How to get married in Germany?

March 31, 2014, 5:18 am

≪ Previous: Working in Germany: Job Listing Sites

Getting married in Germany?

Last update: October 2014

Here is a Marriage Guide written by an expat couple (American-Italian) living in Berlin

My name is Emma, a US citizen from Kansas City, MO. I came here in Berlin in Winter 2010/11 and got engaged to Gianni the following Winter. We started the necessary bureaucratic processes in February 2012, and the first step was taken by having a look at the US Embassy website. This, in fact, already lists the documents to be presented to the German authorities, even though the list may change for different cases and for each of the 16 different German states.

First of all, one needs to go to the local Standesamt (registrar’s office) to see what documents they require you to submit. In Berlin, we were told that all non-German couples need to go to the Standesamt Mitte (Klosterstrasse U2). There, among hundreds of cheesy wedding magazines (showing jewels, dresses, new homes, etc.), each couple is called one by one. In our experience, we always waited for quite some time. In my case, I was asked to collect and come back with the following documents:

US passport.
German visa: the one valid at that time (even though I always had it with me, my visa is not stamped on my passport but is a separate document).
Registration certificate from our Local Registration Office (Bürgeramt) issued no more than 14 days before our second visit to the Standesamt. In German, it is called "Bescheinigung aus dem Melderegister". Be careful, this document is NOT the Anmeldebestätigung issued by the Bürgeramt when doing your Anmeldung!
Affidavit: a sworn declaration that I have been never married, which I received and had notarized at the US embassy. If you have been married previously, official proof of divorce is needed. To get either document, you need to make an appointment at the US embassy's website.
Proof of income: that was a bit tricky and pricey for me, because I am self-employed (a freelancer). So I needed to have my tax declaration, invoices, and receipts of the previous year certified by an accountant.
Birth certificate: Certified copy issued within the last six months.

On the Embassy website, there is much information on how to obtain a document from the US Authorities (for example, a birth certificate). If you don´t speak fluent German, it is recommended to be accompanied by someone who is fluent, as none of the employees we encountered could speak English.

As for Gianni, being a citizen of the European Union, not many documents were required:

Passport or ID.
Registration certificate from our Local Registration Office (Bürgeramt) issued no more than 14 days before our second visit to the Standesamt (this is not the Anmeldebestätigung from the Bürgeramt!).
Freedom of Movement Certificate (automatic for an EU citizen, Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung in German), showing his right to reside in Germany.
Birth certificate: Certified copy issued within the last six months.
An international Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage issued by Italy or the Italian embassy in Berlin within the last six months (to obtain this, both of us needed to be present at the Italian embassy). Also, I had to bring the German translation of my birth certificate, my passport, visa, and registration certificate. He had to show his passport and birth certificate (previously obtained). This certificate shows that neither of us had been married before. In the case of a previous marriage, this document confirms that either a divorce has been finalized or that the previous spouse has passed away.

All documents not in German needed to be translated in German by a sworn translator. An important advice to all: pay attention to the copies a sworn translator provides you! The translator I used messed up on my birth certificate, and when I went back to the translator, she was irritated by my complaints and my request to have a proper translation of the document... Well, apart from that it went smoothly.

Once you have gathered all necessary documents, you should return to the office and set the date. You can book any date (and a room) 6 months in advance at the most. This means that if you have all documents in mid-April, you can book a date no later than mid-October. Also, you will be asked if you would like the Standesamt to provide an interpreter for the ceremony, or if you know someone who will translate for you. If you choose the former, then you should pay an extra fee. So after confirming that, as well as a date and room, they will send you around in the Standesamt to pay some fees or get a stamp from another colleague, and finally return to the person in charge to have everything confirmed.

Then you only need to prepare and wait for the day!
Emma ♥

----

Many thanks to our friends Emma and Gianni for sharing their experience with myGermanExpert. Here is also a nice video found on the internet on how to get married in Germany. Enjoy it!

© myGermanExpert

↧

How to relocate to Germany?

July 18, 2014, 3:48 am

≫ Next: Registering in Germany: Anmeldung Guide

≪ Previous: How to get married in Germany?

Guide for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens moving to Germany

(not suitable for citizens from third-party countries)

Last update: August 2015

Here are the steps to follow if you want to live in Germany and are free to move inside the EU without a visa

Where do you come from?

As an EU citizen, you can live, work and study in Germany without any visa or permit restrictions (incl. Romanian, Bulgarian & Croatian citizens);
As a citizen from Switzerland, Norway (EEA), Iceland (EEA) or Liechtenstein (EEA), you can also live, work and study in Germany without any visa or permit restriction.
If you are a citizen from a third-party country, the below guide isn't for you. Read these 10 steps to sorting your German paperwork;
Important: we recommend you check this visa requirements before you take any further steps;

More details about visas for Germany.

What's next?

7 Steps to live in Germany:

Look for a place to live

Your options are: Students halls of residence, Shared flats (Wohngemeinschaft – WG) or Private apartments.

More info: Apartment Listing Sites for Germany.

Bürgeramt Registration:
the Anmeldung process to register your address in Germany

By law, you are required to fill in an Anmeldung form to register your residence at the local citizens office (called Einwohnermeldeamt, Einwohnermeldebehörde, Bürgerämter or Bürgeramt). You have to register within 7 days of relocating to your new German address (sometimes 14 days, like in Berlin). If you reside in Rheinland-Pfaltz, you have to register immediately. Everyone living in Germany, even if temporarily, has the obligation to register/re-register at one of the many Bürgerämter.
If you are staying in a hotel and have not found a permanent residence yet, it is often possible to register with your hotel address. Ask your hotel for further details.
You will need to provide the Bürgeramt official with a valid ID or passport and the lease or sublet contract. At the end of the process, you will get a proof of registration (called Meldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung) from the Bürgeramt official. Do not lose this important document as you will need it, for instance, to open a bank account or apply for a tax ID.
When to de-register? Only when you move abroad or move from a secondary residence back to the main dwelling.

More info: the Anmeldung process explained.

Forms: Anmeldung forms available in various languages.

You are now allowed to work or study in Germany!

Looking for a job? Here is a Job Listing Sites for Germany.

German Health Insurance

If you are working as an employee, you will be automatically covered by a public health insurance. Please check with your employer about the different possibilities.

If you are a freelancer or want to enroll at a university, your next step will be to obtain a German Health Insurance:

While your overseas travel insurance was sufficient until you reached Germany, a German insurance is mandatory while in the country. You cannot be enrolled at the university unless you have a German insurance.
You need to apply for it after registering your address in Germany. There are two kinds of health insurances: Public (for employees and students) and Private (for everyone, incl. freelancers). The Public insurance is likely to be more economical than a private insurance and easier to apply for.
We recommend Barmer GEK for health insurance as they have been classified number 1 in Germany several times.
If you are a resident in the EU, you should apply for your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) before travelling to other European Union Member States. The EHIC is valid for holidaymakers and temporary visitors who need to use the state health system while in another EU country.

More details: theGerman health insurance explained.

German Tax ID Number

The tax office will send the tax ID automatically to your registered German address 2 or 3 weeks after you've done your Bürgeramt registration.

If you want to work, you need to apply for a German tax ID number at your local Bürgeramt by ticking the appropriate box in your Anmeldung form.

As an employee, you will have to provide your employer with your tax ID before the start of a new calendar year or at the time you begin a new employment. Employees have their income tax deducted from their salary at source. Seriously consider this as if you don't apply for a tax id you will be taxed at the maximum rate possible and will not be able to claim any tax back in the future. In case of an extra job, you need to apply for an additional tax id number.

>>More details about the German Tax ID<<

In case you've lost your tax ID number, you would have to fill in the online form below:

>>Tax ID Application Form<<

Open a Bank Account

If you speak German you can just search for a bank near you and enter during opening hours.

MGE recommends DKB.

DKB Cash is one of the few German bank accounts that are totally free of charge (there are no set up fees and no monthly fees). Furthermore, you will get a DKB Visa Card that is also completely free of charge. The biggest advantage of the DKB Visa Card is that you can withdraw money free of charge from any ATM worldwide.

If you don’t speak German at all, we recommend Deutsche Bank (but more expensive).

What to bring? You will need to show a valid proof of identity, your Meldebestätigung and, if applicable, a proof of enrollment to the university.

Integration: It's time to learn German!

Yep, this is the hardest part. Eventually, you will have to start, even if you don't need it during your work or your studies. Now the question is: How long can you stay without needing German? :-p

Test your German online.

German course at the Goethe-Institut.

German Test for the university: TestDaf explained.

Learning German your way.

Learn German at the Humboldt-Institut.

Directory of German Language Schools.

↧

Registering in Germany: Anmeldung Guide

November 25, 2014, 11:55 pm

≫ Next: Parenting and Paperwork in Germany

≪ Previous: How to relocate to Germany?

The Anmeldung Guide

8 Things you should know about the Bürgeramt registration

Last update: August 2015

Our flash tutorial below tries to explain in a very simplified manner what needs to be done when first moving to Germany:

Please de-activate any ad-blocker you might have in order to watch the flash tutorial above!

This Anmeldung Guide was made to help expats start their life in Germany. The Anmeldung is the most important step when relocating to Germany and it is not as easy as the video above shows.

Here are 8 things you should know about the Anmeldung to start off well in Germany:

The Anmeldung Guide

Place to Live

The first step to live legally in Germany is to find an accommodation as soon as possible. In fact, you cannot live in Germany more than 3 months without having an officially registered address (there are some exceptions).

>>The Best Sites to Search for a Flat in Germany<<

Anmeldung
Bürgeramt / Bürgerbüro Registration

If you want to live in Germany, you have to do your Bürgeramt registration. This is achieved by submitting an Anmeldung form (Anmeldeformular) to your local registration office called Bürgeramt or Bürgerbüro or even Kundenzentrum (also called Einwohnermeldeamt, which it's the citizens office at the Bürgeramt). This is required for any change of address.

At the Bürgeramt you will receive a proof of registration (see image below) called either Meldebestätigung, Anmeldebestätigung or Meldeschein, which is needed for many official matters, such as opening a bank account or registering with a German health insurance.

Copy of a Proof of Registration

The Bürgeramt registration needs to be done within 7 days of relocating to your new German address (14 days for Berlin). If you reside in Rheinland-Pfalz, you have to register immediately. Everyone living in Germany, even if temporarily, has the obligation to register/re-register at one of the many Bürgerämter.

If you have not found a permanent residence yet, it is often possible to register with your hotel, hostel or work address. Ask your hotel or HR department for further details.

You will need to provide the Bürgeramt official with a valid ID or passport and a rental agreement or a sublet contract (confirmation letter) in case you are subletting or staying at a friend's place (Einzugsbestätigung). If applicable, you will also need to bring your marriage certificate and/or your child's birth certificate (translated in German).

>>Additional Form to the "Anmeldung"<<
(For temporary stays before finding a permanent place - Needs to be signed by the landlord/owner)

If you are planning on getting registered in the federal states of Mecklenburg Vorpommern and Niedersachsen, no form is required. You simply have to go to the Bürgeramt with the required documents and your personal data will be directly entered into the system.

If you are registering as a non-EU citizen in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), you will first have to introduce yourself at the local Ausländerbehörde.

When you leave the country, you need to de-register your German address, this is called the "Abmeldung".

The registration is usually free, except at the Kundenzentrum in Hamburg where you have to pay 10 Euro [data: 2015].

Tax ID Number (IdNr.)

Once you've done your Anmeldung, the tax office (Finanzamt) will send your tax ID to your registered German address automatically within 2 weeks. The tax ID is important for the purposes of taxation, government benefits and health care. Do not forget to apply for it by ticking the appropriate box in your Anmeldung form:

In case you've lost your tax ID number, you will either need to fill in the form below and bring it to your local Finanzamt:

>>Tax ID Application Form in English<<
(Please disable your ad-blocker to be able to see the form)

Or, alternatively, you can apply for a tax ID online, but the processing time could be up to 4 weeks!

TV License (Broadcast Receiving License)

Once registered at the Bürgeramt, you will get by post at your registered address some documents necessary to pay the German TV license (formerly GEZ, currently "Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio").

This license is mandatory, even if you do not have any TV or radio, and costs 17,98€ per month and per residence. Once you receive the bill (see image below), you have 1 week to pay. You can decide on your payment intervals when you apply for the license (i.e. monthly, quarterly, twice a year or yearly).

