Relocating to Germany
in 2024?

19 December 2023

If you are planning to relocate to Germany for work or another valid reason in 2024, you may need to apply for a visa. The German government is currently in the process of reforming its Skilled Immigration Act to make it easier for qualified skilled workers from third countries to find employment in Germany.

The reforms include changes to the EU Blue Card, relaxed rules around qualifications and a new “Opportunity Card” for jobseekers, among others. These changes mean more foreign nationals are now considering Germany as a destination when seeking to work abroad.

The Global Immigration Team at Smith Stone Walters can provide support and guidance to individuals and employers in navigating the German immigration system and applying for a visa. We can also provide post-arrival support to ensure that local immigration rules are met thereafter.

As well as the visa application process, when relocating to Germany there are a number of other formalities that you will need to complete in order to legalise your stay. These include providing the correct documents, registering your address and ensuring you are paying the required taxes. We set out some of the key requirements below.

Authenticity of Documents

Anyone who applies for a visa or a residence permit, or has their place of residence registered in Germany, needs to provide civil status documents (for example, a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, etc), and/or public documents (for example, a university degree), among other things.

In order to have legal validity in Germany, foreign civil status documents or public documents must have their authenticity confirmed. This is done either by legalisation or with a Hague Apostille.

• Legalisation: This process confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of the issuer of a document. This will be done by the German embassy or consulate in the country of origin of the document. Before the German embassy or consulate can legalise these documents, they usually need to be notarised by a notary public.
• Apostille: Just like Germany, the foreign country must have joined the Hague Apostille Convention and Germany must have recognised its membership. A Hague Apostille confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of the issuer of a document. It is issued by a designated authority of the country that issued the document, according to the established pattern of the underlying Hague Convention.

Please note that documents also need to be translated and certified and this needs to be done by a sworn translator to ensure they will be accepted by the German authorities.

Registration in Germany

Anyone who moves to Germany for more than three months must register their place of residence with the competent local town hall within the first two weeks of moving into the accommodation.

Local registration in Germany at a hotel address is not possible. It is only possible to be registered at an “apartment/hotel” address or an apartment address. The landlord needs to confirm who is living at the property by filling out an owner’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and signing it.

After the local registration has been completed, the Federal Central Tax Office will be informed and subsequently issue a Tax ID Number (Steueridentifikationsnummer) to each individual who has been registered. This tax ID number will be sent directly to the individual’s German home address by regular mail. It is therefore important to have all names on the letter box. The tax ID number is required by German payroll for compliancy purposes and the children’s tax ID numbers are required for child benefit applications. The tax ID number remains valid for life.

The registration appointment is one of the most important steps when moving to Germany, as it provides you with a registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung) which confirms that you live at your address. This is required for many services, such as opening a bank account, applying for a residence permit, getting a SIM card, etc.

Each town hall website will list exactly what documents are required. Some town halls require personal attendance, others allow registration by a third party with a power of attorney.

When someone is being registered at an apartment hotel address, they should inform the front desk that they are expecting important mail and that any mail that arrives after their departure should be held ready for collection. If a letter is returned to the authorities as undeliverable, they will automatically be deregistered from their place of residence.

Re-registration in Germany

Every time you move house within Germany, you will need to re-register your place of residence with the competent town hall. This also applies if you move to a different place in the same city.

If you moved into temporary accommodation after arrival and registered your temporary place of residence you need to re-register your final place of residence within two weeks of moving in. The required documents are similar to that of a registration. There is no need to de-register your temporary place of residence as this will be done internally by the authorities.

De-registration in Germany

Anyone who is leaving Germany for good, must officially deregister their place of residence with the competent town hall within two weeks of moving out. Deregistration is possible at the earliest, one week before moving out. The registration register is updated on the date of the move out.

You also need to send an early departure note to the competent foreign office, if you hold a temporary residence permit and your employment ends prematurely.

Church Tax / Renouncing from Church

If the individual was baptised as Catholic or Protestant, they will be subject to church tax in Germany. If they are married under Jewish law (in the presence of a Rabbi as stated in the marriage certificate), the German registration authorities will automatically class them as liable for tax where they are registered.

Individuals of Christian denominations involved in international churches may also be liable for tax under reciprocal agreements – they should check with their church accordingly. Those who do not wish to pay church tax can renounce their church affiliation but should note that while they can still attend religious services in Germany, they will be denied certain privileges (for example, baptisms, weddings, funerals). Renouncing your church affiliation may also have ramifications when you return to your home country.

Change of Tax Class

Tax Classes in Germany, referred to as “Steuerklassen”, determine your income tax rate based on your marital status, your spouse’s income and the number of dependent children.

A single person registered in Germany will automatically receive Tax Class 1. A married couple (F/M + M/M + F/F) will automatically receive Tax Classes 4/4 after registration. In case only one spouse is working or has a higher income, they can apply for tax classes 3/5.

Usually, the spouse with the higher monthly income prefers to have Tax Class 3 as this means there will be a lower tax reduction from the income. An EU citizen whose spouse is not coming with them to Germany can also apply for Tax Class 3 when providing additional documents.

Support with German immigration

As a result of continued growth and development, Smith Stone Walters is delighted to announce that we have expanded our international reach and have recently opened a new operation in Germany.

Our Frankfurt based team enable us to meet the growing needs of our European clients even more efficiently and locally facilitate all German inbound immigration work with the highest level of service.

SSW has over 30 years’ experience in German immigration. Our new team in Germany upholds the same service standard our clients have become accustomed to at SSW. To find out more about the services we can offer, please call 0208 461 6660 or email info@smithstonewalters.com.

Disclaimer: In accordance with the German law governing legal advice and services (RDG, section 2 subsection 1) our services do not include any legal advice.

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