Living in Germany — eight topics, explained honestly.
This is the part agents charge money for. Here it is, openly, free, without signing up. Every topic follows the same structure: what applies, what you need, who decides — with a link to the official body — and when we last checked it.
All information as of September 2026. Rules change — check with the named authority before you file anything.
The eight topics at a glance
1 · Residence
The visa is only the entry ticket. The residence permit comes afterwards.
2 · Family
Who may follow you, what must be proven, how long it takes.
3 · Health insurance
Compulsory from day one — and the point that changes the family maths completely.
4 · Money
Gross is not net. And net is not what is left.
5 · Housing
Registration, deposit, landlord confirmation — and the traps.
6 · Employment law
What must be in the contract, and what is yours regardless of the contract.
7 · Recognition
How the procedure really runs and who decides.
8 · Staying for good
Settlement permit, citizenship, pension.
1 · Residence
What applies
Your visa is only permission to enter — it is not your residence permit. After arrival you apply to the foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) of your city for the actual permit. That is not a formality: it is a separate application with its own appointment.
Your permit is tied to a purpose — in your case work or a qualification measure. If the purpose falls away, the permit is at risk. Two things follow from that: report a change of employer rather than doing it quietly, and apply for renewal before the permit expires — not after.
If your appointment falls after the expiry date, there is the Fiktionsbescheinigung: a document that legalises your stay until a decision is made. But you must apply for it in time — afterwards is too late.
What you need
- An appointment at the AusländerbehördeIn many cities appointments are scarce. Book as soon as you have an address, not when the visa is about to run out.
- Registration certificateYou only get this after registering at the Bürgeramt (→ topic 5).
- Employment contract and proof of the employment relationship
- Proof of health insurance→ topic 3
- Passport and a biometric photograph
Who decides
The Ausländerbehörde of the city or district where you live. Not us, not your employer, not the embassy. Each city publishes its own appointment system and document list — that list is the one that counts.
Official overviews: Make it in Germany (federal government portal) · Federal Office for Migration and Refugees · last checked 09/2026
2 · Family
What applies
Your spouse and minor children can follow you. Three conditions are almost always central: sufficient living space, a secured livelihood without state support, and a valid marriage that can be recognised in Germany.
On language — and the internet is full of wrong answers here: whether your spouse must prove basic German depends on which residence permit you hold. For several permits for qualified employment the requirement does not apply. So do not rely on a general answer, not even ours — have your case confirmed.
Important for planning: the application is made at the German mission in the family's home country, not from inside Germany. And it takes months. If you want your family with you, start early.
What you need
- Marriage and birth certificateswith apostille or legalisation and certified translation — the same route as your own documents.
- Tenancy agreement and flat sizeWhat counts as "sufficient" is assessed by the Ausländerbehörde. Ask before you take a flat that is too small.
- Proof of incomecontract and payslips.
- Language certificate for the spouse, if applicablesee above — first establish whether it is required in your case at all.
Who decides
The German mission in the family's country, together with the Ausländerbehörde of your place of residence.
Federal Foreign Office visa portal · Make it in Germany · last checked 09/2026
3 · Health insurance
What applies
Health insurance in Germany is compulsory — not optional, and not a benefit your employer could choose to leave out. As an employee you are normally in the statutory health insurance and you choose which fund (Krankenkasse) to join. The contribution is shared with your employer and deducted directly from your pay.
The point that changes everything for families: in statutory insurance a spouse without their own income and your children are, under certain conditions, covered with you at no additional premium (Familienversicherung). If you come from a system where every family member must be insured separately, include this when you compare net salaries — it is often worth more than the difference in pay.
Mind the gap: between arrival and your first day at work you are not yet covered through your employer. You need your own cover for that period.
What you need
- A Krankenkasse of your choiceYou register there and they notify your employer. Benefits are largely defined by law; additional contributions and service differ.
- Social insurance numberissued in the course of your first registration.
- Cover for the period before your job startsTravel health insurance or another solution — arrange it before you travel.
Who decides
The Krankenkasse you join decides on membership and on family cover. The framework is set by law.
Federal Ministry of Health · last checked 09/2026 — contribution rates change annually, ask your fund for current figures
4 · Money
What applies
Between the figure in your contract (gross) and the figure in your account (net) sit two blocks:
1. Income tax. How much depends on your tax class, which depends on your family situation. A married person with family in Germany pays less on the same gross than a single person. Add the solidarity surcharge and, if you are a member of a tax-collecting religious community, church tax.
2. Social contributions: health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance, paid by you and your employer together. This is not lost money — it is what produces your health cover and your pension.
And then comes the rent. It is by far the largest single item in Germany and differs by a multiple between a big city and a small town. A net figure promised without a concrete contract and a concrete city is worthless.
What you need
- Tax identification numberarrives automatically by post after you register. Without it your employer must deduct at a less favourable rate — submit it immediately.
- A German bank accountPay is transferred; rent and insurance are debited.
- Your first payslip — and someone to read it with you That is exactly what the "Living in Germany" module does: your real payslip, line by line.
Who decides
The tax office (Finanzamt) of your place of residence for tax questions, the social insurance institutions for contributions. Individual tax advice may only be given by tax advisers and income tax assistance associations — not by us either.
Federal Central Tax Office · German Pension Insurance · last checked 09/2026 — tax and contribution rates change annually
5 · Housing
What applies
After moving in you must register at the Bürgeramt / residents' registration office — usually within two weeks; the exact deadline is on your city's website. This registration is the key to everything else: without the registration certificate there is no residence permit, no tax ID, and often no bank account.
