Whether you’re moving to Germany alone or with your family, for work or for study, Expatica’s guide to the German visa system can help.

Residence Visa

Several years ago the German government admitted that its immigration system was opaque and overly complex and omitted all but two types of residency permits. Now, unless you’re a student coming to study, you’ll either be applying for an Aufenthaltserlaubnis or a Niederlassungserlaubnis. The first is limited for two years and forbids you from working without permission from the labour office, which is known as the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. The second is an unlimited residency permit and includes the right to work in Germany. Most will have to wait five years before they qualify for an unlimited permit. However, certain highly qualified workers (such as professors and IT specialists or anyone with an annual salary above €85,500) and self-employed entrepreneurs can gain a Niederlassungserlaubnis before or shortly after entering Germany. Be warned: the German government defines self-employed as someone who invests €500,000 in their business and creates five new jobs.

Citizens of EU countries are spared the hassle of acquiring any type of residency permit and instead, automatically receive one when they register their residential address with the Bürgeramt. Citizens of the US, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland can enter without a visa but must apply for their residency permit within three months.

The city’s single aliens registration office, known as the Ausländerbehörde, is the agency you must deal with for all residency permits once in Berlin. It’s located in Wedding at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24 and has its own website at www.berlin.de/labo/auslaender/dienstleistungen. Unfortunately, very little information is available in English. The office is only open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it’s best to get an appointment – click on Terminvereinbarung in the right-hand column to find the correct email address for making an appointment (it varies by which country you’re from). The site also allows you to download the application for residency permits. Click on Formulare on the right-hand side. The application is in four different languages, including English.

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