Germany
Berlin · Western Europe
The largest economy in the EU, with well-defined skilled-worker routes, a points-based job-seeking card, and since 2024 a materially shorter path to naturalisation that also permits dual citizenship. It has no dedicated remote-worker residence title.
- European Union
- Schengen Area
- Eurozone
- Capital
- Berlin
- Currency
- EUR €
- Language
- German
- Population
- 83.5M
- Long-stay routes
- 5
- Route to permanent residence
- Yes
- Unemployment
- 3.5%
- Drives on the
- Right
Euro
2024 estimate
Soonest, 2.25 years
2025, indicative
+49
Entry and short stays
What your passport allows before any long-stay permission is involved.
Reading your passport selection…
Can I live here?
Every long-stay route this country publishes, checked against what you tell us. The checking happens in your browser.
About you
Stored in this browser only. Never sent anywhere.
Before tax, in the currency you earn.
Reading your answers…
Nothing here is an approval, and nothing here is advice. Only the authority deciding your application can tell you the answer, and it will weigh things this tool does not model.
Long-stay routes
Stored as structured records, so the same data drives the checks above, the comparison view and the checklists.
EU Blue Card
EmploymentThe main route for graduates with a qualifying job offer. It carries the fastest settlement timeline of any German title and relaxed rules on changing employer after the first year.
- Income needed
- €50,700 a year
- Leads to settlement
- After 2.25 years
Freelance and self-employment residence permit
EntrepreneurThe closest thing Germany has to a route for independent workers. It is not a remote-work permit: the authorities want to see that your activity serves a local economic interest, which in practice means German clients.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 3 years
Opportunity Card
EmploymentA points-based card that lets qualified people come to Germany to look for work for up to a year, with limited permission to work part-time and to trial jobs while searching.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- No
For people admitted to a German higher education institution. Public universities charge little or no tuition, and graduates get an 18-month permit to find work.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
EU, EEA and Swiss free movement
Freedom of movementNo visa or permit. Registering your address at the local registration office within two weeks of moving in is the only formality.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
Cost of living
An estimate you can shape. It is not survey data and it is not a quote.
| Category | Monthly range |
|---|---|
| Housing | €800 – €1,500 |
| Food | €280 – €450 |
| Utilities | €150 – €280 |
| Internet | €30 – €55 |
| Transport | €58 – €120 |
| Healthcare | €200 – €450 |
| Everything else | €200 – €450 |
| Total | €1,718 – €3,305 |
| Suggested monthly buffer | €3,966 |
Modelled from a baseline for one adult and scaled, not sampled from households. Figures are shown as ranges because that is the honest shape of the data.
Worth knowing. Modelled estimate. The healthcare line is unusually high because German health insurance is a mandatory income-linked contribution rather than an optional premium. Childcare is heavily subsidised and free in some states.
Housing
No restriction on foreign nationals buying property, and no residence requirement. Purchase costs — transfer tax, notary and agent fees — commonly add 10 to 15 per cent to the price.
What landlords usually ask for
- SCHUFA credit report
- Last three payslips
- Proof of identity and registration
- Landlord confirmation form for address registration
ImmoScout24 (opens in a new tab)Immowelt (opens in a new tab)WG-Gesucht (shared housing) (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing. Market conventions. Deposits are capped at three months’ cold rent by law.
Healthcare
Universal cover through mandatory contributory health insurance. Almost everyone is in the statutory system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung); higher earners and the self-employed may opt for private cover, which is hard to reverse.
- If you live there
- Health insurance is compulsory for residents. Employees join a statutory fund automatically with contributions shared with the employer.
- If you are visiting
- Emergency care is provided to anyone. EU, EEA and Swiss visitors use the European Health Insurance Card.
Worth knowing. Statutory contributions are a percentage of income rather than a flat premium, so the range here is indicative only.
Tax
- Tax residency threshold
- 183 days
- Taxes worldwide income
- Yes, for residents
- Income tax range
- 14% – 45%
- VAT or sales tax
- 19%
You are tax resident if you have a home available to you in Germany, or spend more than six months there. Having a home available matters more than day counting.
Remote workers. Germany has no remote-worker residence title, so there is no matching tax regime. Working from Germany for a foreign employer can create a permanent establishment risk for that employer and usually requires a local payroll or employer-of-record arrangement.
Social insurance. Pension, health, long-term care and unemployment contributions together take roughly 20 per cent from the employee side, with the employer paying a similar amount. A solidarity surcharge and, for members, church tax may also apply.
Capital gains. Investment income is generally taxed at a flat withholding rate plus solidarity surcharge, with an annual allowance.
Worth knowing. Orientation only. Confirm with the Finanzamt and a Steuerberater.
Work and the labour market
Conditions in the labour market, which is a different claim from how many jobs are open right now. This product does not pretend to know the second from static data.
- Unemployment
- 3.5%
- Youth unemployment
- 7%
- Average earnings
- €4,300 / mo
- Minimum wage
- €2,222 / mo
Worth knowing. The ILO unemployment measure runs well below the German national measure — they count differently. The minimum wage figure is the hourly statutory rate converted at a full-time month.
Sectors
- Engineering and manufacturingcontractingThe backbone of the economy, though automotive employment has been contracting.
- Information technologygrowingPersistent shortage of software and infrastructure specialists.
- Health and elderly caregrowingAmong the most acute shortages in the country, with dedicated recognition procedures for foreign qualifications.
- Skilled tradesgrowingElectricians, plumbers and construction trades are in demand nationwide.
Occupations in shortage
Software developers and IT specialists
Qualifying IT experience can substitute for a degree on the Blue Card, and shortage status lowers the salary threshold.
Nursing and elderly care
Recognition of the foreign qualification is the binding constraint, not the immigration route.
Engineers in electrical, mechanical and civil disciplines
A long-standing shortage occupation for Blue Card purposes.
Cities
A country-wide average hides a lot. Where we have city data, use it instead.
Berlin
The capital and the centre of the country’s startup and creative economy, with more English-language workplaces than anywhere else in Germany. Salaries are lower than in the southern cities and the rental market is severely constrained.
One adult, monthly: €1,900 – €2,900
Munich
The highest salaries and the highest housing costs in the country, anchored by engineering, automotive and insurance employers.
One adult, monthly: €2,400 – €3,600
Leipzig
Markedly cheaper than Berlin or Munich, with a growing logistics and technology base and a large student population.
One adult, monthly: €1,400 – €2,100
Sources
Every claim on this page traces to one of these. If something here matters to a decision you are making, read it there.
Authorities for Germany
- Visa regulations and the national visa application process (opens in a new tab)Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office) · Foreign ministry
- Make it in Germany — the official portal for skilled workers (opens in a new tab)Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Labour · Government department
- Federal Office for Migration and Refugees — residence titles and integration requirements (opens in a new tab)BAMF — Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge · National immigration authority
- Aufenthaltsgesetz (Residence Act) — including §21 self-employment and §18g EU Blue Card (opens in a new tab)Bundesministerium der Justiz · Government department