Example of a letter for the TV License

Be careful as fake letters are circulating! The official letter must contain your surname. Find below an example of FAKE letter:

Example of a fake TV License Letter

Church Tax

While filling out your Anmeldung form, you will have to state your religion on it. All people in Germany who are officially registered as Catholic, Protestant or Jews pay a religious tax on their annual income tax bill.

If you do not want to pay the so called Kirchensteuer, you will have to state it in your form! The Church tax, which is 8 to 9 percent of the annual income tax, would be automatically deducted each month from your payslip.

Please consider that if you decide to not pay this religious tax, you will, for instance, not be allowed to receive communion, confession or get married in church.

>>More info about the Church Tax<<

>>How to leave the German Church<<

Welcome Money for Students in Berlin
The city of Berlin decided to give 50 Euro as welcome money to all students enrolled at a German public University in Berlin registering at the Bürgeramt for the first time. Other cities have similar welcome schemes, so check with your University.

You will have to fill in the form below to request the money and bring it to the Bürgeramt with your completed Anmeldung form. If you need further details, please contact the department for student affairs at your University.

>>Form to Request the Welcome Money [in German]<<

Where to register?
Do I need an Appointment?
As a rule of thumb, you do not need an appointment to do your Anmeldung. You just need to show up at one of the many Bürgerämter in your city with a complete Anmeldung form, a valid ID or passport and a lease or a sublet contract. If applicable, make sure to also bring all translated documents proving your civil status (married, divorced, with children,...) and other documents related to the people registering at the same address (wife, partner, child....).

Having said that, all of Germany has decided to progressively make all the Bürgerämter available ONLY by appointment, so you may want to get used to this as one day you won't have a choice! ;-)

We advise you to check the following websites for further details:

>>Bürgerämter in Berlin<<

>>Appointment for Berlin<<

Tip for Berlin:
If you need a Bürgeramt appointment, go to berlin.de first thing on Monday morning. You might find appointments available for the same day/week due to cancellations over the weekend and new appointments added for that week.

>>Appointment for Hamburg<<

>>Appointment for Düsseldorf<<

>>Appointment for Frankfurt<<

>>Appointment for Cologne<<

>>Appointment for Dortmund<<

No Appointment for Stuttgart!

>>Here is a Map of Germany with a List of Bürgerämter (incl. Timetable)<<

When to register?
You have to do your Anmeldung within 7 days of relocating to your new German address (14 days for Berlin).

Booking an appointment is enough to meet the deadline!

Unless you made an appointment, you need to show up at the Bürgeramt/Bürgerbüro very early if you don't want to wait for hours and then be asked to come back the next day.

In fact, if the Bürgeramt is too busy and all the slots for the day have been already filled up by clients, the Bürgeramt can decide to close the doors, even if it is only 11am.

And Then?

Then there is the rest: residence permit, bank account, health insurance, find a job, German courses... but this is another story! ;-)

If you want to fill in your Anmeldung Form in English, Italian, French or Spanish, please click here:

>>Anmeldung Form in Various Languages<<

>>Additional Form to the "Anmeldung"<<
(For temporary stays before finding a permanent place - Needs to be signed by the landlord/owner)

Good Luck with your new life in Germany! :-)

Your myGermanExpert Team

© myGermanExpert

↧

Parenting and Paperwork in Germany

January 27, 2015, 8:05 am

≫ Next: Freelancing in Germany

≪ Previous: Registering in Germany: Anmeldung Guide

The old woman and the sea (of paperwork) or, advanced parenting in Germany

[by Nicolette Stewart]

Every since Baby Pickles arrived I have felt like I’m being buried alive. Letters, forms, papers, confirmations, more forms, more forms, and more fucking forms. Welcome to parenthood in Germany. Not so pleased to meet you, but thanks for the mad cash that you keep telling us we will someday get for working on your shrinking population problem. (“Problem.”)

I suck at paperwork. Though I vaguely enjoy filling out forms in a sort of obsessive compulsive way, I have trouble filling them out and getting them to the post office on time because at the end of the day I just don’t care. Taxes, registering my address, getting visas—how do people manage to give enough fucks to get this shit done before the very last second? At least some of Pickles’ paperwork will result in money in the bank, but still, paperwork is paperwork is hell, and I always procrastinate getting to the post office for as long as possible, and I am very, very good at forgetting things.

The paperstorm began immediately after Pickles’ was born. Her birth certificates could be picked up at the Standesamt, we had been told. We were supposed to pick them up right away, but I could barely walk because I’d just had fucking abdominal surgery you assholes, and duh, we were pretty fucking busy just trying to stay alive those first weeks. When I finally made it there, they told me that I needed to “order” the birth certificates, and I could pick them up later. Futile trip to the ugliest building in town! Thanks Standesamt!

A few weeks later I finally had the honor of taking home a handful of certificates claiming that the Beard and I were, in fact, Pickles’ parents. (They do this at the hospital in the United States, don’t they?) A few copies were free, the rest—and you need them for all the other paperwork you are going to have to fill out for your baby and they have to be originals—were ten euros a pop. Why it costs ten euros to have someone print out and sign a sheet of paper that they were printing a few of at the moment anyway is beyond me. And the system grinds on. Cha-ching!

Quadruplicates of the birth certificates in hand, we started filling out forms for the health insurance company, which went surprisingly smoothly and resulted in a little pickled insurance card and no further hassles. Then I filled out the novel of pages of paperwork for her American citizenship, passport, and social security card applications. (None of which we have been able to afford to actually get yet, ho hum.) The Kindergeld and Elterngeld paperwork, however, (which we really should have filled out months before and sent in the minute Pickles was born, and no I am not kidding) are still coming back to haunt us.

First, let me explain. Kindergeld is money that the government gives everyone who has a German baby. So if you have a German baby and live in Germany, you will receive 185 euros per month until said baby is 25 or graduates from college. After you’ve had a couple kids (each of which will result in an additional 185-euro-per-month check), they raise the bar and you get 205 euros a month and on and on. Elterngeld is money that the government gives people who are raising German babies so that staying home with a baby is a little less financially daunting. There is a minimum of 300 euros per month, or you can fill out even more paperwork and get a percent of your previous salary for one year.

These would have been the forms to not procrastinate filling out. Cough cough, shuffle shuffle, blush. Around month seven I finally got them all in the mail. Done! I thought. Soon we’ll have that financial help, I think. Wohoo! I thought. And so began the avalanche of letters and further paperwork that I am sitting in as I type this.

We made a few mistakes on the Elterngeld paperwork, only two of which were found initially (another one was found after we sent back the first round of corrections), but at least that only involved a few more checks and a few more signatures. The Kindergeld people, however, have just written to tell me that I need something called a Haushaltsbescheinigung, aka a paper that has been stamped and signed by the people at the Bürgeramt. What that means in plain English is that I have to go to an office in Mainz to have a stranger sign a paper saying that, yes, the Beard, Baby Pickles and I all live in the same house. Couldn’t we just send them one of the other hundreds of pieces of paper we have had to fill out to prove that we live at the same address (which we had to provide for my visa after our marriage)? Without the extra trip to one of their rings of hell? Couldn’t the fucking German bureaucrats just pick up the fucking phone and communicate with each other—or better yet, have a computer system do it for them? As usual in my encounters with German public offices, I find myself tearing at my hair.*

The positive side of all this is that we might really be another few days closer to getting our monthly “thank you for breeding” money, which we could really use right now. I really appreciate that the country tries to support parents, particularly since they changed the laws so that both mamas or papas could apply for Elterngeld for taking on the majority of the kid responsibility. Still, I do wish it was all a little easier. If everyone is entitled to Kindergeld, then why don’t they automate the process through the reports of birth, send parents something to sign in confirmation, and cut a bunch of people who are struggling with one of the busiest, most chaotic events in their lives a fucking break from all the forms? Have you ever tried filling out paperwork with a baby on your lap? I have. And while I was annoyed at having to get a new set of forms, I have to admit that I understood why she wanted to rip them all to shreds.

* Yesterday I was informed that the reason that these offices don’t communicate is actually one of data protection. It is illegal, for example, for the police to just go to all these offices and get all the info they have on you there without your permission. Good call. Though in this case I wish I could just sign something allowing them to do it in this situation.

Also: All the paperwork is done and sent in! Now to wait and see what we’ve fucked up on it this time…

------------------------

Author:

Nicolette Stewart is a freelance editor and writer based in Frankfurt, Germany. She is the editor of Young Germany and author of The Hunt Frankfurt. You can find her writing about books on www.bookpunks.com and about life in a tiny house in Germany on www.clickclackgorilla.com.

Source:

Original blog article link.

↧

Freelancing in Germany

August 19, 2015, 8:05 am

≫ Next: Bürgeramt Registration Checklist

≪ Previous: Parenting and Paperwork in Germany

How to become a freelancer in Germany

[This Guide is not for self-employed owning a business, but for freelancers with "non-commercial" activities!]

**Can I be a freelancer in Germany (Freiberufler)?**

As per the Income Tax Act (§ 18 I Nr.1 EstG) a freelancer work includes the following activities: Independent scientific, artistic, literary, teaching or educational activities, and the independent professional activities of physicians, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, notaries,...

Here is a non-exhaustive list of freelancing professions:

Choreographer, designer, photographer, cameraman, artist (visual and performing), musician, director, singer, actor, writer, dancer, copywriter, interpreter, translator, journalist, reporter, photo-journalist, video-journalist, historian, architect, urban planner, interior designer, landscape architect, pilot, biologist, chemist, geographer, computer scientist, engineer, surveyor, restaurateur (with university degree), notary, patent attorney, lawyer, business consultant, economist, tax consultant, tax agent, doctor, psychotherapist, veterinarian, dentist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, masseur, dietitian, teacher, lecturer, educator, kids nanny, programmer (freelance work for another company), customer services agent (freelance work for another company),...

Important: Please be aware that the field of activity is what counts and not the qualification. An architect running a construction firm will normally not be considered as a freelancer. Ultimately, the tax office decides whether the activity is "commercial" or categorized as a "liberal profession". It is often a case by case situation!

Advantages of being a freelancer?

No business tax to pay
No trading tax to pay
Registering with the Chamber of Commerce (Gewerbeamt - IHK) is usually NOT necessary. However, some freelancers are compulsory members of their local chamber. Please check out whether your profession requires a membership or not.

Freelancing in Germany in 7 Steps

In order to start your own work as a self-employed in Germany (which also includes doing contract / freelance work for another company) you will need to follow these 7 steps:

Apply for a Visa (from outside of Germany)

It only make sense to apply for a freelancing visa if you already have 2 employers!
As an EU citizen, you can live, work and study in Germany without any visa or permit restrictions (incl. Romanian, Bulgarian & Croatian citizens);
As a citizen of Switzerland, Iceland; Norway or Liechtenstein, you can also live, work and study in Germany without any visa or permit restriction.
Note: The residence permit issued to Swiss nationals and their family members merely certifies the right to freedom of movement. If you are a family member of an EU or EEA citizen and therefore covered by the right to freedom of movement, you will be issued with a corresponding residence card.
If you are a citizen from a third-party country, read these10 steps to sorting your German paperwork;

Important:

We recommend you check this visa requirements before you take any further steps.
More details about visas for Germany.
Any questions? Please contact BAMF.

Look for a place to live

Your options are: Shared flats (Wohngemeinschaft – WG) or Private apartments.

Start looking for a place to live here: Apartment Listing Sites for Germany.

Bürgeramt Registration:
the Anmeldung process to register in Germany

By law, you are required to fill in an Anmeldung form to register your residence at the local citizens office (called Einwohnermeldeamt, Einwohnermeldebehörde or Bürgeramt). You have to register within 7 days of relocating to your new German address (sometimes 14 days, like in Berlin). If you reside in Rheinland-Pfalz, you have to register immediately. Everyone living in Germany, even if temporarily, has the obligation to register/re-register at one of the many Bürgerämter.
If you are staying in a hotel and have not found a permanent residence yet, it is sometimes possible to register with your hotel address. However, most Bürgerämter will require a permanent address. Ask your hotel for further details.
You will need to provide the Bürgeramt official with a valid ID or passport and the lease or sublet contract. At the end of the process, you will get a proof of registration (called Meldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung) from the Bürgeramt official. Do not lose this important document as you will need it, for instance, to open a bank account or apply for a tax ID.
When to de-register? Only when you move abroad or move from a secondary residence back to the main dwelling.
Can I make an appointment? Yes you can, directly on the Bürgeramt website, but it's in German and it usually takes a few weeks before getting an appointment!

More info about the Anmeldung: Anmeldung process explained.

Online Registration Forms: Anmeldung forms available in various languages.

