitable for employers who want to medium- to long-term personnel needs have been able to structure driver profiles, verify them, and integrate the necessary qualification periods into their personnel planning.
Clear responsibilities for visas, driver's licenses, qualifications, and onboarding are also important.
The approach is less suitable for companies that require a firm commitment that a newly recruited candidate will be fully operational within a few weeks. Such a guarantee cannot be derived from the Western Balkans regulation or from a single driver profile.
In international driver recruitment, the real challenge is not just finding candidates. Employers must recognize early on that, Which candidate already meets the requirements and which steps still need to be taken.
It is at this very point that the examination should begin.
TalentOrbit can structure the recruitment process together with the employer and prepare relevant candidate information in such a way that open steps become visible early on. Depending on the agreed scope of services, this may include, in particular, defining the requirements profile, structuring candidate documents, and coordinating the next recruitment and immigration steps.
In the case of professional drivers, there should always be a distinction between Immigrant status, driver's license, driver qualification and actual ability to operate a vehicle to be differentiated.
TalentOrbit will discuss with you what prerequisites are documented, what points still need to be clarified, and what next steps result from this for recruitment.
Check the operational capability
Or:
Discussing driver requirements
In principle, Section 26(2) of the BeschV can allow nationals of the six West Balkan states covered by the list to access employment in Germany. However, in order to actually be employed as a professional driver, the necessary driver's license, professional driver qualification, and the corresponding certificates must be verified in addition.
The regulation applies to nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The applicant’s nationality is decisive and not merely their place of residence or previous employment in one of these countries.
Access via the West Balkan Regulation does not generally require professional training recognized in Germany. However, this does not mean that a driver may drive commercial vehicles without further qualification testing. Driver's license and professional driver qualification must be evaluated independently of this.
This cannot be answered solely by reference to the driver's license class, the issuing country, its validity, and any possible requirements for renewal. Additionally, the prerequisites for commercial use as a professional driver must be met.
Section 26, paragraph 2 of the BeschV provides for general access to the labor market for nationals of the six Western Balkan states. Section 24a of the BeschV is specifically tailored to professional drivers from third countries and, under certain conditions, also takes into account qualification steps that must be completed after entry.
No. The West Balkan regulation concerns access to employment. The driver qualification certificate, on the other hand, documents an existing professional driver qualification. Approval for employment does not replace the acquisition of this qualification or the required proof of qualification.
For initial approvals, additional requirements apply for individuals over 45 years of age. The Federal Employment Agency lists a gross annual salary of 55,770 euros for 2026 or alternatively proof of adequate retirement benefits. Since this amount is regularly adjusted, it should be reviewed up-to-date before any new procedure.
Note: This article provides general guidance and does not replace a case-by-case assessment. The appropriate immigration route, as well as requirements for driver's license, qualification, and employment, depend on the specific candidate profile and the relevant authorities.
Further content: Posting truck drivers from abroad · Employment under § 24a of the BeschV · International recruitment process · Working as a truck driver in Germany · Consulting for employers