Moving from India to Germany: the complete corridor guide

The sequence that saves months

1. APS first (aps-india.de): document verification of your degrees - the bottleneck everything else waits behind ⚠️ VERIFY current fees/timelines
2. Parallel: Anabin check of your university (H+ status) and degree - non-listed cases route through recognition (guide)
3. Students: admission letters → blocked account) → insurance bundle → visa slot hunting
4. Professionals: offer + Blue Card documents → embassy or - increasingly relevant - employer-driven fast-track procedure (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren, the employer pays €411 and halves the wait ⚠️ VERIFY fee)
5. Slot reality: book the MOMENT documents allow; consulate jurisdictions are strict (your state = your consulate)

The Indian-specific money map

• Funds transfer: INR→EUR via Wise-class; LRS paperwork (PAN, purpose codes) is routine
• The pension refund asterisk: the India-Germany social security agreement PRESERVES your refund right - Indians reclaim their 9.3% employee contributions 24 months after leaving (dedicated guide) - the most under-known fact in the corridor
• Remittances home: same rails reversed; document large parental transfers for both tax offices

Landing softly

The community infrastructure is real: Indian grocery density in every big city, Ganesh Chaturthi to Diwali event calendars, professional networks (GIF, city Indian associations), and honest talk: the discrimination-experience threads on r/germany deserve reading - the integration guides here (German language above all) are the counterweight that works.

Frequently asked questions