German Health Insurance

As a freelancer, your next step will be to obtain a German Health Insurance:

While your overseas travel insurance was sufficient until you reached Germany, a German insurance is mandatory while in the country. You cannot work in Germany unless you have a German insurance.
You need to apply for it after registering at the Bürgeramt. There are two kinds of health insurances: public (for employees, students & artists registered with the KSK) and private (for everyone, incl. freelancers).
For freelancers, the best solution would be to go private, also because it would be very difficult to get accepted into the public one being a freelancer and, even if you get accepted, would be an expensive choice if you don't have a regular, good income. The best solution is to contact an insurance adviser based in Germany who will give you free advice and a free quote based on your personal situation.
MGE doesn't recommend International Private Insurances as the German Private Insurance Association (PKV) doesn't consider international insurances good enough for the German system! So be very careful as one day international insurances could NOT be authorized anymore in Germany!
[For women] Whatever private insurance you choose, make sure it includes pregnancy coverage as it is required to get your residence permit approved.
If you can afford it, we also advise you to get an additional dental insurance plan as it can be very expensive to get some dental treatments not covered by your insurance.
Citizens from third-party countries must prove that they are insured before getting the residence permit.

More details here: German health insurance explained.

Open a Bank Account

If you speak German you can just search for a bank near you and join during opening hours.

If you already have some basics in German or feel confident enough with Google translator, we recommend DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank Berlin). DKB Cash is one of the few German bank accounts that are totally free of charge (there are no set up fees and no monthly fees). Furthermore, you will get a DKB Visa Card that is also completely free of charge. The biggest advantage of the DKB Visa Card is that you can withdraw money free of charge from any ATM worldwide.

If you don’t speak German at all and do not mind paying (expensive) monthly fees, we recommend Deutsche Bank.

What to bring? You will need to show a valid proof of identity and your Meldebestätigung (proof of registration).

Apply for a Residence Permit [If applicable, refer to point 1]

If you want to freelance in one of the independent professions (freie Berufe), apply for a residence permit that will allow you to exercise this kind of activity (if applicable).

To do so, you will usually need to provide your CV, your final examination diploma, a description of the activity you intend to take up, a financial plan, a permit to work in your field (if applicable) and a proof of health insurance coverage (incl. a certificate provided by your German health insurance stating all what you are covered for). We recommend that you ask your local Ausländerbehörde (foreign residents’ registration office, also called LABO) which additional documents you have to submit.

Initially, the residence permit entitling you to work as a freelancer is temporary. If your business idea is successful and you are able to support yourself (and your family), there will be no problem with getting your residence permit extended.

If you work as a freelancer, you do not have to register with the chamber of commerce (Gewerbeamt). For more info, please contact Make it in Germany.

Fill in the freelancing form and bring it to your local Finanzamt.

The Finanzamt will take about two to three weeks to send your "Freelancing" tax number by mail to your registered German address. This number will have to go on your invoices.

Here is the German online form to fill out in order to become self-employed: Freelancing Form.

Once opened, this link will be valid for only 45 minutes, so make sure to save it and print it before this time elapses.

Once completed, bring the form to your local Finanzamt. Search for the address in here: Finanzamt Directory.

Looking for a job? Here is a Job Listing Sites for Germany.

You can start sending invoices to your clients once you get your "freelancer number".

Happy Freelancing from MGE! :-)

↧

Bürgeramt Registration Checklist

December 7, 2015, 11:45 pm

≫ Next: Health Insurance in Germany

≪ Previous: Freelancing in Germany

Last Update: December 2015

Need more details about the Anmeldung process?

Read our Anmeldung Guide in here.

↧

Health Insurance in Germany

May 7, 2016, 5:45 am

≫ Next: Tax Refund in Germany

≪ Previous: Bürgeramt Registration Checklist

The Healthcare System in Germany

Everything you need to know about the German insurance system

Health insurance is compulsory for the whole population in Germany. Germany has a multi-payer health care system with two main types of health insurance:

'Statutory Health Insurance'
(Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung)

and

'Private Health Insurance'
(Private Krankenversicherung).

Can I live in Germany without any health insurance?

No, it's illegal to be without insurance! By law, you cannot live in Germany, even temporarily, without being covered by health insurance. If you are not insured, your visa request or university enrollment will be denied.

But what if I have the EHIC?

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is issued by your national health insurance provider and is only valid during a temporary stay in Germany (as well as in any other EU & EEA country). If you're a EU resident, you should apply for your EHIC before traveling to Germany. You need to get information from your insurance provider in your country of origin for all terms & conditions.

More info about the EHIC here.

Important: If you decide to work in Germany, even for a short period, you must apply for a German health insurance!

Can I move to Germany with an international health insurance?

This could be quite risky, because most of the foreign insurance companies are not registered with the financial regulatory authority in Germany, or BaFin. Even international companies that are authorized in Germany often do not meet the requirements & standards decided upon in new reforms. Currently, almost none of the major international health insurers provide a German-language certificate recognized by the visa authorities in Germany, thus your visa or residence permit could be denied.

April 2016 Update: The Ausländerbehörde (LABO) in Berlin is already denying most of the international health insurance plans.

Do I automatically get insured when I start to work or study in Germany?

No. In Germany, you do not automatically get an insurance card when you start working or studying. You must first register with a 'Krankenkasse' (German health insurance fund). As an employee or a student, you must inform your employer/university which health insurance company you have chosen.

There are two different types of German health insurances: the public health insurance (GKV) and the private health insurance (PKV). While most people could be eligible for the public health insurance, being accepted by a private health insurance is more difficult and tricky (many conditions).

I don't have a German address yet, can I apply for a German health insurance?

It depends. If you don't have a German address yet, you'll not be able to become a member of a public health insurance company (e.g. Barmer GEK, TK, AOK). By law, you need first to do the so-called 'Anmeldung' (German address registration). Once your German address is registered at the 'Bürgeramt' (local citizens office), you'll be able to apply for a proper German health insurance. More details in here.

If you're applying for a German visa, you'll need to prove to the German authorities that you already have a recognized health insurance. In this case, you'll need to apply for a travel health insurance (scroll down to the 'Travel Health Insurance' category).

The public health insurance is based on the principle of solidarity to ensure that everybody is able to access health care services.

Which type of health insurance do Germans prefer?

Germans trust their state health system: about 85% of the German population is insured under the GKV (national health system). Over 8.6 million people are insured with Barmer GEK, which is one of the biggest statutory health insurance provider in Germany.

Other popular health insurance providers are TK and AOK.

Is the membership in a public health insurance compulsory or voluntary?

Membership in the public insurance is usually mandatory for employees (gross income below the social security ceiling), pensioners (if registered with a statutory health insurance fund or covered by a family insurance plan for a certain length of time) and people receiving social welfare benefits.

It is also possible to be insured on public insurance voluntarily. Usually those eligible are members of public insurance funds who were previously on compulsory public health insurance, but do not fall within this category anymore, e.g. employees earning more than 4,687.50€ per month (gross).

What’s the main difference between ‘compulsory’ and ‘voluntary’ public health insurance?

When it’s mandatory to join the public health insurance fund, your employer is required to pay roughly half of the contributions for health insurance and long-term care.

When it’s on a voluntary basis, your employer is also required to pay roughly half of the contributions, but only for those services that match the public health insurance coverage. Ask your employer about details!

The contributions for pension and unemployment insurance are not affected. The employer must always pay these to the health insurance fund.

According to the German civil code (Sozialgesetzbuch), the employer also needs to pay half of the costs of each dependent family member.

Important: When it’s on a voluntary basis, make sure you register with a statutory health insurance within 3 months; after that period, you'll have less chances of getting accepted!

Pupils, language students, students enrolled in preparatory (language) courses for university, trainees (not for university purposes), scholarship holders & doctoral candidates are only entitled to take out private health insurance!

The difference is mainly the price: once you go ‘voluntary’, you pay more!

Calculate here the contributions you'll have to pay if you are married, have to go ‘voluntary’, earn some income or have children.

Who is eligible for the compulsory public insurance scheme?

Employees (if you earn between 450€ and 4,687.50€ per month – 2016 data)
Students under the age of 30 (or until the 14th semester is reached)
Pensioners (if registered with a statutory health insurance fund or covered by a family insurance plan for a certain length of time)
Recipients of social welfare benefits
Freelancers (only if you had prior public health insurance cover in Europe & apply within 3 months of arriving in Germany – there are also other conditions)
Self-employed/freelancing artists registered with the KSK (also for unemployed people having the 'artist' status)

What are the advantages of choosing the public health insurance instead of the private one?

Fees do not depend on your age or your health status;
Your medical history doesn't matter;
All public health insurance companies offer the same basic benefits and there is no difference between those benefits;
You can insure your children and spouse for free through the family insurance plan (if they have no income or only low income of their own);
Students with low or no income benefit from a fixed reduced rate.

Contributions are based on your income and are deducted every month from your gross salary. Your employer roughly pays half of the amount that is decided by law. On top of this comes an additional premium that may vary depending on the health insurance fund. Everyone pays more or less the same percentage of income: the current average rate (2016) is 15.7%. You will benefit from a reduced contribution if your salary is between 450,01€ and 850€, e.g. Barmer GEK.

Freelancers or self-employed people are usually not entitled to join the public health insurance.
As a freelancer, you'll have to apply for a private health insurance (not that easy if you're new in Germany!). Read our “German Private Health Insurance” section further down for more details.

Exceptions: You may qualify if you have had prior public health cover in Europe and apply within 3 months of arriving in Germany. If your visa allows you to work in Germany, you will be able to join the public system by taking up employment earning between 450€ and 4,687.50€ per month – or more, if it is your first employment in Germany.

Special case: There is a social security insurance scheme (KSK) for self-employed/freelance artists and writers (journalists, editors, writers, and so on)! More details in here.

By law, all students enrolled at German state universities, state colleges and universities of applied sciences as well as those who are completing practical training (as stipulated in the study regulations for a degree course) are subject to compulsory public health insurance. Without proof of health insurance, enrollment is not possible.

As a foreign student in Germany, you must insure yourself with a statutory health insurance if you are under the age of 30 (until you reach your 30th birthday or until your 14th term of study). After that, you can still choose the public health insurance but on a voluntary basis.

Pupils, language students, students enrolled in preparatory (language) courses for university, trainees (not for university purposes), scholarship holders & doctoral candidates are only entitled to take out private health insurance!

Important: Foreign students who are privately insured (for whatever reason) but have not yet reached the age of 30 will require a waiver from the public health insurance. Afterwards, taking out insurance with a statutory health insurance fund will no longer be possible!

As an international student, can I be exempt from taking out a German health insurance?

Depends. If you come from EU/EEA countries, are under the age of 30 (until you reach your 30th birthday or until the 14th semester) and are in possession of the EHIC, you can be exempt from taking out a health insurance in Germany, but you'll need to provide a proof of health insurance from your country of origin. You need to get information from your insurance provider in your country of origin for all terms & conditions.

Please use your EHIC to register with a statutory health insurance fund in Germany (i.e. Barmer GEK). The insurance fund will then provide a confirmation for the enrollment at the university.

More info about the EHIC here.

Info about other social security agreements outside the EU here.

Is the compulsory public health insurance convenient for a student?

Yes, it's often cheaper than the private health insurance. The public health insurance is offered at an average reduced rate of 81,61€ per month. Rates can differ slightly if you're married or have children. The contributions are fixed by law, so all national health insurance providers have the same monthly rates.

Calculate here the contributions you'll have to pay if you are married, have to go ‘voluntary’, earn some income or have children.

I'm 31 years old, can I choose the public health insurance on a voluntary basis?

Yes, but... PhD students or students after the 30th birthday (or after the 14th semester) will have to pay an extra individual rate or, sometimes, may not be eligible at all to join a public health insurance.

myGermanExpert has made an agreement with HanseMerkur for international students who cannot get covered with a public health insurance (i.e. Barmer GEK). Get an instant quote here.

Become a member of the public insurance scheme now.
The entire process is online and there is no need of sending your photo by post.
You can fill out for free your membership application in your own language using the online form. This form is only for employees, students & students in practical training/internship.
[Here is a step-by-step guide]

Private health insurance is chosen by those who do not fall into the compulsory public insurance category, e.g. self-employed or freelancers, employees above a certain salary, and so on.

Private health insurance is more complex because fees are based on your state of health, your age and on your insurance tariff, thus fees can change from one person to another.

