Entry and Residence
Are you a citizen of an EU Member State and would like to work, study or do training in Germany? Thanks to freedom of movement, you can travel to Germany without a visa or a residence permit and stay here for a period of three months. You only need a valid passport or ID card to enter the country. If you are planning to stay in Germany for longer, you will need to proof that you can cover your living expenses (and if appropriate also those of your dependents). There are no restrictions on access to employment and self-employment in Germany for you and your family.
The same applies if you are a citizen of Switzerland or the European Economic Area – i.e. Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland.
Right to Permanent Residency
As an EU citizen, you automatically gain the right to permanent residence in another EU country after an uninterrupted lawful stay of at least 5 years in that country. You can have this confirmed by a permanent residence card. This card can be useful when dealing with the authorities. You can find further information on the subject of “Permanent residence for EU nationals” here.
Naturalisation means acquiring the nationality of a certain state by applying for it.
Nationals of any member state of the European Union have freedom of movement: this means that they can go anywhere in the European Union, and travel to any member state and reside there.
German Citizenship
You are domiciled in Germany and would now like to apply for German citizenship? If you are an EU citizen, this is possible. You can find out what preconditions you need to fulfil for naturalisation here.
Depending on what EU Member State you come from, you will not need to relinquish your existing citizenship. Meaning, you can have “dual citizenship”. Your local naturalisation authority can tell you which countries offer this option.
Jobs
The principle of freedom of movement for workers within the EU makes it easy for citizens from other Member States to access Germany’s labour market. There is a broad range of support available for you to take up when you need it:
Right to Equal Treatment
If you work in Germany and feel that you are being discriminated against at work, you should contact the EU Equal Treatment Office. Its job is to ensure equal treatment of EU workers and their dependents. If necessary, you can be provided with information about the right to freedom of movement for workers in several languages.
Living
Once you’ve arrived in Germany, you may find some information useful in your day-to-day life. The website of the EU Equal Treatment Office provides a lot of useful information tailored to nationals of other EU Member States living in Germany.
Integration courses
As an EU citizen, you are entitled to attend an integration course. This means that you are allowed, but not required, to attend an integration course to learn German.
You can find out more about integration courses here.
Migration advice centres
You can obtain migration advice in order to get off to the best possible start in Germany. The centres offer advice and support to you and your family as you cope with your new day-to-day life.
You can find out more about migration advisory services here.
Registration requirement
People living in Germany are required to register. This is true of everyone living in Germany, irrespective of where they come from. As soon as you have moved into a house or apartment, you should register at the residents registration office of the place where you are living.
You can find out more about living and working in Germany here.
Welfare benefits
As a citizen of the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you will not lose entitlements earned in Germany from welfare insurance, e.g. statutory pension insurance. Once you reach retirement age, any EU or EEA Member State in which you have worked can pay out a pension in line with the specific rules. So, if you have worked in two countries, for example, you will in principle receive pension payments from two countries.
If you recently worked in Germany and are now unemployed, you are not left to fend for yourself, but are entitled to unemployment benefit. The same conditions apply to you as to German nationals. Periods of employment and insurance which you have accrued in other countries will be taken into account when your application is processed.
There are numerous other welfare benefits to which you are entitled as an EU citizen in Germany. You can find further information on the subject at the EU Equal Treatment Office.