Having previously represented Germany at U18 level, Holtby made his debut for the U19s in September 2008 and earned 12 caps overall. He scored the first of his four international goals for the German U19 team on 11 October 2008, netting in a 5–0 victory over Lithuania. The following year, Germany youth coach Horst Hrubesch named Holtby in his squad for the U20 World Cup in Egypt. Holtby scored two goals at the tournament, one of which was against eventual runners-up Brazil in the quarter-finals. In 2013, he captained Germany at the European Under-21 Championship in Israel and was named as the nation's only representative in the Team of the Tournament.