For a better understanding of the private health insurance system, we would divide this section in
4 main categories:

* German Private Health Insurance

* German Private Health Insurance for Time-limited Stays

* International Private Health Insurance

* Other German Private Insurances

What is the main pro and con of private health insurance?

Pro: Services could be individually adapted to your needs (i.e. there are treatments & drugs that are not available on the public insurance, but are covered by private insurances).

Con: You'll first have to pay some treatment costs yourself and the insurance company will then reimburse your costs at a later stage upon submission of the bill. This is often not the case for small bills which could be paid out of the pocket. Concerning big expenses (i.e. operations), you should always ask clearance to your insurer beforehand.

Private health insurance contributions are based on your risk profile (i.e. your state of health, your age). The older you are, the less attractive you are for a private insurance.

Recommendation: Advice from an independent insurance broker is recommended for this category.

Who would be eligible for private health insurance?

Employees (if you earn more than 4,687.50€ per month)
Civil service workers
Self-employed and freelancers
Students above the age of 30 (if you are under the age of 30, you'll need to get a waiver from the public health insurance)

Private health insurance fees can vary from one person to another. This can be surprisingly difficult to grasp if you're a freelancer and relatively new in Germany. Taking on a new client is a lifelong commitment for the insurance company – which is not allowed to throw out clients because of high claims or non-payment of their monthly premiums. So insurers are likely to require confirmation of your income. Many companies often require a minimum period of two years visa to be suitable for the private insurance. It gets easier when you have a German credit history of two or three years; so your situation could be easier if you decide to stay in Germany for a long term.

The best thing to do is to already search for a solution before entering Germany!

If you are employed in Germany and earn more than 4,687.50€ per month (gross), you can choose to leave the public health insurance and get a private health insurance. Your employer will contribute roughly half of its cost.

If you are young, healthy and earn a high salary, private health insurance may be (temporarily) cheaper than the public option.

Important: Should you switch to private it is very hard to go back to public. In certain situations it is even impossible!

Private health insurance is only allowed in exceptional cases.

Reminder: Pupils, language students, students enrolled in preparatory (language) courses for university, trainees (not for university purposes), scholarship holders & doctoral candidates are only entitled to take out private health insurance!

German Travel health insurances are also private insurances, but they are specifically designed for foreigners coming to Germany (incl. Schengen area) on a time-limited stay from 1 up to 5 years and returning home afterwards.

Depending on the insurance provider you choose, this insurance could be the perfect solution for getting your visa or residence permit easily accepted, especially if you choose a German insurance company that is well known by the visa authorities (e.g. HanseMerkur).

Important: This insurance is meant for short-term stays of up to 5 years (sometimes more) with the aim of you leaving the country afterwards. If your travel insurance contract expires and you decide to stay longer, it could be very difficult and much more expensive to get a new health coverage in Germany.

Who can take out a German travel health insurance?

Foreign citizens not entitled to take out a public health insurance;

Foreign citizens being refused by a traditional German private health insurance
(i.e. those not having a German credit history of two or three years, those not having a minimum of 2 years visa, and so on);

Non-EU citizens who need proof of health insurance to obtain a visa
(i.e. 'Artist' visa,...) or a residence permit;

Schengen visa holders (here is the Schengen visa application form);

Students from outside the EU above the age of 30 (and under the age of 35);

Au Pairs or other people in work placements from outside the EU (under the age of 35);

Pupils, language students, trainees, scholarship holders & doctoral candidates (under the age of 35);

Students enrolled in preparatory (language) courses for university; (You will not receive insurance from a state insurance company in Germany. You must take out private insurance);

Visiting academic (researchers) from outside the EU with no employment contract (A residence permit will only be granted if proof of appropriate health insurance is provided);

Visiting academics with a bursary (Only private health insurance is possible!);

Participants in Work & Travel Programs;

Foreign visitors & guests;

Holiday makers in Germany;

Foreign citizens with no income (Remember: it's illegal to stay in Germany without any health insurance).

Important: Foreign students participating in language courses in Germany as well as grant holders or graduate students at German universities cannot join the public health insurance scheme (e.g. Barmer GEK, TK, AOK). In these cases you'll need to look for a cheap private health insurance for students (e.g. Hanse-Merkur provides one as from only 26 Euro per month, more details in here).

Note: If you are in possession of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or any other Insurance Card accepted in Germany (see here), you can be exempt from taking out a health insurance in Germany, but you'll need to provide a proof of health insurance from your country of origin. You need to get information from your insurance provider in your country of origin for all terms & conditions.

Get an online & instant quote now!

[Terms & Conditions in English: here]

Can I use this health insurance for visa application or residence permit renewal?

Yes. this health insurance above meets all requirements for visa application or residence permit extension. After your online application, you will receive by email any necessary documents within a few minutes. These documents can be printed and immediately used for your visa application at the foreign embassy or for any permit extension at the various immigration offices in Germany.

This kind of insurances could be very risky as they often do not meet German standards.

Some of these non-German insurance companies have been recognized by the German financial regulator (BaFin) as meeting the requirements for residents in Germany, but they usually do notprovide documents in German, which would be necessary for passing the 'visa authorities test'. Moreover, this recognition is currently being challenged by German private health insurance companies so it might not be an accepted solution for much longer. Finally, the visa office also imposes additional requirements.

April 2016 Update: The Ausländerbehörde (LABO) in Berlin is already denying most of the international health insurance plans. Make sure to ask your insurance broker about this situation!

Supplemental insurances are useful to complement the health insurance system which is not complete. You can apply for it on top of your public health insurance no matter of your income, e.g. dental, vision, travel or alternative practitioner insurances.

If you are privately insured, you cannot take out a supplemental insurance! You'll need to talk to your private insurer and extend your existing tariff to include additional services.

Any type of insurance policy that protects you as an individual from the risk that you may be held legally liable for something such as malpractice, injury or negligence.

Liability insurance policies (Haftpflichtversicherung) cover both legal costs and any legal payouts for which you would be responsible if found legally liable. Over 70% of German adults have a liability insurance.

Here are the 4 major risks you better be covered with:

Personal injury: you accidentally bump into someone and, as a result, that person requires medical treatments;
Property damage: you accidentally break an item belonging to someone else while visiting that person's property;
Monetary penalty: you accidentally injure someone and, as a result, that person cannot go to work for some time & loses income;
Third-party claim: someone sues you but you didn't do anything wrong!

It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insurance protections, which can include losses occurring in your home, its contents or loss of other personal possessions in your home.

This type of insurance will cover the costs for disputes with your neighbor or your landlord (i.e. paying a lawyer to protect you).

Do you need health insurance?

No matter whether you are staying abroad for a long term or only for a short break - do not forget that health insurance is compulsory for the whole population in Germany.

Visit our website& choose the type of health insurance cover that suits your needs:

[Terms & Conditions in English: here]

This form is only for employees, students & students in practical training/internship.
[Here is a step-by-step guide]

The contents of this article was carefully drawn up. Importance was particularly attached to providing correct and up-to-date information. Nevertheless, errors can be made. If you spot any mistakes, please do not hesitate to contact us: info [at] mygermanexpert.com.

The information provided in this article is not intended to provide or be a substitute for specific individualized insurance advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, myGermanExpert recommends consultation with an independent insurance advisor.

↧

Tax Refund in Germany

January 24, 2017, 9:03 am

≫ Next: Studying in Germany

≪ Previous: Health Insurance in Germany

How to apply for a tax refund in Germany

[by Bastien, the editor behind Settle in Berlin]

Finding a job and working in Germany comes with the obligation of paying taxes to your fiscal administration, otherwise known as « Finanzamt ». As an employee, it's taken directly from your payslip every month and you need not worry about it for most of the year. At the beginning of a new year however, it will be possible to file a tax statement leading to a tax return which can often reach several hundred euros.

It's up to you to prove to the Finanzamt that you have had expenses to reduce your overall tax rate. You can do this by filling in a « Steuererklärung » which is a summary of your profile, situation and expenses as a tax payer for the previous year. Employees have until the 31st May to submit it to the Finanzamt.

It would be a shame to pass on a sizable tax refund (Around 1000€ on average in Germany). We have laid out here the different methods to claim that money back.

On your own with forms and a good dose of patience

There is no going around it when it comes to German administration : some forms will need to be filled. For employees with no other additional sources of income, there will be 3 (for 2016): ESt 1 V 2016, Anlage N 2016,Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand 2016. They can all be downloaded from this website. With them, you will give information about your tax ID, your income, expenses and other insurances.

It is recommended to fill them in electronically via the dedicated ELSTER tool, issued by the German administration. You can sign-up here to open an account and receive your password by post (takes about a week).

ToyTown Germany has made a pretty complete help sheet to fill them in. I'd recommend checking it.

With the help of online platforms

For some people, it might be overwhelming to face the forms alone. If you are afraid to make mistakes, you can also use platforms like SteuerGo which offer to take you through them step by step in simple plain English. You can start to use the platform for free and save at any time. You only need to pay 24,95€ after submitting your forms to the Finanzamt, which they do directly for you online.

SteuerGo account: here you can see the tax returns you already processed.

No confusion because of obscure German terms ; the whole process is easy & fast.

With professional advisors

Sometimes, you profile as a tax payer is more complex if you have children, own property or have a freelance occupation on the side. In that case, it's relevant to use the services of a professional tax consultant, a « Steuerberater », who will help you find the best schemes to optimize your tax return. While it is a more costly option, it is usually worth it as they can increase your tax refund by such a large amount that it pays itself off in the end.

Expect about 2 months before you get an answer from the Finanzamt after filing in your tax return forms. You will know then about how much you actually get back or if you need to communicate further information to process your case.

Author:

Bastien is the editor behind Settle in Berlin, a simple blog helping you to navigate the troubled waters of German administration since 2011. It was quoted by the Berliner Zeitung and the government issued magazine Deutschland Aktuell as a go-to resource for foreigners.

Source:

This post was adapted from the original post about tax return in Germany on SiB.

↧

Studying in Germany

August 8, 2017, 7:22 am

≫ Next: Before arrival — Finding accommodation in Berlin

≪ Previous: Tax Refund in Germany

First steps to studying in Germany

(for non-EU nationals)

Are you a student ready to enroll in a German higher education institution? Or a Ph.D. candidate. Here are the first steps you need to take when moving to Germany.

1. Apply for admission to a German university (from abroad)

Requirements and application deadlines can vary from one university to another and from one programme to another.

If you get admitted to a German university, you can then apply for an entry visa, which could either be a student or an applicant visa.

Check out the video below, that explains how the German higher education system works
[Source: www.study-in.de]:

2. Apply for a visa at a German mission abroad

First case scenario:

You can be granted a student visa if you received a written approval for the purpose of study preparation or were granted a place at a German higher education institution.

Second case scenario:

If you are still waiting on the notice of admission (notification or application delays) or need to pass an entrance examination, you will have to apply for a student applicant visa. Upon your arrival in Germany, you will then need to visit your local foreigners' authority to get a residence permit for study purposes.

Check out this table of countries whose citizens require a visa to enter Germany.

3. Look for a 'permanent' place to live

German universities do not provide accommodation to students on enrolment, so it is important that you look for a place to live yourself.

As a student in Germany, you have three options: Students halls of residence, shared flats and private apartments.

Here is some help to find an accommodation in Germany.

4. Register in Germany (Anmeldung)

If you plan on enrolling at a university in Germany, you are required by law to register your residence. This is achieved by submitting in person a registration form to your local citizens office, often called ‘Bürgeramt’, ‘Bürgerbüro’ or even ‘Kreisverwaltungsreferat’. This is required for any change of address and needs to be done within 14 days of relocating to your new German address.

If you do not do the so-called Anmeldung, your residence permit or university enrollment will be denied.

Important: 2-3 weeks after you have registered, a tax ID will automatically be sent by post to your registered address. The tax ID will give you the opportunity to work in Germany, if you are allowed to.

5. Obtain health insurance

Regardless of the length of your stay or your residency status, health insurance is mandatory for the whole population in Germany; without it, you will not be able to enrol at a German university.

After joining the public or private health scheme, the insurer will provide you with a certificate, that you need to submit to your university for enrollment.

Read our complete Health Insurance Guide here.

6. Apply for a residence permit for study purposes

You have to register with your local 'Ausländerbehörde' within three months of your arrival in Germany as your visa was only allowing you to enter Germany and sort out your paperwork.

If your permit is accepted, you will receive a provisional certificate allowing you to enroll at a university. It will take some weeks to finally get your 'Residence Title'.

