What employers ask most often
The uncomfortable answers are here too – otherwise you'd only find them out mid-procedure.
Why skilled workers from the Western Balkans?
The practical reason is a legal one: the Western Balkans Regulation requires no German-recognised vocational qualification. That is exactly where the Skilled Immigration Act keeps failing for practitioner occupations – a welder with 15 years of experience but no German journeyman's certificate barely gets in that way. Add to that the short journey, a European working culture, and often some German already through family ties to Germany.
Which occupations can be filled via the Western Balkans?
Mainly practitioner occupations: welders and metalworkers, electricians, vehicle mechatronics technicians, HGV drivers and logistics staff, construction and assembly, production and manufacturing, hospitality and hotels. IT specialists are available too – but with a university degree the EU Blue Card is often the better route there, because it has no quota.
How long does recruitment take?
Realistically 10 to 12 weeks for a typical placement via the agency. A casting with a practical test on site adds around six weeks. The biggest block of time is not the search but the approval of the Federal Employment Agency and the visa procedure. Details are on the process page.
Is the employment legally sound?
Yes, provided the procedure is followed. The basis is the Western Balkans Regulation: it requires a concrete job offer and the approval of the Federal Employment Agency, which checks among other things that working conditions match those of domestic employees. The regulation applies indefinitely. What to watch: the annual quota, and occupation-specific requirements that continue to apply independently of the residence title – such as converting foreign driving licences or regulated trades.
Which countries do the workers come from?
The Western Balkans Regulation covers six countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Croatia is expressly not among them – Croatian nationals are EU citizens and need neither a visa nor a work permit; they can start immediately. More on the countries page.
Do the candidates speak German?
It varies – and that's the honest answer. Through the long history of migration to Germany and Austria, many candidates have some German from their family environment; others don't. Language level is a filter criterion on the platform, and the agency checks it during screening. The Western Balkans Regulation itself prescribes no language certificate – how much German is needed is decided by your job profile.
What does placement cost?
There are two pricing models. Via Balkan Recruiters the success fee for the German market starts at €5,000 per placement, payable only once someone actually starts; the exact amount depends on the profile. Via CandidateForce you pay a flat €490 per month, regardless of the number of hires, with a free entry point for one job ad. On top come visa fees and, where applicable, recognition of qualifications. The full comparison is on the pricing page.
How are qualifications verified?
Via the agency through structured screening of certificates and work experience, optionally supplemented by a casting with a practical test on site – for practitioner occupations that says more than any certificate. Via the platform you check yourself, based on profiles and interviews. A formal recognition of qualifications is not required under the Western Balkans Regulation.
Agency or platform – which is better?
That doesn't hinge on the number of roles but on your own recruiting capacity. The agency charges per placement, the platform charges a flat monthly fee. If you have your own recruiters and know the visa process, the platform gets you more candidates for less money – and the more roles you fill, the clearer the advantage. If you have no capacity, full service buys you exactly what's missing. The calculator answers this in three questions.
What happens when the quota is exhausted?
Further applications are rejected. The annual quota is 50,000 approvals and was already exhausted on 2 December in 2025. Rejected applications are not carried over into the following year; a new application must be filed. The quota is also split across months and nationalities. Anyone planning should therefore start early in the year and use the advance approval.
Question not covered?
Four details are enough for a concrete answer: which occupation, how many roles, by when, and where you're hiring.
Common questions about recruiting from the Western Balkans
Employers hiring staff from abroad for the first time almost always ask the same questions – and run into two misconceptions. The first: that a recognition of qualifications is required. Under the Western Balkans Regulation it isn't, and that is precisely why this route works for welders, electricians, HGV drivers and construction trades. The second: that "the Balkans" is one uniform group. Croatia is in the EU – there you need no permission at all.
On duration and cost, sobriety pays. 10 to 12 weeks is realistic, and most of it goes on approval and visa, not on the search. On cost, two fundamentally different models sit side by side: from €5,000 per placement via the agency, or €490 per month flat via the platform, regardless of the number of hires. Which is cheaper is decided by your own recruiting capacity – not by the number of roles.