Freight forwarding and customs agent
An office role at the heart of international logistics, where organisation and client contact make all the value.
The profession
The freight forwarding agent organises the transport of goods, books the carriers, prepares transport and customs documents and advises clients.
Salary
The entry salary is around 2,500 to 2,950 €/month; with experience, an average of around 3,662 €/month that can rise toward 4,600 €, with Hamburg the best paid region (around 4,101 €), portal figures to be treated with caution (source: aubi-plus, meingehalt.net, 2025).
Employers hiring
Employers include DB Schenker, Kühne und Nagel, DACHSER, Hellmann, DHL Global Forwarding, Rhenus and Fiege.
Prospects
Prospects are strong and steady in commercial logistics.
Career progression
You can progress to freight planner (Disponent), Fachwirt, then operations manager.
Language level
In this commercial and client facing role, B2 is essential, and English is a real plus. That is the level we aim for.
Diploma recognition
Logistics and warehouse occupations are not regulated: for the skilled worker visa, a recognition of your qualification (Anerkennung) equivalent to the German training is required. We have it assessed and start the procedure with you.
Visa
The main routes are the skilled worker visa with a recognised qualification, the recognition partnership which since March 2024 allows you to enter and work while completing recognition on site (level A2 required), and the Chancenkarte to come and look for a job. The EU Blue Card, reserved for university profiles, does not apply to these occupations. We check your eligibility and build the file with you.
Your Karriere Fähre support
We train you in German up to the level you need, get your qualification recognised, present your profile to German employers, prepare the visa file and support you all the way to your arrival.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this an office job?
- Yes, it is based on the coordination and documentation of transport.
- Is English useful?
- Yes, transport is international and English is a real asset day to day.
Indicative gross ranges from public German sources (Federal Employment Agency, Entgeltatlas, Gehalt.de, StepStone, IHK). In logistics and transport, pay follows the collective agreement and the sector minimum wage, and varies by region, employer and experience. Recognition, visa and driving-licence rules change: always check your case with the competent German authorities.