German cover letter template: Word and PDF
Cover letter templates in German business letter layout, in the same ten designs as our CV templates. Three of them are free. Fill one in English or German in your browser. No account needed to start.
Choose a design
- Use this template: Modern cover letter, free. Example: Amara Okafor, Head of Marketing
- Use this template: Tabular cover letter, free. Example: Arjun Mehta, Data Scientist
- Use this template: Harvard cover letter, free. Example: Chen Wei, Senior Software Engineer (Backend)
- Use this template: Sidebar cover letter, with a pass. Example: Kwame Mensah, Mechanical Design Engineer
- Use this template: Executive cover letter, with a pass. Example: Mei Zhang, Financial Analyst
- Use this template: Banner cover letter, with a pass. Example: Priya Sharma, UX Designer
Example people. Photos are AI-generated.
Pick the same design as your CV, so your application looks like one piece.
What is free: you can fill in a design without an account. To download your letter as PDF, create a free account. The free account includes the cover letter for one application. All ten designs, Word files and more letters are part of the pass.
What the template already does for you
LMU Jobline, cited below, is LMU’s guide for applications written in English.
| Part of the letter | In the template | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | DIN 5008, the German standard for business letters, including the address field and dates | DIN Media |
| Length | One page. Joblumi warns you if the text runs onto a second page | KIT, LMU |
| Sender and recipient | Fields for your contact details and for the company, contact person and address | LMU Jobline |
| Subject line | In bold, with the position and the reference number if there is one | LMU Jobline |
| Salutation | With the contact person’s name, or the general form if there is none | KIT |
| Body | Three to four short paragraphs: introduction, why you fit, closing. LMU Jobline suggests three to five | LMU Jobline, KIT |
| Closing | Earliest start date, salary expectation only if the ad asks for it | KIT |
| Signature | Space for your signature, which can be digital | LMU |
| Enclosures | A line listing your CV and certificates | LMU Jobline |
Phrases in German and English
The template comes with ready phrases for the parts that are hardest to write in a second language. A few examples:
| Part | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Salutation | Sehr geehrte Frau Becker, | Dear Ms Becker, |
| No name known | Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, | Dear Sir or Madam, |
| Start date | Ich kann die Stelle ab dem 1. März antreten. | I can start on 1 March. |
| Closing | Über eine Einladung zu einem Gespräch freue ich mich. | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| Sign-off | Mit freundlichen Grüßen | Best regards |
The names and dates in the examples are made up.
See phrases like these in complete letters.
Cover letter examplesHow to use a template
- Pick a design above. Use the same one as your CV.
- Paste the job ad, if you have it. The language check shows whether to write in German or English.
- Fill in the fields, or let Joblumi draft the body from your CV and the job ad. AI text is marked, so you can check it.
- Download the letter as PDF with a free account, or as Word with a pass.
What German recruiters check A cover letter that explains briefly why you fit the job, linking the requirements of the ad to your skills with concrete examples (KIT Career Service). It should add something to your CV, not retell it (LMU Career Service).
Questions people ask
Is there a free German cover letter template?
Yes. Three of the ten designs are free: Modern, Tabular and Harvard. Filling one in needs no account. The PDF download needs a free account, which includes the cover letter for one application.
Can I use the template for an English cover letter?
Yes. Each design works in German and English. The layout stays the same.
Should the cover letter match my CV?
It helps: the same fonts and header make your application look like one document. That’s why each cover letter design has a CV design with the same name.
How long should the letter be?
One page. The template shows when your text runs over.
Related
- Cover letter for Germany: structure and language check
- German CV template: Word and PDF
- German CV: format and rules
- Pricing
- Cover letter examples for Germany
- Cover letter in German: phrases and example
Sources
- KIT Career Service: Writing Your Cover Letter, retrieved 30 Oct 2026
- LMU Jobline: Step-by-step guide to a successful cover letter, retrieved 30 Oct 2026
- LMU Munich Career Service: Application tips for students, retrieved 30 Oct 2026
- DIN Media: DIN 5008:2020-03, writing and layout rules, retrieved 30 Oct 2026