7. Enroll at a German university

You were admitted to a German higher education institution, so now you need to get your courses registered by submitting some documents to your university (university admission letter, university entrance qualification, proof of health insurance, proof of residence permit, etc.).

After all documentation has been reviewed by your university, you will receive a certificate of enrollment in form of a temporary student ID (in German: Immatrikulationsbescheinigung). Your real student ID will be provided to you at a later stage once you've paid the semester fees.

Important: You need to re-register each semester.

8. Open a German bank account

This is mandatory if you intend to work in Germany, even part-time, or if you want to sign up for an internet provider or a mobile plan.

You will often need a proof of German residence and/or a tax ID to open a bank account.

If you already have some basics in German or feel confident enough with Google translator, we recommend DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank Berlin). DKB Cash is one of the few German bank accounts that are totally free of charge (there are no set up fees and no monthly fees). Furthermore, you will get a DKB Visa Card that is also completely free of charge. The biggest advantage of the DKB Visa Card is that you can withdraw money free of charge from any ATM worldwide (€50 min. withdrawal).

How to open an account with DKB? You will need a webcam, a valid proof of identity, your Steuer-ID (tax ID) and, if applicable, a proof of enrollment to the university. If you're not employed, you'll also have to show some proof of income.

Enjoy your stay in Germany!

From your residence registration to your tax ID, from your health insurance to your bank account – myGermanExpert is the easiest way to get settled in Germany.

↧

Before arrival — Finding accommodation in Berlin

March 2, 2018, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Flat-Hunting in Berlin

≪ Previous: Studying in Germany

Guide for Moving to Berlin

(Step One)

Finding a place to stay in Berlin before arriving in Germany

You’ve decided to move to Berlin! Awesome! Now that you’ve made the decision and have planned accordingly regarding your savings and your job skills, now comes the oh-so-enjoyable task of finding a place to stay.

I would imagine that when you visited Berlin on vacation you explored the city, got a feel for some neighborhoods you really liked and some that you didn’t, or maybe you realized you prefer East Berlin to West Berlin. Either way, this information from your vacation is the best way to decide where to look for short-term accommodation and helps narrow down a daunting task. Flat hunting in Berlin is not something that can be done from outside the city so don’t even waste your time or energy attempting such an impossible feat; instead, pick one of the neighborhoods you liked and find a short-term sublet or WG there so that you have somewhere to call “home” when you first arrive. Then, once you are physically living in Berlin, then you can start the arduous, mind-numbing prospect of flat hunting in this amazing town.

Let me share with you how I proceeded in my move to Berlin. First, once I had decided that Berlin was the town I wanted to move to permanently and attempt to create a wonderful life in, I took a look online for apartments. I quickly learned that:

A) it is HIGHLY competitive and difficult to find a place,

B) very few landlords will reply to emails, especially emails written only in English,

C) none will rent to tenants whom they haven’t met in person-which might seem like a headache but is actually a very good practice of theirs because it immediately clues you, the apartment hunter, in to the legitimate landlords and those that are out scamming money off of people.

Once I learned these facts, I changed my game-plan from finding a long term apartment before I arrived to finding a short-term place that would allow me to have 2-3 months in Berlin where I didn’t have to move every week, wasn’t too expensive, and afforded me the time and space to explore the different neighborhoods.

I found a business in Berlin that, for a fee, will find you a short-term sublet that meets the requirements you give them and does all the hard work for you. I used exflat.exberliner.com; you contact them, agree to and sign the agreement/contract and you’re done! Well, not quite, but pretty much. They do the hard work for you so they start sending you emails with flat listings that meet your requirements and then, if you like one, they contact the person who is sub-letting the apartment you like and do all the work. For me, the decision to utilize this service for a fee made sense because A) I wasn’t physically in Berlin yet, this removed hours of searching on Facebook and other forums for sublets, B) weeded out the scammers so that I wouldn’t be defrauded out of my hard earned money.

There are other options available for short-term sublets that I personally looked into: AirBnB is a possibility (the rules and regulations regarding AirBnb in Berlin is another blog post), spotahome.com and medici-living.com. I seriously considered spotahome.com but the prices are higher for these furnished flats, whereas Exberliner flats is actually used by Berliners to list their available sublets, so you are getting an actual Berlin flat lived in by a Berliner who is going away on vacation or for a short period of time and they don’t want to leave their place empty. It’s cheaper and I felt that I wanted to use or find less luxury accommodation for my sublet in Berlin.

Within approximately 2 weeks Exberliner had found me a suitable sublet that would allow my pets (that’s another blog post-how to move to Berlin with pets), was in a great part of town and wasn’t insanely expensive; once I agreed to the flat they found me, they put me and the landlord in touch and within another weeks’ time I had signed the contract for the sublet. I was now the proud renter of a 2-room, fully furnished sublet in Mitte for 3 months time.

One of the many steps I needed to take in my move to Berlin was solved and finished in a 2-week time frame, which was a huge load of my mind and afforded me the breathing room to focus on the visa process and the actual packing up and moving process.

Next week I will share part two: joining the three-ring circus that is flat hunting in Berlin.

Tres C is an American who’s lived and worked all over the world and who has traveled extensively. She moved to Berlin in July 2017 with her dogs; she’s excited to share her hard earned knowledge about relocating to Berlin through her writing on this blog.

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Flat-Hunting in Berlin

March 9, 2018, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Registering in Berlin (Anmeldung)

≪ Previous: Before arrival — Finding accommodation in Berlin

Guide for Moving to Berlin

(Step Two)

Part II: Flat-Hunting In Berlin

Now that you’ve found your short-term sublet and you are physically living in Berlin, buckle down and get ready for the hard work. There are several different sites where you can search available apartments; some are better than others and I will share my experiences so that you have a good idea where to start. First, be aware that scammers are a HUGE issue in the Berlin housing market and they continually manage to scam people out of their hard-earned money so I feel an obligation to share what to watch out for so that you can avoid this situation.

(1) Only use official, professional sites to find an apartment;

(2) NEVER send money via wire transfer WITHOUT PHYSICALLY ENTERING THE APARTMENT AND SEEING IT FOR YOURSELF;

(3) If you ever get an email reply that starts with, “Thanks for the email; I am renting the apartment because I no longer live in the Berlin/Germany area,” THIS IS A FLASHING RED WARNING SIGN;

(4) NEVER SEND MONEY VIA WIRE TRANSFER OR SEND COPIES OF YOUR ID/PASSPORT OR ACCOUNT INFORMATION.

As obvious as some of these seem, you’d be shocked at how many people are constantly getting scammed here in Berlin; in fact, I’ve just read yet another account on a Facebook ex pat female group that was written by an American female who arrived late at night from her international flight and made her way to the apartment address she had paid for via wire transfer, only to find that the apartment address didn’t exist. This is only one account of multiple I have read about in the 8 months I’ve lived in Berlin.

Now that I’ve covered scams and have listed out the things to be aware of, we can move into the meat of this blog post- the best of the apartment websites all the way to the not-worth-your-time sites.

My experience with these sites is that there are two main sites for apartment hunting: immobilienscout24.de and immowelt.de; I had ok luck with immobilienscout and great luck with immowelt. My insight is that the majority of agents and landlords use these two sites, but more reliable agents seem to use immowelt. I actually found my apartment using immowelt.de and went to multiple viewings and showings via immowelt than immobielienscout- I received far more email replies from agents using immowelt. I highly recommend this site over all the others available, including all of the Facebook pages.

Remember that this information I am sharing is coming from me alone, I don’t work for or get any money for advertising these sites. Also, my requirements for housing is possibly different than yours; this beginning information is for entire apartments that you will rent yourself, but if sharing an apartment by renting a room rather than the entire place is what you want, there are plenty of search options available for those types of places. I will list these search engines at the end of the post, but I can’t speak to any of them or which is best because I didn’t use those sites.

I moved to Berlin with my animals and I’m older than many who move here (I’m in my 40s) and I had absolutely no interest in sharing a space with strangers. I’ve done that in my life during my college years, and while I recognize how invaluable an experience that can be, I’m beyond it as an adult female who likes peace and quiet and having my own space. I experienced my fair share of scammers responding to my emails, but I noticed that it occurred in higher numbers when I used immobilienscout24 and I never had it happen using immowelt.

There are multiple agents in town that list available housing options; you can do a google search and find these websites; there are also multiple Facebook pages dedicated to flat searches. On Facebook you can search for “flats in Berlin,” or other combinations to find all the different groups. I would recommend staying away from Craigslist because I’ve heard it’s full of scammers and I have not heard of anyone being successful finding a flat using Craigslist.

There is also ebay-kleinanzeigen.de where people list available flats; I never used this site and can’t share any tips or insights regarding it. Now, if you are interested in finding a shared apartment the web site I have heard very good things about is called, wg-gesucht.de. As you can see, there are a lot of options here for flat-hunting. The main things are that you need to be smart, watch out for scammers, and be prepared for a long hard slog before you find an apartment.

I was remarkably lucky with my search and found an amazing apartment in my price range and approved me to get the flat- my search took all of two months total once I was here in Berlin. But many, many people share their stories of spending close to a year searching for an apartment and getting one; others relate how they keep moving from sublet to sublet every few weeks to a month because they haven’t been successful- this is why many opt to enter a WG and rent a room in an apartment. Either way, you need to make sure that it is all legal and aboveboard and be aware that you are competing against a multitude of other people for a great apartment.

In my next blog post I will cover the required paperwork needed for the apartment search and information regarding the Anmeldung (registration) that you’ve possibly heard people complaining about before.

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Registering in Berlin (Anmeldung)

March 17, 2018, 2:00 am

≫ Next: Documents required for renting an apartment in Germany

≪ Previous: Flat-Hunting in Berlin

Residence Registration in Berlin

Step Three: the “Anmeldung”

You’ve landed in Berlin and have a sublet to head to once you’ve gotten off the plane. Your first few days will most likely be spent in figuring out your neighborhood and sublet, where the closest grocery store is and other essentials. After you’ve taken a few days to settle, now comes the intricate steps that you need to follow in order to prepare for renting a flat and getting a long term visa. So let’s jump into the deep end and get you on your way; today’s blog post will focus solely on the registration process.

First, you have to register for your “Anmeldung” at the local Bürgeramt office; this is 100% required of all people who move to Berlin. When you are searching for your sublet you MUST ask and make sure that you can register at the sublet address; if the landlord says no then it’s best you find a different sublet where you can register.

“Anmeldung” means “residence registration” in German; basically everyone who lives in Germany must register their address at the local registration office, the Bürgeramt. If you don’t register you can’t do the rest of the steps in this guide, and you’ll pay a fine when you finally do go register.

The rules for who must register are (1) anyone who plans on staying more than three months in Germany needs to register, (2) if you work or study in Germany, (3) if you want to sign any contract in Germany (phone, bank, internet, etc).

Per the rules, you are meant to register within the first two weeks of being in your new address in Germany; don’t worry too much about this two week rule because it’s known that the registration offices are quite busy, so you can register a little late, but you still MUST register so it’s best if you don’t put it off and you do so as soon as you are able.

Now, the reason I instructed that you make certain you can register at the address of the sublet is because you need a signed form from the landlord to take with you to the Bürgeramt for registering.

When you log on to the online portal to get a registration appointment, don’t be scared! I know... sometimes it looks as though there are no available appointments for up to the next two years BUT this isn’t quite true anymore.

Here’s what I did to avoid the delay: in case you are unable to book an appointment, wake up early, like at 6 am, make a cup of coffee and eat some breakfast, sit down and turn on the computer so that right at 7 am you are logged onto the online appointment portal page and keep hitting refresh as many times as it takes until you see a time pop up for that same day in BLUE. Once you see that time pop up on screen in BLUE, click on it- IT DOESN”T MATTER WHAT BÜRGERAMT THE SAME DAY APPOINTMENT IS AT- I promise. You can register at ANY BÜRGERAMT in the city. This is exactly how I got my same day appointment; I refreshed the computer screen for close to 35 minutes, but I finally saw a time pop up in blue and I got an appointment at the Charlottenburg Buergeramt for 3.45 that day.

For your appointment you need to bring with you: (1) your passport, (2) registration form (Anmeldeformular), (3) landlord confirmation form (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung), (4) marriage certificate and children’s birth certificates if they live in Germany with you.

Be forewarned: it is German law that state employees CAN NOT SPEAK IN ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN GERMAN; it isn’t because they are being mean or contrary or anything like that, it’s actual law that only the official language of the state can be spoken in any government office. Now, having said that, I was lucky and had two wonderful German women in the Bürgeramt who were kind enough to speak in English with me during my appointment, but 9 times out of ten this won’t be the case. It’s safe to say that if you show up, smile, hand over all forms filled in correctly and completely and bring all required documents with you, you can get by without knowing much German at this appointment.