For it you need the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung — a form your landlord fills in and signs. You cannot register if the landlord does not give it to you. Clarify this before you sign a tenancy agreement.
On the deposit: by law it may not exceed three months' cold rent and may be paid in three instalments. If someone demands more, or everything in cash without a receipt, that is a warning sign.
Cold and warm: "Kaltmiete" is the rent alone; "Warmmiete" includes service charges. Electricity is frequently not included in either and is contracted separately.
What you need
- A written tenancy agreementwith names, address, rent, deposit and notice period.
- Wohnungsgeberbestätigungfrom the landlord — mandatory for registration.
- An appointment at the Bürgeramtin many cities online only, often with a waiting time.
- Passport and, for families, the documents of everyone moving with you
Who decides
The Bürgeramt of your city for registration. Disputes about a tenancy belong to tenants' associations and lawyers — not to us.
last checked 09/2026 — deadlines and forms are set by your city
6 · Employment law
What applies
Some things are yours regardless of what the contract says — a contract cannot validly take them away:
Minimum leave. By law at least 24 working days per year on a six-day week, which corresponds to 20 working days on a five-day week. Many contracts and collective agreements give more.
Minimum wage. A statutory minimum wage exists and is adjusted regularly. In many sectors a higher collectively agreed wage applies on top.
Probation and dismissal. A probation period may last at most six months. After that, protection against unfair dismissal applies in many businesses. Dismissals must be in writing — a dismissal by message or spoken word is legally ineffective.
Overtime must be agreed and either paid or compensated with time off. It is not automatically included in your salary just because someone says it is.
And fundamentally: your residence depends on your work, but your employer is not your authority. He may not take your passport, may not keep your documents and does not decide about your residence.
What you need
- The contract in writing — and a copy for yourself Never sign anything you do not receive your own signed copy of.
- Your own record of working hoursWrite your hours down yourself. In a dispute about overtime it is your only evidence.
- Payslipskeep all of them.
Who decides
In a dispute, the labour courts. Support comes from trade unions (for members) and specialist employment lawyers. The minimum wage is enforced by the customs authority.
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs · Customs — minimum wage · last checked 09/2026 — the level of the minimum wage changes, check the current figure there
7 · Recognition
What applies
First the question that decides everything: is your occupation regulated or not?
Not regulated (industry, metal, electrical, mechatronics, welding, many trades): you need no recognition procedure in order to work. Your employer decides. You only need an equivalence assessment insofar as your residence permit requires one.
Regulated (health and nursing professions above all): without recognition you may not practise the profession. The outcome comes in three forms — full equivalence, partial equivalence with conditions (an adaptation course or a knowledge examination) or refusal. A decision with conditions is not a failure: it is the normal case, and it states precisely what is still missing.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, nursing runs in two steps at two different offices: first the equivalence assessment at the central recognition office for health professions (ZAG-PuG, Bezirksregierung Münster, up to €277.50, decision 2–4 months after your file is complete), then the licence to practise at the Bezirksregierung of your place of work (€60, B2 required).
The most common cause of delay is always the same: the hours statement is missing or incomplete. Theory and practice in hours — that is the basis of the comparison.
What you need
- Original qualification certificate with apostille or legalisation
- Subject and hours statementcomplete, with hour counts. If your documents list only subjects, request written confirmation from your institution — early.
- Certified translations
- Professional experiencereferences with period, position and weekly hours.
- Language certificateB2 for the licence to practise in nursing.
Who decides
The competent recognition office of the federal state in which you intend to work. The application is made once, in one state.
anerkennung-in-deutschland.de (federal portal) · ZAG-PuG NRW · qualifications from third countries · last checked 09/2026
8 · Staying for good
What applies
A work-based residence permit is temporary — but it is a route, not an endpoint. It can become a settlement permit: an unlimited right of residence that no longer hangs on a single employment contract. It generally requires a qualifying period of residence, contributions to the pension insurance, a secured livelihood, sufficient German and no relevant criminal record.
Citizenship can follow. The qualifying periods and conditions have been changed several times in recent years and may change again. We deliberately give no number of years here — an outdated figure at this point would be worse than none. Ask the naturalisation office of your city for the rule in force today.
And the part almost nobody mentions: every month you work in Germany counts towards your pension. That is the difference between years that pass and years that build something.
What you need
- Complete records of your residence and employment periods Keep every permit, every contract and every payslip. You will need them years later.
- Proof of pension contributionsThe German Pension Insurance sends you a statement periodically — check it for gaps.
- Language certificate
- Naturalisation testif you take that route.
Who decides
The Ausländerbehörde on the settlement permit, the naturalisation authority on citizenship.
BAMF · German Pension Insurance · last checked 09/2026 — naturalisation periods change, verify with the authority
When it is about your case — go here
This page ends where your personal case begins. That is not an excuse but the law — and it is a good thing, because for your case there are better places than us.
Migration advice — free of charge
The Migration Advice Service for Adult Immigrants (MBE) is funded by the federal government and is free for you. It advises on residence, work, family, language and everyday life — independently, with no interest in selling you anything. There are advice centres in almost every city.
A specialist migration lawyer
If an application has been refused, a deadline is running out or your residence is at risk, the case belongs with a lawyer. That costs money — on a low income you can apply for legal aid (Beratungshilfe) at the local court.
The competent authority itself
Ausländerbehörde, recognition office, health fund, tax office: the answer of the competent body beats any answer from the internet — including ours. Ask in writing, then you also have the answer on record.