You\u2019ll hear a lot of horror stories about German bureaucracy and while, yes, almost everything entails going to an actual office and very few things can be done online, it\u2019s not actually that bad if you know what you\u2019re doing. Most of it can be done in one fell swoop if you have a few days to spend sorting your life out. And prepare to get acquainted with your printer. German bureaucracy is not a friend to the forest.<\/p>\n
Everybody, including German and EU citizens, must register their residency \u2014 commonly known as the<\/strong> Anmeldung<\/em>, though this just means registration \u2013 within a few weeks of arriving in the city. Don\u2019t drag your heels on this one as you\u2019ll need this all-important piece of paper in order to open a bank account, get a phone contract, rent a car, etc etc. You can register at any B\u00fcrgeramt (public citizens\u2019 office) in the city so save yourself some time and make an appointment<\/a> in advance. Otherwise, you\u2019ll have to just rock up, take a number and queue.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re from outside of the EU, you\u2019ll most likely need a visa to live in Germany<\/a> on a long-term basis. That means taking a trip to the Ausl\u00e4nderbeh\u00f6rde<\/em> or foreigners\u2019 office. Most people in this boat sort out their initial visa in their country of origin before they get on a plane, but you\u2019ll have to make an appointment for visa renewals before your initial paperwork expires.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n Finding a place to rent in Berlin is getting harder than ever before and though you\u2019ll hear apocryphal tales of 100m2 Altbau<\/em> apartments for \u20ac200, those days are well and truly gone \u2014 if indeed they ever existed. That said, rent in Berlin is still a lot cheaper than in most modern capitals and flats are generally spacious and well-maintained. Unless you\u2019re planning to sublet \u2014 which is definitely the easier option for new arrivals \u2014 you should also be prepared to move into completely bare apartments. And when I say bare, I don\u2019t just mean no furniture. I mean no light fixtures, no kitchen appliances, and sometimes, not even a toilet. See our comprehensive guide to finding a flat<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n Now that you have a flat and you\u2019ve registered your address, you can set about doing all the other things that are required to be a person in the world. Even if you plan on using your existing bank account for your earnings, it\u2019s a good idea to open a German one for your credit rating. It\u2019s also handy for paying rent and bills and all that jazz. You can always open an online account with companies like N26<\/a>, but if you\u2019d prefer to have a local branch, there are plenty of banks to choose from. Bear in mind that most banks will charge you for using ATMs that don\u2019t belong to their company, so it\u2019s worth doing a little reconnaissance around your area to figure out what\u2019s most convenient for you.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning to stay in Berlin on a short- or even long-term basis, it might be worth your while just to get a pay-as-you-go phone. You can pick up these SIMs in pretty much any supermarket. I\u2019ve heard good things about ALDI TALK.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d prefer something more reliable, or want to negotiate for a flat-rate with your network provider, then registering for a bill phone is also an option. Remember that most phone contracts are for two years, and it may cost you to cancel it before that period expires. So, basically, make sure you absolutely want that bill phone. The main phone networks are O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile. It\u2019s a good idea to drop into their store rather than try to negotiate a contract online. There are usually English-speaking sales representatives to give you a hand picking out your Handy<\/em>.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n Do you consider yourself a calm person? Well, prepare to have your forbearance tested by trying to get Internet installed in your flat. Getting Internet installed in a new apartment can take a long time, so if you have the option, try to start calling up Internet service providers well before your move-in date. It can take anywhere from two to six weeks before a technician will come to your flat to connect your modem so in the meantime, either make friends with your neighbours to filch their sweet sweet web access or get used to being in caf\u00e9s a lot. The main service providers are O2, 1&1, Deutsche Telekom, and Vodafone. Depending on your building, you may not be able to access every provider, so you\u2019ll have to check with each one whether or not they serve your address. Also depending on your building, there may be a preferred partner that\u2019s already installed the main connections. If you opt for that provider, that might speed up your waiting time significantly. There is usually a one-time installation fee to pay for the technician, and the average monthly bill should set you back about \u20ac35.<\/p>\n Health insurance in Germany is mandatory, and every resident must be covered. Most people \u2014 over 90% of residents \u2014 opt for public health insurance with one of the state insurance providers, namely DAK Gesundheit, Techniker Krankenkasse, AOK, Barmer GEK, BKK and KKH. These all provide quite a similar service, but it\u2019s worth checking out their websites if you have specific needs or pre-existing conditions.<\/p>\n Once you become a member of one of these companies, you\u2019ll be issued a health insurance card (Krankenversichertenkarte<\/em>) which you\u2019ll need to produce anytime you visit a doctor or dentist. If you\u2019re employed more than half-time (20 hours) by any company, they will pay half of your contributions. This is a major incentive to get a job, as otherwise you could have to pay over \u20ac800 per month. It\u2019s also another reason not to accept a freelance contract for full-time or almost full-time work. This is a way that some companies get out of paying healthcare contributions.