Immigration to Germany | HEUSER RECHT UND STEUERN
02 • www.heuser.de
Visa Survey
Germany offers a variety
of visas, work permits
and residence permits to
foreigners, who want to live
and work locally. The following
survey shall help you find an
access to immigration.
There are 11 different types of residence
permits. Each one of them has other
conditions which need to be proven. It
is of utmost importance to select the
right visa type, before the application
procedure can begin. According to
the Federal Agency of Migration and
Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und
Flüchtlinge) only 11,2% of all immigrants
from third party countries (non-EU
countries) took up residence in Germany
on a work-based residence permit in
2017. Of all the immigrants coming to
Germany for work purposes 62,6% were
skilled workers 1
Survey of Visas
All foreigners from outside the EU who
wish to remain in Germany for longer than
three months must obtain a residence
permit (Aufenthaltstitel), which can be
categorized into permanent and nonpermanent
permits
A visa allows foreigners to enter Germany
and stay for up to three months for a
preselected and approved purpose, while
the residence permit allows foreigners to
stay for longer periods of time. If you are
in Germany on a valid visa, you might
be able to apply for a residence permit
at the responsible local Foreigners Office
(Ausländerbehörde). To find out if you
meet the criteria to ‘exchange’ your visa
for a residence permit, contact the local
Foreigners Office for more information.
Citizens from some countries (including
the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Israel,
New Zealand and Switzerland) are allowed
entry into Germany without a visa and
may apply for a residence permit while in
the country. If you don’t come from any
of these countries a visa can be issued
by a German embassy or consulate in
your country of residence. It may also be
possible to directly apply for a residence
permit at the embassy or consulate in
your country.
The conditions to get a residence permit
may vary slightly from place to place and
according to your status. In any case
you‘ll need a valid passport, a couple of
“biometric” photos, proof that you have
a place to live, proof of health insurance
and proof that you can support yourself
for the time you’re staying in Germany.
Additional things you may need include
proof that you have a critical skill, proof
that you are married, proof that you
have independent means or a pension, a
health certificate and a certificate of good
conduct.
If you decide that you are going to stay
in Germany for a longer period you
must have a registration certificate
(Meldeschein) to prove that you have
a residence. You get it at the Registry
Office (Einwohnermeldeamt) that is
responsible for your community or your
city neighborhood. Registering is a
simple matter of filling out a form on-
1 Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, Das Bundesamt in Zahlen 2017; Asyl, Migration und Integration.