Obtaining a work permit for Germany is not always easy. Your success in the application process depends on various factors: your nationality, your occupation, even your annual salary. Here are the key aspects that you have to keep in mind.

General Considerations

Over the past few years, the German government has tried to encourage the migration of highly qualified professionals by introducing a new residence title for Germany. The aging population and a shortage of engineers, IT specialists, healthcare staff, etc. have become major challenges.

EU nationals, as well as people from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, don’t need a visa or official permission to hold a job in Germany. However, intra-European migration may not be enough to compensate for the lack of qualified employees. Therefore, getting a work visa (aka “Blue Card EU”) has become easier for selected, well-paid third-country nationals with a university degree.

Nowadays, an employment permit for Germany is usually issued together with their residence permit. Plenty of people holding a German residence permit are allowed to start working in Germany too, unless their residence title explicitly says otherwise.

Nonetheless, immigration laws do remain rather strict. Except for the cases mentioned above, it is not always easy to take up gainful employment.

Moreover, no other document can replace your residence and / or work permit for Germany. Do not consider working without one. If caught, both you and your employer will have to pay high fines. And without such permits, no insurance company will cover you in case of workplace accidents or occupational diseases.

Country of Origin

Acquiring a work permit for Germany strongly depends on your nationality. If you are a citizen of an EU member state, you needn’t apply for one. There are, however, temporary exceptions for citizens of Croatia. They have to get a so-called EU work permit from the Federal Employment Agency. This requirement will be abolished by June 30, 2015, though.

Citizens of other states usually need to apply for a work permit for Germany from abroad, together with their visa. Handing in your application from within Germany is only possible for expats from a few selected countries (e.g. Canada or the US).

Once you kick off the process, the German diplomatic mission will contact the immigration department (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany. In turn, this office gets in touch with the Federal Employment Agency.

The agency can then approve your application, issue the permit, and submit it to the Ausländerbehörde. From there, it is passed on to the diplomatic mission where you have originally applied for your visa.

If you are interested in an employment visa for Germany, go to the nearest German Embassy or Consulate in order to:

• apply in person
• bring a valid passport and at least one copy thereof
• supply several passport photographs
• pay the required fee
• provide additional documents (e.g. a certificate of good conduct, a job contract, diplomas and references, etc.).

Details regarding the visa application process may vary according to your country of origin. Please contact your local German Embassy to check the exact requirements.

If you are already employed at the foreign branch office of a German company, this is likely to speed up things. Your employer can help you with the immigration process or provide you with a contract for an intra-company transfer. The latter often makes it a lot easier to obtain a work visa for Germany.

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If you do not want to completely say goodbye to your own country in order to live in Germany, permanent residency to guarantee you can stay long-term might be a better bet.

Taking up residency in Germany can be a tricky topic that involves a fair bit of paperwork. This article will list the most common types of German residence permits and explain how to register with local authorities upon arrival.

Just like obtaining a German visa, acquiring a German residence permit is strongly tied to your nationality and your reasons for coming to Germany. First of all, nationals of EU or EEA member states do not need a residence permit at all. As long as they move to Germany for work or study or have some way to financially support themselves, they enjoy full mobility within the EU. Upon arrival, they still need to register with the local authorities, though.

For an expat from outside the EU, a residence permit is usually issued for the purpose of employment or education in Germany. It is also possible to get one for joining a spouse or parent living in Germany. However, in the last case, this does not necessarily include permission to work in Germany.

The duration of your residence permit usually reflects your personal situation, i.e. your living and working conditions. Getting an extension is usually not a problem if your situation doesn’t change. For example, if you keep working for the same company year after year, your residence permit should be renewed as a matter of course.

The following article solely focuses on the available types of residence permits. Furthermore, it explains how to register with the local authorities after you’ve moved to Germany.

Types of Residence Permits

All foreign residents from non-EU member states need a residence permit for planned stays longer than 90 days, regardless of their country of origin. A short-term visa for visitors can only be extended under special circumstances, e.g. if you fall seriously ill before your intended date of departure.

Usually, you have to apply for a visa plus a residence permit (and work permit, if necessary) at an embassy or consulate. Nationals from a few selected countries can also obtain these after arriving in Germany. There are just a few exceptions to this rule, especially for asylum seekers and political refugees. Obviously, they don’t have to go through the regular application process via a diplomatic mission.

For a typical expat moving to Germany, the following kinds of residence permits might be of interest:

• the temporary residence permit,
• the Blue Card,
• the EC long-term residence permit, and
• the permanent settlement permit.

The general requirements for these permits are that you have adequate German skills, can support yourself financially, have health insurance and have no criminal record.

There’s also a settlement permit. This one does not allow you to move around the EU in the same way, but sometimes you can get it in less than five years.

For the settlement permit, students of a German university can apply two years after graduation. And EU Blue Card holders (people with a gross income over €49,600, or €38,688 depending on the profession) can get permanent residence after working 33 months, or just 21 months with a B1 language certificate.