Every time you move in Germany, or within Berlin, you have to register the new address again; you go through the exact same process, but this time the two week rule isn’t as pressing as the first time. When you leave Germany for good you HAVE to deregister at the local Bürgeramt (Abmeldung); deregistering is also the only way to officially get out of signed contracts (for example: your phone, internet, etc).

Also make note, if you don’t want to pay the compulsory Church tax, make sure you mark/state that you are an atheist on the registration form. If you don’t do this you will have an extra tax to pay.

As I said, I focused only on registering in Berlin in this post; next week I will discuss the next official steps you need to take within your first month of living in Berlin.

How the Registration Certificate (Anmeldebestätigung) looks like.

I hope this was helpful and removes some of the fear surrounding the Anmeldung process itself; it seems daunting but it really isn’t. I got a same day appointment, took the u-bahn out to Charlottenburg for the appointment, spent maybe an hour total at the Bürgeramt and left with the signed and stamped form in my hands. This form is all important- do not lose it or tear it or do anything to it other than keep it safe and pristine, because this form is required for all of the next steps I will cover in the following posts.

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Documents required for renting an apartment in Germany

March 23, 2018, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Bringing pets into Germany

≪ Previous: Registering in Berlin (Anmeldung)

How to rent an apartment in Berlin, or in Germany — the viewing

What documents you need when viewing a flat in Berlin *

(* It’s roughly the same for all German cities!)

When you start the apartment search once you are in Berlin, you need to be prepared with all paperwork and have a file that you take with you to viewings. This file will contain all the required documents and, if you’re smart, you’ll also bring along some extras to make yourself stand out from the other people at the viewings.

I didn’t initially do this and would show up to viewings with just myself and my hope, but when I saw that all of the other people there had a file and paperwork to hand right over I realized that I was a few steps behind. I immediately changed how I was going about the process and I created my own paperwork file to take with me to all the viewings.

First, you need a copy of your passport; according to a law the estate agent has to make a copy of your ID even if you are only looking at the flat.

Second, you need a confirmation of no rental debts (in German this is called a “Mietkostenfreiheitsbescheinigung”); this document only confirms that you owe no money to your previous landlord and that you have always paid your rent on time.

If you are coming from another country, you can ask your previous landlord to write you a letter stating these two things, and make sure the letter is in English.

Third, you need to have confirmation of your salary because you have to prove that you can pay your rent. Landlords want to see proof of income or proof of savings to pay your rent.

Fourth, you need to get a Schufa statement, which is the German credit record; if you’ve never lived in Germany before you won’t have this, but once you start a bank account here and sign contracts your Schufa record starts.

Don’t have all of the above required documentation? Don’t worry too much because some landlords are less strict than others and, if necessary, you can use one of the short stay apartments I mentioned in a previous post, like spotahome.com or medici-living.com for a few months to build up this paperwork file.

I created my apartment file using a copy of my passport, a letter from my previous landlord stating I have no debts and always paid on time (I also included a letter from my landlord as a reference to the behavior of my dogs in the apartment and that they’d never caused any damage whatsoever), my savings account information that shows enough money to cover living expenses for a year, and an official Schufa report (it was pretty much blank but I brought it along anyways), and last, I included a copy of my home mortgage from back in America in order to prove that I have a proven history of paying on time and maintaining a long term housing contract. I’m sure this was overboard and not needed but I figured it couldn’t hurt and would help prove that I am a responsible renter.

I made quite a few copies of all of the above documents and carried them with me to all apartment viewings; this way I could hand it over to the estate agent if I loved the place and wanted to be seriously considered for the apartment.

Next week I will share the required steps for bringing your pets with you to Germany.

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Bringing pets into Germany

March 30, 2018, 2:00 am

≫ Next: Taking Dogs or Cats to Germany

≪ Previous: Documents required for renting an apartment in Germany

Importing pets into Germany

(from the U.S.)

Pet travel from the U.S. to Germany

When I decided to move abroad I realized there would be a lot of things I needed to work out, but none more important than what I needed to do for my pets. I knew they were coming with me without question, so I needed to learn what the steps were to bring them overseas with me.

The steps vary based on the country you are moving to, so be prepared to do some research on your own as I can’t cover every rule for every country regarding importing pets.

When I first moved abroad I was going to a Middle Eastern country with extremely strict animal import rules, plus, because I was moving in the summertime my dogs couldn’t come until a few months after I left because airlines won’t fly with pets in cargo during the hot summer months. I determined that the safest thing for me to do in regards to bringing my pets with me was to hire a pet relocation company that knew all the rules and did a “door-to-door” relocation service. These companies are truly helpful and do all the work but the cost is very high- it cost me close to $10,000 to import my dogs to the Middle East, and a coworker of mine used a company to relocate their three cats and the cost for their cats was close to $6,000.

Thankfully because this blog is about relocating to Berlin the costs and amount of work involved are nowhere near as intense as what I faced five years ago.

To import your pets into Germany these are the steps you need to take (remember that these steps only cover dogs, cats and ferrets); you need to start this process at least 21 days before you travel with the pets.

First you should go to your regular vet and learn whether they know the paperwork and rules for importing pets to Europe. Some vets are familiar with this and some aren’t, so if your vet isn’t familiar they should be able to refer you to one in your area that is able to assist.

The required paperwork for entry of your pets into Europe is called the “ANNEX II” and needs to be filled out by the vet and stamped by the local USDA office.

The two things your pets need to enter Europe is a rabies vaccination and an EU-compatible microchip; the microchip must be an ISO 15-digit chip. This is crucial: your pet must have a rabies vaccination AFTER the chip is placed and AT LEAST 21 days before your flight departs (this has to happen even if your pet already has a valid rabies vaccination).

Now, at this point, my personal knowledge of bringing pets from America to Germany ends because I used the pet relocation service, but I did research and learned that the ANNEX II needs to be filled out only 12-15 days before your departure. Then the ANNEX II needs to be either mailed or taken by hand to the local USDA office; within ten days of the USDA certification you have to enter a European country, so this is a very tight timeframe that you have to work within.

Along with these documents, you need to also contact the airlines and learn what the requirements will be and the costs included; depending on the size of the pets they might be able to travel in the cabin or, you will need to get airline approved pet carriers for them to travel in the special cargo section. The airlines all have different allowances and restrictions regarding pet travel, so you need to contact them and learn the specifics for the airline that you choose to for your travel.

Once you’ve learned the airline rules and follow the steps that they require, and you have all of the documentation in hand, you and your pet are ready to travel.

I will include more information regarding the day of travel in the next blog post.

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Taking Dogs or Cats to Germany

April 7, 2018, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Having a dog in Berlin

≪ Previous: Bringing pets into Germany

The airlines and the logistics of flying to Germany with pets

PART II

Taking pets to Germany

Last weeks’ blog post concerned the EU requirements importing pets to Europe, and this week’s will concern the airlines and the logistics of actually flying with them.

When I moved from the Middle East to Germany last summer I did all the work to import my dogs and my cat with me because I didn’t want to pay the large fees that the relocation specialist at the vet office charged.

There are some things to keep in mind regarding the flights, separate from the regulations of the EU and I will cover the steps I took to prepare for the trip.

First, I contacted both Lufthansa and KLM to inquire if they had availability on the date I wanted to fly with them and what the costs were going to be; it is imperative you contact the airlines as early as you can because the airlines have a set amount of animals allowed to fly in the cargo and in the cabin on a flight.

I ended up choosing to fly with KLM because they were the only airline that flies out of the local airport of where I lived in the Middle East and because they have a very good track record with flying animals.

I reserved the two dogs for cargo and my cat for the cabin; when reserving the spots for pets they require some information: microchip number, name and weight (with crate included), and the exact dimensions of the IATA approved crate/carrier that the pet will be in for the flight.

Now be aware that this reservation isn’t confirmed for approx 48 hours; you receive a number to call, wait two days, then call and receive confirmation for all the animals. KLM provides a checklist on their website of their requirements plus a checklist that will be filed out at the airport prior to departure, as does Lufthansa.

Second, I prepared the crates by setting them up and leaving them open in the living room so the pets could get used to them again before traveling. I also had to get my rescue cat comfortable with the carrier prior to traveling, so I left it in one of his favorite spots to sleep in and he quickly started taking naps in it!

I cleaned the dog crates completely, affixed labels to the outside with their names and the feeding schedule; I also included information about the dogs themselves because we were flying through Frankfurt where they would get an hour and a half break in the pet center where they would be handled by strangers- I wanted to share some information because we need to set dogs up for success not failure (or so Cesar Milan always says). I wanted these strangers to know that one of my dogs was abused and treated horribly before I rescued him and is afraid of men so only women could handle him, while the other dog is food motivated and a social butterfly, friendly with everyone. I included a Ziploc baggie taped to the outside of the crate with the treats I wanted them to be given by the handlers. I also affixed bright orange stickers that read “LIVE ANIMAL” with arrows pointing up as this was a tip my wonderful vet gave me to just be as safe as possible.

Third, the day of travel, I made sure that the dogs got a good walk early enough in the day where they could drink water after but not within two hours of flying. I made sure they didn’t eat within four hours of flying. I laid the travel dog beds in the crates, placed a worn t-shirt of mine that I didn’t wash in order to provide the dogs some comfort during travel; I froze water in their water bowls so that it would slowly melt during the flight and provide them something to drink.

Then I loaded them all up, we headed to the airport, and proceeded to check in- the airlines require multiple copies of all the paperwork, so I had made certain to make 6 different copies of all required paperwork for all the different departments.

One copy (of all the paperwork) gets sealed in a bag and affixed to each crate; one copy goes to the airline itself, one copy for customs and the extras I carried with me for just in case. Once they were checked in, they were taken away by the airlines and I had to hope for the best for all of us during the flight; the cat was with me in his carrier this entire time, not happy in any sense of the word.

The flight to Frankfurt was uneventful; I did make certain that the dogs were loaded by asking the attendants prior to takeoff-they very kindly called and checked that both dogs had been safely stowed in cargo to help alleviate some of my anxiety.

When we landed in Frankfurt I was given updates on my dogs when I asked after them at the KLM desk; customs didn’t check a single form of the required paperwork I was carrying for the cat, but I’ve heard that other people experienced intense scrutiny of all paperwork so it depends on the day and agent apparently.

When we landed at the final destination, in Munich, I wasn’t too sure how things were going to work- I went to baggage claim and claimed my luggage, then I waited for the dogs to be brought to me. This is where things got a little difficult: I had not done this before and was alone with a cat in a carrier, three large suitcases and then two large dog crates on a huge wheeled wagon but the airline workers informed me I couldn’t use their wagon to remove the dogs from the airport, nor could they help me because it was against the rules for them to help with luggage outside the baggage claim area. I was stuck with no help and no ability to handle two luggage carriers and I was informed by customs I couldn’t leave one push-cart behind and return for it.

Thankfully, someone saw my increasing distress and assisted me with getting both luggage push-carts out of customs to the waiting taxi lines. Needless to say, for all my planning and preparation, this last step caused the most problems, so if you are traveling alone with pets, be prepared for the logistical nightmare of arrivals in your final destination.

I hope that this gives some insight into traveling with pets; as I said the airlines all have various rules and you need to check what those are as early in the process as possible. Also make certain to check the IATA website for a list of approved pet carriers and do this early enough to get your pets familiar with them if they haven’t been crate trained before.

Also, never sedate your pet for travel no matter what- it is truly horrible to do and increases the odds that something bad will happen during the flight (I am speaking as a medical professional and a pet owner).

Good luck with your travels!

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Having a dog in Berlin

April 13, 2018, 12:00 am

≫ Next: Banking in Germany

≪ Previous: Taking Dogs or Cats to Germany

Dogs in Berlin: what you need to know

Part III

Berlin rules for owning a pet

There is a reality to having your pets in Berlin that needs to be addressed, and that is the point of today’s post. I covered the logistical information and intricacies of bringing your pets on an international move to Germany (read articles one& two), but haven’t covered the reality of daily life with them in Berlin.

There are rules to pet ownership within Germany and Berlin that you need to be familiar with once you move here.

Years ago there apparently weren’t any laws regarding dog ownership in Berlin and there were multiple cases of aggressive dogs causing issues etc, so to combat this and other concerns, the Berlin government instituted a required registration process of all dogs.

