Moving to Germany: the complete guide

The four phases, and what actually takes time

Moving countries is a project, and Germany rewards project management. The realistic end-to-end timeline from "we're doing this" to "settled" is 3-6 months, and the critical path is almost always the visa appointment and processing (for non-EU) or the apartment hunt (for everyone). This guide is the master plan; each big step links to its deep guide.

Phase 1: your legal route in

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens: freedom of movement - no visa, no permit. Skip to phase 2. If you are moving from the Netherlands specifically, the registration, tax and insurance handover has its own guide: Moving from the Netherlands to Germany.
• Non-EU with a job offer: the EU Blue Card Germany (graduates meeting the salary threshold) or the skilled-worker visa. Employer-driven, and the accelerated procedure (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren) can shave weeks.
• Non-EU without a job yet: the The Chancenkarte lets you come and search for up to a year.
• Students, family, freelancers: each has its own route - the full decision tree is in German visas and residence permits.

Start degree/qualification recognition early (Getting your foreign qualification recognized in Germany) - it gates both the Blue Card and skilled-worker routes, and the anabin/ZAB process takes weeks. Book the consulate appointment via the Foreign Office's visa service as soon as you qualify; at busy missions the wait for a slot is the single longest delay in the whole move.

Phase 2: the document run

German offices want originals, and fixing missing paperwork from abroad is painful. Before you fly:

Get two certified copies of the vital records; you'll surrender at least one to an office at some point.

Phase 3: money, housing, and the landing plan

Budget the landing. Have 3-4 months' rent in accessible cash: deposit (up to 3 cold rents), first month, plus buffer. Add visa fees, flights, shipping, and 1-2 months of living costs before the first German salary lands.

First accommodation: temporary is fine. Almost nobody signs a long-term lease from abroad (and given Rental scams in Germany, you shouldn't wire deposits to unseen flats). The standard play: book 1-3 months of furnished/temporary housing that supports Anmeldung, land, then hunt properly with Finding an apartment in Germany.

Shipping: less than you think. German flats are rented unfurnished (often without a kitchen), but shipping furniture across continents rarely beats selling and rebuying. Get quotes both ways; most movers ship 10-20 boxes and buy furniture here - see furnishing an apartment in Germany for what that costs and where to buy.

Insurance continuity. Know your health-cover story for the gap: EU citizens bridge on EHIC; non-EU usually need incoming/travel insurance until German cover starts, then the real decision - Health insurance in Germany - on day one of work.

Pets, kids, cars: each has its own workstream - Pets in Germany for the animal rules, Schools in Germany for expat families and Kita in Germany for education (start Kita waitlists absurdly early), and think hard before importing a car (registration, tax, insurance - Buying a car in Germany covers the local alternative).

The leave-your-home-country checklist

The things that are far easier to do *before* you fly, and painful to fix from Germany:

• Get every certificate apostilled and translated at home - birth, marriage, degrees, police clearance. Sourcing and legalising these from abroad is slow and costly.
• Tell your home tax authority you're leaving (residency/exit rules vary) and sort any final filings.
• Keep a home bank account and card open for a bridge period - you'll need to pay for things before your German account is live.
• Get a card that works abroad without fat fees for the first weeks (or a Wise/Revolut account - Wise for Germany).
• Unlock your phone and keep the number if you use it for 2FA on home-country accounts.
• Gather medical/dental records, refill prescriptions, and note generic drug names (brands differ).
• Sort your pets early - vaccinations, EU pet passport/microchip, airline rules (Pets in Germany).
• Digitise everything - one cloud folder of scanned documents you can produce from anywhere.

A realistic budget for the move

What people under-plan for, in rough ranges (varies hugely by origin, family size, city):

The recurring theme: have more liquid cash than you think, because deposits, up-front rent, and the gap before your first German paycheck stack up fast.

Timeline by who you are

• EU/EEA/Swiss: fastest - no visa, so your timeline is just finding housing and a job. Weeks, if you're organised.
• Visa-exempt non-EU (US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, etc.): enter first, then apply for the permit in-country within 90 days - but still line up documents and housing before flying.
• Everyone else: the consulate visa is the critical path - book the appointment the moment you're eligible; the slot wait plus processing sets your whole schedule (see the visa guides).

Phase 4: land and execute

From touchdown, the game is sequencing - SIM and bank on passport alone, Anmeldung booked immediately, insurance before the first working day, then the paperwork cascade. That entire month is scripted, week by week, in Your first 30 days in Germany - treat it as the continuation of this guide.

The mistakes that cost people months

1. Booking the consulate appointment late. The visa slot, not the paperwork, is usually the bottleneck - book the moment you're eligible.
2. Arriving without the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung sorted for the first accommodation, stalling the Anmeldung and everything behind it.
3. Wiring a deposit to an unseen flat. It's the classic arrival scam - Rental scams in Germany.
4. Skipping degree recognition until the job offer is live, then waiting weeks mid-process.
5. Under-budgeting the deposit stack - 3-4 months' rent in cash is real.
6. Missing the 90-day permit window (visa-exempt nationals must apply for the residence permit within 90 days of arrival).
7. Leaving the home country without apostilles - getting documents legalised from abroad is slow and expensive.

Frequently asked questions