Plus, self-employed people with a successfully established business can also apply within three years.

Germany also will grant immediate permanent residence to “highly qualified” immigrants, such as scientists, instructors or researchers, who also have firm job offers.

A temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) is the most common type. It’s generally valid for one year. How often it has to be renewed strongly depends on your employment status, your occupation, and your nationality. For example, a US expatriate who has an unlimited job contract with a company based in Germany may receive a permit that needs to be renewed after three years. However, if the same person only has a limited employment contract for the next two years, their residence permit will run out after around two years as well.

As long as your personal situation doesn’t change, the renewal of your residence permit is mostly a formality. However, if you change employers, lose your job, separate from your spouse, etc., all this can impact your residence status. In such cases, it’s best to contact the local Ausländerbehörde (Aliens Registration Office) immediately. You can also consult an immigration lawyer for further advice.

The EU Blue Card is a temporary residence permit plus work permit for highly-qualified employees. It’s easier to apply for than a regular employment visa. At the moment, you need a university degree and a confirmed job offer with an annual salary of EUR 47,600 or more. Expats working in engineering, IT, medical care, or the natural sciences may also qualify for a Blue Card if they earn at least EUR 37,128 per year. An EU Blue Card is normally valid for up to four years. The spouses of Blue Card holders are allowed to live and work in Germany, too. Moreover, it’s easier for expatriates with Blue Cards to obtain a permanent settlement permit.

Settlement Permits

Most foreign residents can apply for a permanent residence permit – a “settlement permit” (Niederlassungserlaubnis) – after five years. Some people may get it sooner: For example, if you are a non-EU national married to a German citizen, you could file your application for a settlement permit after three years. If you have graduated from a German university and hold a temporary residence permit for paid employment, you can even submit your application after two years.

However, you need to fulfill various other conditions: You have to prove some basic knowledge of the German language, Germany’s political system, and German society. Moreover, you need to show that you are able to earn a living and that you have made financial contributions to Germany’s national pension plan for five years. Proof of accommodation is also required.

In a few rare cases, a permanent residence permit is granted at once. For instance, highly qualified people, such as academic teaching and research staff, and scholars, can receive a settlement permit immediately if they can financially support themselves and have adapted well to the local culture.

The so-called “EU long-term residence permit” is almost identical to the German settlement permit. It was mostly introduced to comply with a new EU directive. However, if you obtain the EU long-term residence permit in Germany, this allows you to move to other EU member states. Unlike people with a regular residence permit or settlement permit, you receive full access to the labor market and social security schemes in the European Union.

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Getting German Citizenship is one of the top questions we get so we have decided to summarize the information for those who are willing to get started.

The German Foreign Office quite ominously warns on its website that “German citizenship law is relatively complicated” and that they can only answer “the issues which currently dominate the inquiries”.

Becoming a German will probably mean renouncing your current citizenship, but there’s also the option to gain permanent residency. Find out what works for you.

What does it mean to have German Citizenship?

When you are living in Germany only as a permanent resident, you do not qualify as a citizen of Germany. This puts some restrictions in your status, and that is why so many permanent residents of Germany seek to get citizenship.

Having German citizenship gives you rights and freedoms that non-citizens do not have. You will have these opportunities as a German citizen:

• The right to vote
• The right of free movement
• The right of assembly and association
• The right of consular protection
• Unrestricted access to find a job in Germany
• The right to become a civil servant, etc.

Besides the rights as per the German constitution, you will also have the obligations and duties that each German citizen has. This includes the integration in society, respect for and obedience of all laws, and even German military service.

Types of German Citizenship

Becoming a German citizen is not possible under all circumstances. There are three general instances that can lead to you getting German citizenship.

• • By naturalization
  • By right of blood or in Latin Jus Sanguinis
  • By right of soil or in Latin Jus Soli

Getting citizenship by naturalization implies that you have fulfilled certain requirements that the German government has set and you qualify to apply for German citizenship. The other type, by right of blood or Jus Sanguinis means that you get German citizenship if you are a direct descendant of German citizens. This includes only your parents and no other relatives. By right of soil or Jus Soli means that you are born within the borders of Germany, so in German soil and that is how you get your citizenship.

All people with the exception of EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals, must fulfill requirements and fall into one of these categories for getting German citizenship.

Despite these three instances being quite straightforward, each one of them has its own rules and regulations, which we will discuss further.

German Naturalization

German naturalization means that after a certain period of living in Germany as a permanent resident, you apply to become a citizen. There are many restrictions and requirements for obtaining naturalization, so not everyone can get it.

German Citizenship Requirements for Naturalization

The requirements that you need to fulfill in order to qualify for naturalization are as follows:

• You must have lived in Germany on a residence permit for at least 8 years, or
• You must have lived in Germany on a residence permit for 7 years and attended an integration course (this becomes 6 years on special integration circumstances)
• You must prove German language proficiency of at least B1
• You must be financially able to support yourself and your family without any help from the state
• You must be a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record
• You must pass a citizenship test
• You must renounce any previous citizenships

Your residence records are in the government system so that will be an easy requirement to fulfill. For financial stability, you can submit bank statements and other documents, which state your financial situation. In addition, you must give up all previous citizenships, except if the other country does not allow it or it is impossible to give it up. This is the case with many countries in conflict, such as Syria.