Each state has its’ own requirements and fees and I won’t cover them all, but I will share what I have learned regarding Berlin fees and requirements.

First, all dogs must be leashed in the city, no question.

Second, Berlin’s dog registration fees are pretty outrageous, especially to an American who paid 30 USD per year for my spayed female and 25 USD a year for my neutered male.

The cost for registration in Berlin of the first dog is 120 EUR per year, and a second dog in the same house is an additional 180 EUR a year, for a whopping 300 EUR a year registration fee! I’ve been told other states are not this expensive, but I have not done any research to verify this statement as fact.

In fact, in my research, I learned that the state of Berlin took in over EUR 11 million in 2016 from the dog tax! There are some exceptions to this rule and also, some potential increases in the fee based on the breed of the dog, so make certain to do your research to learn all the specific rules.

Here are some details about how and when you have to register your dog in Berlin.

Also be prepared for how many dogs in Germany aren’t spayed/neutered; there is no law requiring it when adopting a dog from a shelter (as opposed to where I’m from in America where each shelter requires sterilization of dogs/cats before or immediately after adoption).

Here is the link to the FAQ page with the information from the Finanzamt office in Berlin.

You can travel with your pets on the metro, there are a few rules regarding this, and though I have seen many break these rules, I myself choose to follow them because I don’t relish getting fined by the BVG ticket checkers (in my opinion, the small cost of the ticket or following the rules is outweighed by the amount of the fines they levy when caught).

You can travel with your pets on the U-bahn, S-bahn and buses as long as they are leashed and muzzled, and you must purchase a ticket for the dog. The ticket is basically the child’s ticket, and if you purchase your own ticket for 2.80 EUR one way, one dog (or child or other person) can accompany you on that ticket, and the second dog must have it’s own ticket.

Again, many people ignore the muzzle rule as I’ve traveled on the metro and seen many dogs without a muzzle on the trains, but be fully prepared to be fined if caught, or if something worse happens, you will be liable.

There are dog parks within Berlin, but many are on the outskirts of town and I have yet to take my dogs to them to explore but I do hear that they are large and lovely. I have my own issues with dog parks that cause me to not be a frequent user of them, but many love them and feel it is a good place to exercise their pets.

Be fully aware that most of the parks in neighborhoods DO NOT ALLOW dogs at all and the Germans who frequent these parks will not be averse to telling you when you are breaking the rules if you bring your dogs inside them.

I have had two pretty intense encounters with older German men who felt it was their job to yell at me when they thought I had broken a rule (both times I honestly thought I was being yelled at for not picking up their poop-even though I had-but it turned out that just walking through the park with my leashed dogs was enough to get yelled at by a stranger for five minutes).

Again, I see plenty of people with their dogs in parks and I do regularly break that rule myself (always when it’s empty and either early morning hours or later at night), but be prepared to be told in no uncertain terms that you are in fact breaking rules by a German if they catch you.

Now, ironically enough, the Germans love to inform you when you break a posted rule, but someone is leaving all their dogs’ poop all over this town and it can’t solely be the ex-pat owners doing this! The amount of dog poop that doesn’t get picked up is immense in Berlin and I am shocked daily when I watch people let their dogs poop and walk away without picking it up and throwing it away.

I have learned that this is actually a law, picking up your dogs’ poop, and if you are caught without waste bags or found not picking up their waste, you can be fined 35 EUR or more by the Ordnungsamt.

Apparently, they do regularly check their areas and will fine people when they see them not following the rules. I view picking up my dogs’ waste as a duty of being a dog owner; I have two dogs and I have ALWAYS managed to pick up after them no matter what, so this enrages me and I have actually followed some of them and handed over a poop bag-in this I guess I am similar to the older Germans who get so upset when they see me with my dogs in an empty park at 6 am. :-)

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Banking in Germany

April 18, 2018, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Mobile Phone Plans in Germany

≪ Previous: Having a dog in Berlin

Opening a Bank Account in Germany

Bank Accounts Comparison in Germany

Let’s talk banks! Opening a bank account is necessary for obtaining a visa in Germany, but it can be complicated to accomplish.

I honestly believed that opening an account would be simple because I had cash to deposit, a passport, and job offers; sadly I learned pretty quickly that this wasn’t a simple task. There are many banks in Germany to choose from, but I will only cover the few that I attempted to get an account with and the one I was finally able to open an account with.

The issues I faced varied with the different banks, but mostly it boiled down to the fact that many foreign banks don’t want Americans as customers due to the strict tax laws the US government has instituted in the last few years.

The US government requires all foreign banks to report every account owned by Americans abroad, which is a lot of work for the banks to do every year, so many banks have decided to stop allowing Americans to have bank accounts with them and just remove the headache of mandatory reporting.

The second issue I faced when it came to getting an account with a local German bank is that I am a freelancer here in Berlin, and there are a few banks that don’t give accounts to freelancers; I am not sure why this is true but it happens, so be prepared.

First you have to consider what you are looking for in a bank- do you want a checking or a savings account? Do you want a no fee account, or an account that charges a monthly fee? Do you want a credit card or a debit card? Free ATM withdrawals, English customer service, online accounting-what you want to have with your bank is up to you and everyone has different requirements.

"I wanted an account that met the visa requirements, accepted Americans, and didn’t charge me to access my own money every month."

I decided to try the Postbank and went to the closest one, only to learn that they won’t give accounts to freelancers-that was the first strike.

Then I went to the nearest Sparkasse bank and was told that they wouldn’t allow me to open an account because I’m American- second strike.

I decided the next option for me to try was with Deutsche Bank; I went to the closest branch and was declined again because I’m American- some people said that it depends on the branch you go into, but I wasn’t about to go wandering all over Berlin to find the one branch that would allow me an account.

The final bank I tried, N26, worked out and didn’t have an issue with my being American or a freelancer, and it was all done online with no complications.

N26 is a purely online bank that has no monthly fees, offers a free credit card (Germans are not as keen on credit cards as Americans (and American banks) tend to be), offers a free debit card and free ATM withdrawals in Germany and abroad (3 to 5 withdrawals a month).

You can open the N26 bank account online within 8-10 minutes (you need a computer with a webcam or a smartphone with a camera). Also, it has English customer service support and allows freelancers to get an account.

After striking out three times with the three different banks I mentioned, N26 was too easy and simple to pass up. I can deposit cash at local stores and banks around town, also I can access ATMs of any bank to get cash, and if I need assistance I can easily send a message or an email to the support desk.

I’ve used them for close to a year now and I really like them, but I also limit the amount of money I keep within that account because it is an online bank and, in the past, they did experience some hacking issues.

Deutsche Bank also offers no monthly fees, credit and debit cards, free ATM withdrawals in Germany and abroad, allows for online creation of the account, but it doesn’t offer English customer support and doesn’t allow freelancers to get an account. If you aren’t American and you aren’t a freelancer you might choose to bank with Deutsche Bank; I haven’t heard good or bad things from other ex pats regarding this bank so I can’t offer any reviews.

I don't use it but have heard a lot of good things about DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank). They offer a free bank account and you can do all your banking online. You also get a free debit card, a free VISA card and have free cash withdrawals worldwide. The DKB-Cash account is 100% free, but it doesn’t offer English customer support and doesn’t allow freelancers to get an account.

The other bank I tried to get an account with, Postbank, charges from 1.90€ to 3.90€ a month in fees, offers credit cards on request and has a charge of 29 EUR a year in fees, offers a debit card, allows free ATM withdrawals as long as the ATM is within the cash group, doesn’t allow online account creation, doesn’t allow freelancers to get an account and doesn’t offer English customer service. Again, I can’t offer any reviews of this bank as I don’t use it and don’t know anyone who does.

Whichever bank you choose, you have a few different options and need to do some research to decide which works best for you. This is a required step in getting a visa here so do your research and get a bank sorted within the first few weeks of arrival.

As a side note, if you need to do money transfers between your country of origin and Germany, I’ve found that TransferWise is the best option and I use it almost monthly. They have a free app, have the lowest transfer fees and work quickly and efficiently.

Transferring via PayPal costs a minimum of 4.5% when transferring money across borders. If you send €1,000 abroad PayPal charges €45. With TransferWise you are only charged a maximum of 1% (€10).

Banking can be a headache in a foreign country, but if you can find a bank that offers English customer support (until you master the German language of course), doesn’t charge ridiculous ATM fees or fees just to have a basic account, then many of the headaches can be removed.

I hope this article is helpful in giving you some basic information regarding a few main banks in Germany for ex pats.

Good luck!

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Mobile Phone Plans in Germany

April 30, 2018, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Guide to Getting Involved as an Expat in Düsseldorf

≪ Previous: Banking in Germany

Mobile Phone Contracts in Germany

My search for a good mobile phone plan

Moving to a new country can be exciting and make you feel quite adventurous, but then, you remember that you have to figure out phone plans in the new country and the excitement disappears.

I have been outside the USA for five years now, but I remember how horrible AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon were for phone plans-locking people into long term contracts with high costs; I regularly spent $75 a month for my mobile phone contract in America.

When I moved to the Middle East getting a post-paid mobile phone contract required a Power of Attorney from my employer, notarized copies of my passport, and signing over my first born child (slight exaggeration but not by much). That was to get it- to leave and cancel the contract required far more work and huge costs; same as my American mobile phone to be honest.

Here in Germany it is a little different- you can still get long term mobile phone contracts, but there are lots of great, cheap options for prepaid, month-to-month phone plans and I am going to share what I learned on my search for a good plan.

Here in Berlin the main mobile phone providers for long term post paid contracts are Vodafone, and O2; the options for pre-paid SIMs and plans are Lidl Mobile, Aldi Talk, Edeka mobile (there are others but I only researched these three, so these are the ones I’ll cover in this article.

Also, a tip for those coming from America- be sure to have your phone “unlocked” before coming to Germany, so that you can get a German SIM to use in your phone.

Vodafone offers a few different mobile phone plans:

Red-Tarife: 24.99 a month
Young-Tarife (if under age 28): 16.99/month
Easy-Tarife: 14.99/month
Prepaid-Tarife: varies based on what you choose for GB and minutes

Here is the link for the Vodafone information.

If you need a Free SIM card including a prepaid rate, the options below might suit your needs:

All advantages on this page.

All products and tariff details at: vodafone.de/freikarten/

O2 offers both prepaid and post paid/contract plans:

O2 Free XL: 25 GB: 49.99/month
O2 Free L: 20 GB: 39.99/month
O2 Free M: 10 GB: 29.99/month
O2 Free S: 1 GB: 19.99/month

Here is the link for the O2 information.

The prepaid options are more varied and I really am very happy with the prepaid SIM and plan I use monthly. With these options, you pay for the SIM card (9.99 or 12.99 most often) once and then a monthly fee for the plan itself.

Aldi Talk: different plans with a 12.99 one-time fee for the SIM.

Package 300: 7.99/month: 1.5 GB and 300 minutes
Package 600: 12.99/month: 3 GB and 600 minutes
All Net Flat: 19.99/month: unlimited minutes and 5 GB

Here is the link for Aldi Talk plans.

Lidl Connect: a one-time fee of 9.99 for the SIM and different monthly plans:

Smart XS: 500 MB and 100 minutes: 4.99/month
Smart S: 1.5 GB and 300 minutes: 7.99/month*
Smart L: 3 GB and 600 minutes: 12.99/month
All Net Flat: 5 GB and flat rate of .09 cents a minute

Here is the link for the Lidl Connect.

I chose to buy the Lidl Connect Smart S and I’ve never had an issue. I find the top up monthly is very easy using the web site, which means no monthly trips to my local Lidl (there isn’t one close to me).

Now the area where people tend to have the most issues with the SIM is when the verification of your passport needs to happen.

When you first install the SIM, and set up the connection, you have to install an app, WebIdent, and get your passport “verified”. This is due to a new law that started in July of 2017 in order to cut down on illegal use of prepaid SIMs; this has caused a lot of frustration for people of different nationalities- a friend of mine from NZ wasn’t able to ever get a SIM to work because they said they wouldn’t verify (or maybe couldn’t) her New Zealand passport.

How does WebID work?

This verification process took me a wait of 2 hours on a Thursday morning, but once I had a person from the app looking at my passport and verifying it, it was finished within 15 minutes. I’m including the Reddit post I found online with a discussion regarding this issue.

Regardless, I found Lidl to be the cheapest and I really like them, plus I love the lack of a contract.

Good luck with the decision-making!

