Moving from the USA to Germany: the American edition
The American's German playbook: visa-free entry then permit, FEIE/FBAR tax coordination, state-by-state license exchange, healthcare comparison and shipping.
Last updated: July 13, 2026
What do Americans need to move to Germany?
US citizens enter visa-free and may apply for any residence permit from INSIDE Germany within 90 days - a major advantage. The persistent complications are American: citizenship-based taxation (file US returns forever, FEIE/FTC prevent double tax), FBAR reporting on German accounts, and a license exchange that depends entirely on your US state.
What this guide covers
The visa advantage, used correctly
Land → Anmeldung → Ausländerbehörde application (Blue Card at €50,700+/€45,934 shortage, skilled permit, freelance, or job-search) - all without an embassy stage. The 90-day clock is real: book the Ausländerbehörde appointment in week 1 (appointments guide), because a FILED application extends your stay via Fiktionsbescheinigung.
The tax double-life (the American tax)
You file BOTH countries forever: Germany taxes residents on worldwide income; the US taxes citizens on the same. Double taxation dies via FEIE (~$130k exclusion ⚠️ VERIFY current) or Foreign Tax Credits (German rates usually exceed US = FTC often wins), but the FILING never does. Add FBAR (FinCEN 114) over $10k aggregate in foreign accounts + FATCA 8938 thresholds. German side: the normal expat story (tax guide). Non-negotiable advice: a US-expat tax preparer for year 1 - the PFIC trap alone (most German/EU funds!) justifies it: park investing until you've read the investing guide's US-person section.
Uniquely American gotchas
- Banking: some German banks decline US persons (FATCA paperwork) - the app banks and big names handle it fine (bank guide)
- Investing: EU UCITS funds = PFIC nightmare on US taxes; US brokers may freeze EU-resident accounts. The workable lane: US-domiciled ETFs via expat-friendly brokers - specialist topic, tread carefully
- License: the state table decides paper-swap vs full German test (license guide) - if you can influence WHICH state license you hold before moving, do
- Healthcare: GKV at ~8.75% of gross feels steep until the first $0 hospital bill; the GKV/PKV guide with American eyes: PKV resembles US-style insurance - resist the familiarity instinct
- Guns, cars, peanut butter: no, complicated, and Rewe's international aisle respectively
What Americans love by month 3
Trains + the €63 ticket, 20-30 vacation days USED, sick days without guilt, university-free kids' futures, beer at lunch without HR incident, and bread. The reverse-culture-shock guide writes itself.
Frequently asked questions
Keep my US credit cards/score?
Yes - keep one US address-anchored card active; US credit and Schufa live in parallel universes.
Social Security?
The US-German totalization agreement coordinates: contributions merge for eligibility, no double-paying (freelancers: certificate of coverage!). German pension refund is thus NOT the US-citizen path - future coordinated pensions are.
Vote/renounce/exit tax questions?
Vote absentee freely; renunciation is a $2,350+ irreversible tax event - decade-later decision, not a moving-week one.
Can my remote US job come along?
Legally it needs a German-valid work basis (the permits above) + employer payroll thought (EOR services solve it) - the freelance visa fits contractor conversions.
Related guides
Keep going: these guides continue where this one ends.
German visas and residence permits: the decision tree
Every route compared: Blue Card €50,700, skilled worker permit, student visa, Chancenkarte points card, freelance visa, family reunification
Exchanging your driving license in Germany
EU licenses valid forever, non-EU valid 6 months then exchange: full US state reciprocity table, theory/practical retest rules, costs and Fa
The German tax return: deadlines, refunds and the expat angle
Steuererklärung for expats: 31 July 2026 deadline for 2025, advisor extension to 1 March 2027, voluntary filing 4 years back, average refund
Health insurance in Germany: the expat guide
GKV costs 14.6% + 2.9% average Zusatzbeitrag in 2026, employer pays half. Public vs private, how to enroll, student and freelancer rates, En