One of the most important requirements in this case, which you must prove through testing is your language proficiency. You can prove that you know German up to the B1 level required by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, by providing any of these documents:

• A German language certificate such as the Zertifikat Deutsch
• A certification that you have obtained through an integration course, such as the “DTZ – German test for immigrants”
• A certificate which proves you have completed a German secondary school
• Admissions proof in a German upper secondary school
• A certificate which proves you have completed at least 4 years of school in German with a passing grade
• Proof of completion of higher education degrees in German

If you do not have any document, which proves your language proficiency, you can complete a government language test administered by your citizenship authority. Either way, you must know German in order to be eligible for naturalization or any other type of German citizenship.

How to apply for German Citizenship Naturalization?

If you can prove that you meet all the requirements for naturalization, you can begin your application process. All persons over the age of 16 are obliged to apply. Parents and legal guardians of children under 16 years old apply for them. The steps to applying for naturalization are as follows:

Get an application form

Since Germany is a big country, each state and place has their immigration office to apply for naturalization. To begin the process, you must get a naturalization application form from one of the following places:

• The local immigration office
• If you live in an urban area, go to the city council
• If you live in a German district, go to the regional district office
• The town council or any other local authorities

Fill the application form and start compiling a file with all documents, which prove you meet the requirements.

Pass the German Citizenship Test

To prove that you are ready to gain German citizenship, you must pass the citizenship test. This test includes 33 multiple choice questions on German living, society, rules, and laws, as well as questions specific to the place you live. The test takes one hour and you must answer at least 17 questions correctly to pass the test. When you pass the test, you will get a naturalization certificate, which you can add to your document file.

To prepare for the test, you can take an integration course, use the practice test options of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, or simply read more information on German life and laws.

The German citizenship test costs EUR 25, and the local naturalization office in your area can tell you where your nearest test center is so you can register. You need to bring a form of ID on the test day.

You can be exempt from the naturalization test if you belong to any of these groups:

• You cannot take the test due to old age, illness, or disability
• You are under 16 years old
• You have a higher education degree from a German university in politics, law, or social sciences

Pay the naturalization fees

There are also certain fees associated with applying for German citizenship through naturalization. These are the fees you must pay:

• Application form for 255 Euros for adults
• Application form for 51 Euros for children under 16 years old
• Naturalization/Citizenship test for 25 Euros
• Citizenship certificate for 25 Euros

Submit all documents

Take the documents which prove you meet naturalization requirements, your application form, the receipts that you have paid all fees, and your naturalization certificate to the office from which you have taken the application form. The officers will go through your case and if approved, you will get the citizenship certificate. The certificate now proves that you are a citizen of Germany and not just a permanent resident.

German Citizenship by Marriage

People who qualify for naturalization are not only those who have had permanent residence in Germany for a specified period of time. If you marry a German citizen you can also get citizenship by applying for naturalization.

Foreign nationals who are already married to a German national must still meet all naturalization requirements and pass the test. However, they should also meet the marriage requirements. This means that the foreign national spouse cannot apply for naturalization unless, the couple has been married for at least two years and have lived in Germany for at least three years.

German Citizenship by Descent

The second type of German citizenship is by right of blood or Jus Sanguinis. This means that you have at least one German parent and it does not take into account whether you were born in Germany or not. You get the German citizenship by descent if your parents register you to the German authorities in the country you are born before you turn one year old. If your parents have different nationalities, you get the German citizenship; however, between the ages of 18 and 23 years old, you will have 5 years to decide which nationality you want to retain.

In addition, if your parents are divorced, then you can get German citizenship by descent only if your parent recognizes you as their legal child by the rules of German law.

You cannot get German citizenship if you were born in a foreign country and your German parents were also born in a foreign country after January 1st, 2000. This rule can be surpassed only if you as the child would be stateless if the German authorities did not accept you and give you a German citizenship. In addition, you cannot claim German citizenship through any other ancestors except your parents, including German citizenship through grandparents.

Another instance where you can get German citizenship through ancestry is if you were adopted by German citizens as a child under 18 years old.

German citizenship by Birth

If you do not have German parents, but are born within the borders of Germany, you qualify for citizenship by birth or by right of soil. This is also the Jus Soli citizenship. You can get this type of citizenship on the following conditions:

• If at least one of your parents has lived in Germany for at least 8 years before the birth of the child
• If at the time the child is born, one of the parents had a permanent residence permit

In getting this type of citizenship, the child will again have to choose the citizenship of the parents or the citizenship of Germany between the ages of 18 and 23 years old. The child must give up the nationalities of the parents in order to get the German one, or apply for dual citizenship.

Only children born after February 2nd, 1990, have the right to get this type of citizenship.

Related articles:
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