↧

Guide to Getting Involved as an Expat in Düsseldorf

May 4, 2018, 1:30 am

≫ Next: Freelance Visa for Germany

≪ Previous: Mobile Phone Plans in Germany

Your New Life as an Expat in Düsseldorf

Helpful resource to get you out there making some new friends

Getting to know your new life as an expat and finding ways to get involved isn’t always the easiest of tasks. As expats, we often arrive with a long list of things to do in order to get settled into our new city, including registering with the local Bürgerbüro (registration office), finding a neighborhood to live in and swapping out your foreign license for a German one. While checking off this list of things to do may take time, most of these tasks don’t pose too much of a challenge. Getting involved and finding friends in your new city on the other hand, takes much more work.

As an expat, it’s up to us to make that first step into unknown territory to find new friends. If you’ve already found a job or know a couple locals, it may be easier for you to connect, but for many expats, getting involved can be a real struggle.

With that being said, I hope that this guide to getting involved as an expat in Düsseldorf will be a helpful resource to get you out there making some new friends!

Join the Online Communities in Düsseldorf

Whether you are looking for English or German communities online, there are a number of different groups you can join and start interacting in. Often times you will notice that many individuals within these groups plan their own fun nights out, sport meetups, BBQ’s and book clubs. Here are a few online communities you can join:

Düsseldorf Expat Meetups (where you can join events or even create your own)
Expat-preneurs Düsseldorf (where you can meet international and inspiring entrepreneurs)
Girl Gone International (a group of ladies who meetup for monthly events around town)
Düsseldorfer Toastmasters (a group where you can rid your fear of public speaking and meet new friends)
Couchsurfing Düsseldorf (a group where you can meet not just international locals, but people from all over the world)

Join in on Organized Meetups

The great thing about online communities is that many of them are active in creating monthly meetups or events offline as well. All of the communities listed above host either monthly regular events, or a number of mini-events throughout the month. If you want to keep updated regularly on upcoming events in German and English (and many other languages as well), meetup.com is a great resource!

Here are a few meetup.com communities that might interest you:

The Düsseldorf Expat Meetup Group

Düsseldorf Party Meetup

The Düsseldorf Boardgamers Meetup Group

Düsseldorf International Football Club

Sprachenstammtisch Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf Yoga Meetup

The Multinational-Intercultural Meetup Group Düsseldorf

Join a Sports Club

What better way to get involved and stay active than by joining a sports club in the city? There are a number of different sports clubs and a surprisingly few who speak English as well.

Here are a few in particular who speak quite a bit of English:

The Düsseldorf Curling Club

The Düsseldorf Dragons Rugby Club

The Düsseldorf Bulldozer Football Club

We’ve also put together an entire guide to sports teams in Düsseldorf on our Life in Düsseldorf web page if you’re interested in checking out another sport around town.

Join in on the Celebrations

No matter what kind of group or community you’re looking for, joining in on the local celebrations is a great way to meet new friends from all over the world. My tip to finding out what local celebrations are taking place, is to use Facebook’s event search function and narrow it down to the location you’re hoping to find some events in.

Here are a few of my favorite annual events:

Düsseldorf Karneval (in February)

Düsseldorf Japantag (in May)

Düsseldorf Rheinkirmes (in July)

Düsseldorf Craft Beer Festival (in July)

Düsseldorfer Büdchentag (in August)

Düsseldorf Christmas Markets (in December)

Hopefully with a little bit of inspiration and a slight push you can get out there are start getting involved with local activities and events. Have fun!

Written by Jenna Davis, Founder of Life in Düsseldorf

↧

Freelance Visa for Germany

May 7, 2018, 6:00 am

≫ Next: How to (not) get a visa for Germany

≪ Previous: Guide to Getting Involved as an Expat in Düsseldorf

How to get a Freelance Visa for Germany

Your Guide to Getting a German Freelance Visa

*** Disclaimer: This Guide is not a legal advice. Everyone’s experience and situation is different. I will share my personal experience obtaining the freelance visa in Berlin as an American. ***

Citizens from the USA (excl. green card holders), Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand, Venezuela and Colombia (see the full list here) are automatically granted a 3-month tourist visa immediately upon landing in Germany. You go through customs as you exit the plane and get a stamp in your passport that allows you to be in Germany for 3 months. You do not need to apply for a visa prior to entry.

I decided to move to Berlin on a whim, and also, because of something my Berlin-based tattooist said as I sat in her chair for ten hours getting inked in winter 2016. Berlin is an amazing city, gritty, international, with a complex history that sinks it’s teeth in visitors and never lets go. I loved it from the minute I wandered around the neighborhood where my hotel was based; I loved the art, the weather, how real it felt…I loved all of it and I decided that four days wasn’t going to be long enough to explore.

As I was getting a tattoo the artist said that she was in Berlin (and Germany) because they have freelance visas for people with skills or for artists.

I was intrigued and decided to do some further research to determine if I qualify for this type of visa, and, if I could, move to Berlin in the future. That future came far more quickly than I’d imagined or planned for, but I decided that even if it was a few years earlier than I’d planned, I was going to move to Berlin and take a leap of faith.

I’m going to share the facts about the freelance visa for Germany in today’s article, and in a few days I will share my personal experience obtaining this visa.

Check here to see if you need to apply for an entry visa for Germany from abroad.

The rules of the Schengen Zone as they apply to American passport holders (and to nationals of those countries for which the EU has abolished the visa requirement) are as follows: Americans are allowed to be in the Schengen Area for 90 days within a six month period (180 days); these days are consecutive and once you hit that 90-day mark, your tourist visa expires. You have to leave the Schengen Area for 3 months for that tourist visa to essentially “reset” and then you can return for another 90-day period.

If you are just traveling around, planning to leave the Schengen Zone for 90 days every 3 months is easily dealt with, but if you, like me, want to live in Germany for longer than 3 months you have to apply for a residence visa.

Everything you need to know about the Schengen Area: read here the brochure provided by the European Commission.

The German residence visas available to Americans (and to nationals of those countries for which the EU has abolished the visa requirement) include the freelance work visa, the freelance artist visa, and the job seeker visa; there are others but these are the only ones I will cover in these articles because these are the ones I’ve researched and applied for and have personal first-hand knowledge.

The EU has withdrawn the visa requirement for visits of up to three months in a six-month period for citizens of certain states. See here if you need to apply for an entry visa for Germany from abroad.

The freelance residence visa allows you to live and work within Germany for a period of 1-3 years (some freelancers get approved for only one year visas while others are approved for up to 3 years-it depends on your job, your skills and education, your savings, etc).

The required steps once you land in Germany using the 90-day tourist visa are as follows:

Get a flat or a room that allows you to register for your Anmeldung (see this blog post).
Open a German bank account. (see this blog post).
Get proper, German health insurance (this is a really tough and important detail that includes so many variables and issues that I won’t cover the information in this blog-all I will say is find a reputable insurance broker, I can recommend BProtected Germany).
Make an appointment at the LABO (Auslanderbehorde- foreigner’s office) before your 90-day tourist visa is up.
Gather all documents (fleshed out below).

Ok, so some further info re: Step 4. Once you are in Germany on the tourist visa, go online and book an appointment at the LABO; the earliest available date could potentially be 4-8 weeks out. As long as you schedule the appointment (book the appointment) within your tourist visa, even if the appointment isn’t until 2-5 weeks (or longer) after your tourist visa expires, you are granted an “extension” of the tourist visa-because you are actively working on a residence visa to stay.

It’s a weird gray area, but basically, book the appointment online within your 90 days as a tourist and you are legally allowed to remain past your tourist visa end date.

The dreaded documentation: this is the heart of German bureaucracy (paperwork and ticking boxes) so this needs to be SPOT ON, no deviations and all in order.

The required documentation that you MUST bring with you to the LABO appointment is as follows:

Proof of main residence in Berlin (certificate of registration + rental contract + landlord's confirmation letter).
Proof of Health Insurance (your insurer will include proof of insurance when you sign up).
2-3 “Letters of Intent” from potential, local, future clients. These are hugely important and not listed on the LABO website. These are letters from local German companies that state they are interested in hiring you based on your skills for working here in Berlin. These are not contracts and are not obligatory for the businesses in any way- these just state that, based on your skills and education, you have potential interest from local companies.
Bank statements: I’ve been told that the magic number the LABO wants to see in your savings is 8,000 euro; this is mainly to prove that you have enough reserves/savings to maintain your living situation during lean times.
The application form: this is called the Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels. You will find this form on the LABO website in many languages; fill it out online, print it off and bring it with you to the appointment.
Profit and Loss paperwork filled out. You will also find these templates on the LABO website.
Finance Plan: This is a sheet that states how much money you have. Find it here.
Cover Letter stating why you want to be in Germany, what your skills and education are, and your professional background.
Copy of CV/Resume in German: details about all relevant clients you have worked with and projects you have worked on.
Diplomas and/or certificates.

These are the basic facts of the Freelance Residence visa and the required documentation.

A few additional facts:

On the day of the appointment arrive early and be prepared to wait, bring 110 euro in cash with you for the visa application fees, bring extra passport photos (at least 4) and make certain that you aren’t smiling in them- the Germans are quite strict about this fact, and bring with you a German speaker. You can hire translators and other visa specialists to accompany you to the appointment because you need them-unless you speak fluent German.

Remember the law in Germany is that no language other than German will be spoken by the workers of the LABO because they are “speaking” for the State and the language of the State is German-they most likely do know and speak English but the law doesn’t allow them to conduct State business in any language other than German.

If you’ve got all required documents, and all is filled out correctly, you most likely will be issued your freelance visa that same day.

Good luck!

↧

Getting married in Germany?

Here is a Marriage Guide written by an expat couple (American-Italian) living in Berlin

(not suitable for citizens from third-party countries)

Here are the steps to follow if you want to live in Germany and are free to move inside the EU without a visa

Where do you come from?

What's next?

7 Steps to live in Germany:

Look for a place to live

Bürgeramt Registration: the Anmeldung process to register your address in Germany

You are now allowed to work or study in Germany!

German Health Insurance

German Tax ID Number

Open a Bank Account

Integration: It's time to learn German!

>>Anmeldung Form in Various Languages<<

The old woman and the sea (of paperwork) or, advanced parenting in Germany

Can I be a freelancer in Germany (Freiberufler)?

Advantages of being a freelancer?

Freelancing in Germany in 7 Steps

Apply for a Visa (from outside of Germany)

Apply for a Visa (from outside of Germany)

Look for a place to live

Bürgeramt Registration: the Anmeldung process to register in Germany

German Health Insurance

Open a Bank Account

Apply for a Residence Permit [If applicable, refer to point 1]

Fill in the freelancing form and bring it to your local Finanzamt.

Can I live in Germany without any health insurance?

But what if I have the EHIC?

Can I move to Germany with an international health insurance?

Do I automatically get insured when I start to work or study in Germany?

I don't have a German address yet, can I apply for a German health insurance?

Which type of health insurance do Germans prefer?

Is the membership in a public health insurance compulsory or voluntary?

What’s the main difference between ‘compulsory’ and ‘voluntary’ public health insurance?

Who is eligible for the compulsory public insurance scheme?

What are the advantages of choosing the public health insurance instead of the private one?

As an international student, can I be exempt from taking out a German health insurance?

Is the compulsory public health insurance convenient for a student?

I'm 31 years old, can I choose the public health insurance on a voluntary basis?

What is the main pro and con of private health insurance?

Who would be eligible for private health insurance?

Who can take out a German travel health insurance?

Can I use this health insurance for visa application or residence permit renewal?

Do you need health insurance?

On your own with forms and a good dose of patience

With the help of online platforms

With professional advisors

Are you a student ready to enroll in a German higher education institution? Or a Ph.D. candidate. Here are the first steps you need to take when moving to Germany.

1. Apply for admission to a German university (from abroad)

2. Apply for a visa at a German mission abroad

3. Look for a 'permanent' place to live

4. Register in Germany (Anmeldung)

5. Obtain health insurance

6. Apply for a residence permit for study purposes

7. Enroll at a German university

8. Open a German bank account

(Step One)

Step Three: the “Anmeldung”

What documents you need when viewing a flat in Berlin *

Join the Online Communities in Düsseldorf

Join in on Organized Meetups

Join a Sports Club

Join in on the Celebrations

The required steps once you land in Germany using the 90-day tourist visa are as follows:

The required documentation that you MUST bring with you to the LABO appointment is as follows:

A few additional facts:

Bürgeramt Registration:
the Anmeldung process to register your address in Germany

**Can I be a freelancer in Germany (Freiberufler)?**

Bürgeramt Registration:
the Anmeldung process to register in Germany