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How to Move From the USA to Germany

Lana Zee

Berlin currently ranks high on the list of desired destinations for many US citizens looking to move overseas. The city’s booming startup scene, world-renowned creative milieu and mesmerising nightlife are drawing US citizens across the Atlantic.

The allure of life in the German capital is increasing in step with the number of jobs for international workers in Berlin, with English-speaking opportunities cropping up in ever-greater numbers around the city. But just how do you move from the USA to Germany? What visa do you need? What jobs are available? And how can Nomaden Berlin help?

To find out how Nomaden can assist you with your move to Berlin, click here.

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Accommodation options for US citizens moving to Berlin

With a competitive rental market, one of the trickier aspects of moving to Berlin is finding suitable accommodation in the city. Here it is essential that you secure accommodation that allows you to register at the address (Anmeldung) as this is needed to obtain a German tax ID, apply for most bank accounts and, most importantly, apply for a visa for Germany in Berlin.

Obtaining an address registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung) really is the first major administrative step to getting set up in Berlin and is often a frustrating hurdle to overcome when arriving in the city. To help you through the process, we have put together a comprehensive guide on how to complete your Anmeldung in Berlin.

While the Berlin housing market is competitive, there are still a large number of resources that you can use to land an apartment in Berlin. To get you started, check out WG-Gesucht and ImmobilienScout24, two of the most popular websites for finding available rooms in flatshares and whole apartments, respectively. In general, you can expect to pay €450 – €600 per month for a room in a flatshare and €750 – €1300 per month for an entire apartment. For further info, check out our guide to finding long-term accommodation in Berlin.

Note: if you want guaranteed accommodation in Berlin that allows you to officially register your address there, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.

Visas for USA citizens moving to Germany

As Germany identifies the USA as a ‘priority country’, US citizens enjoy a favourable visa application process in comparison to many other non-EU/EEA countries.

Notably, US citizens are able to enter Germany without a visa for a 90-day period to search for suitable employment to support their visa application. Then, once suitable employment has been found, US citizens are permitted to apply for a Work Visa or EU Blue Card at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Berlin.

Sounds simple enough, right? But what exactly constitutes ‘suitable employment’?

Well, to be approved for a Work Visa, US citizens generally require a job that meets the following criteria:

  • You must have received a job offer, i.e. an employment contract.

  • The employment conditions must be comparable with those of domestic employees, i.e. you must be paid on par with what a German citizen would be paid for similar employment.

  • The Federal Employment Agency must deem your salary sufficient to live off in Germany. For most jobs, this requires you to work full-time hours unless you land a job with a particularly high hourly rate.

  • You generally need a university degree that is recognised in Germany. To prove that your qualification is recognised in Germany, you have two options:

While the Work Visa and EU Blue Card are the two most popular visas for USA citizens moving to Germany, there are a number of other options that may take your fancy, including:

The job market for US citizens moving to Berlin

The Berlin job market is in rapid flux. With new, burgeoning startups springing up on a daily basis, there is a growing demand for international staff as companies work to break into overseas markets. When coupled with openings at established companies such as Zalando, Wayfair, N26, HelloFresh, GoEuro and Soundcloud (…and many more!), there are a large number of English-speaking jobs up for grabs across the city.

Added to this, tourism is on the rise in Berlin, and hotels, hostels, restaurants and bars are increasingly looking for English-speaking staff to accommodate their international clientele.

In our experience, the most common English-speaking openings in Berlin are in:

  • Customer Service

  • Sales & Business Development

  • Recruitment

  • Hospitality

  • Childcare & Teaching

  • Tech

  • Marketing & Account Management

With opportunities for English speakers set to continue to increase, now is the perfect time to polish the CV, update your LinkedIn and start looking for openings in Berlin.

Follow the link for general tips on finding an English-speaking job in Berlin.

Health Insurance for US citizens moving to Germany

Germany combines one of the world’s best healthcare systems with affordable and comprehensive health insurance.

If and when you receive a job offer in Germany, it is mandatory that you enter the German health insurance system. As German health insurance is a pre-requisite requirement for obtaining a Work Visa or EU Blue Card, it is not something you can substitute or get around with cheap international insurance or travel insurance.

Once you do land a job, you have 113 German health insurance providers to choose from. As a minimum, the coverage will include:

  • in-patient care

  • outpatient care

  • basic dental coverage

Based on our experience, our favourite German public health insurance provider for employees is TK (Techniker Krankenkasse). We like TK because:

For further information about why TK insurance is a great choice for your German health insurance, see here.

As you are only eligible to apply for German public health insurance once you have landed a job in Germany, you do not need to worry about this during your job search. You can simply have an expat insurance policy that gives you access to medical services while you look for a job in Germany.

But what will this all cost you?

The cost of German public health insurance is calculated based on your gross salary and your employer is obliged to cover 50% of the cost. As a result, you can expect to pay approximately 8% of your gross salary towards health insurance contributions and this will be automatically taken from your monthly salary.

To help you further, we have put together an overview of your insurance options in Germany depending on your situation.

How our guides and resources can help you move from the USA to Germany

The Accommodation

If you need to quickly find some accommodation and register at an address in Berlin, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.

Visa Information and Support

Our free visa guides include comprehensive information on how, where and when to apply for a visa for Germany. Our guides will ensure you know the specific document requirements for your visa application and the prerequisites for approval.

The Job Market

We provide a wide array of free job hunting resources, including:

The Health Insurance

Our health insurance guide details our favourite health insurance providers in Germany depending on your situation. Here we have provided options for US citizens in Germany based on whether you are a regular employee, job seeker, student or freelancer.

We hope you have found this post helpful! For further information about how to move to Berlin, check out the guides and resources on our homepage.