Germany becomes first country to establish esports visa

The German Federal Government finally established an esports visa. Starting in March 2020, esports players will be able to apply for an esports visa in Germany, should they meet the prescribed requirements. The announcement is an important step to esports’ recognition and will hopefully be an incentive to other countries around the world.
Germany is arguably the country that invests the most money into esports. It also hosts the most tournaments and is home to ESL, the largest esports organization in the world.

The establishment of the German esports visa can be largely contributed to the efforts of the ESBD, the German esports association. Hans Jagnow, the president of the ESBD, made a statement following the government’s decision: “The German esports visa will be a big advantage for events hosted in Germany. We are the first country to establish a dedicated visa category for esports. There are more international esports events expected to take place in Germany.”

Furthermore, he added that he hopes other countries will follow Germany’s example. Jagnow thinks the German visa could serve as a model for other nations, hoping that they could coordinate the requirements. Finally, he finished his statement saying their efforts over the past two years have finally paid off. The new visa regulations will be established as part of the Skilled Immigration Act, most likely in March 2020.

Friendly requirements for obtaining the visa
In the same statement, the ESBD also listed the requirements for obtaining a German esports visa. The player must be at least 16 years old, must have a determined salary, and needs confirmation of professional activity. That last part has to be issued by the institution responsible for esports in his country. Interestingly, many of these coincide with requirements from professional esports leagues.

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