<\/p>\n Private insurance is also an option but most people advise against it. Why? Basically because you have to be a Captain Moneybags to afford it! Private insurance requires you to earn over a certain wage bracket which excludes most people by default. If this isn\u2019t an issue for you and you still want to consider it, there are over 40 separate private insurers, and the system works quite differently than the public system. With private insurance, you pay doctor\u2019s fees straight away and then apply for reimbursement with your insurance company. Save yourself a few headaches and stick to the state system.<\/p>\n Most people who grow up in Germany have a mind-boggling array of insurance. There are insurance programmes for things that you probably never knew existed. Only health insurance (Krankenversicherung<\/em>) is mandatory, but there are some that you should absolutely think about signing up for. Alternatively, you can do what I do, sign up for none of them and shock people at parties with your devil-may-care attitude! If you\u2019re a more responsible person, here are some of the main ones:<\/p>\n This is basically personal liability insurance. This covers you in the event of an accident that sees you damaging someone else\u2019s property, or causing them mild injury. It\u2019s usually quite cheap and covers a lot of eventualities. Even the most laissez-faire<\/em> German person will have this one.<\/p>\n This insurance covers your flat and everything within it in the event of fire, water damages, or theft. Some providers will include your bike in your Hausratversicherung<\/em> so shop around for what you need.<\/p>\n This is glass insurance. Yes, really. While Hausratversicherung<\/em> covers all the belongings in your flat, if you break a window or the oven door, you\u2019re on your own.<\/p>\n This insurance will cover your legal fees if you get into a dispute with your landlord, a neighbour, or in some professional cases.<\/p>\n This is life insurance. If you have dependents and want to make sure they\u2019re provided for if you pop your clogs, then this is worth thinking about.<\/p>\n This accident insurance will cover you in the event that you have an accident that permanently injures you or hampers your quality of life. If you work in a physical profession like construction, this is quite important to protect your livelihood.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning on actually owning your own home, you\u2019ll need this. It covers the physical structure of the building against any kind of damages that might happen. While Hausratversicherung<\/em> covers your belongings, this covers the actual walls, floors and ceilings.<\/p>\n You most likely won\u2019t need all of these insurances, but it\u2019s definitely worth signing up for Haftpflichtversicherung<\/em>, even if just to put your German friends at ease.<\/p>\n And finally, we come to everyone\u2019s favourite topic: tax. When you register your address at the B\u00fcrgeramt for the first time, you will automatically be sent a unique 11-digit tax ID number (Identifikationsnummer<\/em>) which you will need to provide to your employer. You\u2019ll also need to reference this number in any communication you have with the tax office. However, if you\u2019re an employee, you probably won\u2019t have to talk to them at all.<\/p>\n Every single person in the country has a tax ID. If you want to freelance in Berlin, you\u2019ll also need to apply to the Finanzamt (finance office) to obtain a tax number (Steuernummer). This is separate to your personal tax ID number and identifies you as a sole trader. It takes the format xx\/xxx\/xxxxx.<\/p>\n As an employee, income tax (Lohnsteuer<\/em>) will automatically be deducted from your gross salary. You will only be taxed on your income if, as a single person, you earn more than \u20ac9,000 per year. When you earn more than this amount, you will pay mandatory income tax. Taxation rates vary between 14% and 42% depending on how much you earn, your marital status, and whether or not you have dependents. It\u2019s worth using a wage tax calculator<\/a> to give yourself an idea of how much will be deducted from your earnings.<\/p>\n You will also pay a solidarity surcharge (Solidarit\u00e4tszuschlag<\/em>) which is 5.5% of your income tax. This tax helps to finance the costs of reunification and rebuilding former East Germany. On top of that, if you\u2019re affiliated to a religious institution, you\u2019ll have to pay church tax, or Kirchensteuer<\/em> which in Berlin, is 9% of your income tax. If you\u2019re not religious and don\u2019t want to fund any institution, make sure to state that you have no religion (keine Religion<\/em>) when you register your address. Otherwise, I have heard tales of assumptions being made based on your country of origin. When you\u2019re initially registered to pay church tax, it\u2019s really hard to get out of it so make sure you pay attention to this on day one.<\/p>\n As well as these taxes, your pension, health insurance, and unemployment insurance are also automatically deducted from your wages. This means that your payslip may look a little less healthy than you\u2019d like, which can take some getting used to. In Germany, you really feel the benefit of your tax dollars, so that does soften the blow somewhat.<\/p>\n\n
Getting a Visa<\/h2>\n
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Finding a flat in Berlin<\/h2>\n
Opening a German bank account<\/h2>\n
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Getting a phone contract<\/h2>\n
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Installing Internet<\/h2>\n
Choosing health insurance<\/h2>\n
Choosing other insurance options<\/h2>\n
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Haftpflichtversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Hausratversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Glasversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Rechtsschutzversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Risiko-Lebensversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Unfallversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Wohngeb\u00e4udeversicherung<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Paying tax<\/h2>\n
Paying tax as an employee:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Paying tax as a freelancer:<\/h3>\n