Europe’s biggest economy is very appealing to people looking to do business. However, lots needs to be arranged for those who want to work in Germany. What are the most important things you need to know?
German work permit
EU citizens qualify for a German residence permit fairly easily. If you meet one of the criteria below, you’re a “Freizügigkeitsberechtigter”, meaning freedom of movement and you can stay for a certain amount of time.
You meet the criteria if: You are an employee, student or looking for work; you are self-employed, practising your profession elsewhere; you are self-employed and are starting a larger company in Germany; you are incapacitated for work or retired, with an income and health insurance; you are a marriage partner of someone in Germany. In these cases, registration with the municipality is sufficient, if you can prove you meet the criteria.
For non-EU citizens, it’s more difficult to make a start in Germany. A good opportunity for highly skilled persons is the EU Blue Card.
Blue card
This EU-wide arrangement was created for knowledge migrants from third countries that are not part of the EU or EFTA. There are some criteria for this too: You must have at least a university or comparable diploma; you must already have an offer for a job in Germany; you must have a minimum gross annual salary of €56,800 (2021).
The EU Blue Card is issued for the duration of your work contract, including three additional months, and is limited to a 4 year period. After 33 months, holders of the EU Blue Card may can obtain a settlement permit.
TCP Solutions has a lot of experience in assisting with permits in Germany. We offer an extra service called “Blue Card Service”. Our dedicated Blue Card team will assist you with everything Blue Card related. The candidate only needs to register, since this is required by law, and we take care of the rest. We will be happy to show the way in all other matters.
Read more about this service here.
Health insurance in Germany
Health insurance is required by law in Germany. Without insurance, you’re not permitted to work. You are responsible yourself for taking out health insurance in Germany, but you can choose from a large number of public health insurance companies, which offer different health benefits and services and you can choose the one that best fits your needs. When you are employed, you and your employer cover 50% each of the health insurance premium. When you are self-employed or earn more than 64.350 € per year, you are eligible to register with a private health insurance.
States and legislation
Germany is comprised of 16 states. Each of these states is very autonomous. They each have their own legislation, parliaments and governments. There are three types of legislation in Germany: federal legislation (for example, defence, everything regarding the euro), joint legislation (for example, taxes) and state legislation (for example, school and culture). Federal laws have priority. This system makes for quite a few differences between the states.
Living in Germany
The most important thing about any home is the location. Germany is no different in that regard. Depending on where in Germany you want to live, there are huge differences in prices. In the bigger cities, everything is relatively expensive. If you go further into the country, you will soon find more affordable housing, sometimes coming with stretches of land. If you don’t mind travelling a lot, or you can work from home, it’s definitely worth considering. Germany also has sufficient building land available at an affordable price. The rules for building homes are very reasonable and leave a lot of room for creativity. Building your own dream house is surely an option.
Security via TCP Solutions
With all of the above differences in mind, understanding rules about working in Germany can be quite a challenge. TCP Solutions has solutions for this. Are you a freelancer, agency operating on the Norwegian market, or an employee or employer? Through, for example, payrolling, contract management and our legal service, we guarantee that you comply with all specific national and provincial laws and regulations. That is very important, because many people who work abroad are not aware of the fact that their labour issues are not well organized. It can be very difficult because there are many different rules that you have to meet and if you do not comply, you and your employer will receive a hefty fine.
TCP Solutions are part of the People 2.0 group, the leading provider of contingent workforce engagement solutions globally. We are fully accredited in 40+ countries worldwide and will guarantee that you comply with all rules and regulations.
Whether you are self-employed or just want to get started at a company, TCP Solutions can help you, either in Germany, or any of the countries we operate. Do you want to know more? Please call a member of our sales team on +44 (0)208 5800 800, or send a message via our contact page.
