Moving to Berlin as an Employee
Every year, the international job market in Berlin is growing. Employment opportunities for non-German workers are on an ever-growing upward trajectory in many sectors.
However, once you land a job, you still need to navigate lots of German bureaucracy in order to successfully get set up as an employee in Berlin. Below, we have provided a step-by-step checklist to help you through the process…
Work Visa or EU Blue Card
Non-EU/EEA citizens need to obtain a Work Visa or EU Blue Card before starting work in Berlin. Depending on your nationality, these can be obtained either before or shortly after arriving in Berlin.
Work Visa:
EU Blue Card
To apply for these visas, you first need to land a job in Berlin. If you are still on the hunt for a job, then check out our Berlin Job Hunting Guides.
Health Insurance
It is compulsory to have German health insurance when starting a job in Germany. You will not be able to start working in Berlin without it. You also need suitable insurance to apply for a Work Visa or EU Blue Card.
Thankfully, there is a great health insurance option for employees in the form of TK Public Health Insurance. To read more about why this insurance cover is suitable for employees, see our German health insurance guide.
Accommodation
As a new employee, you will of course need a place to live on arrival in Berlin. However, finding suitable long-term accommodation can be challenging.
To get you started, a great option is to book a short-term, furnished apartment with Smartments. They have 3 Berlin locations in Prenzlauer Berg, Karlshorst and City-West, and offer address registration (Anmeldung) with just a 14-night booking.
For further tips on finding an apartment in Berlin and registering at an address, see our Berlin Apartment Hunting Guide.
Banking
Many German employers will require you to have a German bank account in order to pay your salary.
To quickly get set up with a bank account in Berlin, you may wish to consider online banks such as N26, bunq or DKB. These can generally be set up quickly online and fulfil most people’s day-to-day banking needs in Berlin.
Alternatively, you may wish to opt for a more traditional high-street bank such as Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank or Sparkasse.
To explore your options more fully, see our Banking Guide for Germany.
Personal Liability Insurance
While it is an ‘optional’ insurance, the majority of residents in Germany consider personal liability insurance to be a necessity. And for good reason. In Germany, accidents and mishaps can result in severe financial consequences in the event you cause injury or damage to a third party.
For under €5 a month, you can get the liability cover you need from GETSAFE, a reliable and expat-friendly insurance provider.
To find out more about the importance of personal liability insurance in Germany, see here.
Starting work in Germany
Before starting work as an employee in Berlin, you will need to arrange various bits of paperwork. The main documents you will need to show your new German employer will include:
German tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer)
German social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer)
Further details of all these documents and how you can obtain them can be found here.