Documents Required to Start Working in Berlin
This page covers all the paperwork you will need to start working in Berlin. From tax IDs and health insurance to visas and certifications, we detail which documents your new employer will need to see and how you can get hold of them.
🧑💼 So, you have landed yourself a job in Berlin – that is fantastic news, congratulations! After all the hard work of landing a job, you probably just want to relax until your employment start date. Unfortunately, things are not quite so simple in Germany, and you will need to take a number of administrative steps in order to be fully onboarded at your new workplace and to have a smooth transition to working in Berlin.
In short, you will need the following documents either before or shortly after starting work in Germany:
✅ A tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer)
✅ A German health insurance certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung)
✅ A German social insurance certificate (Sozialversicherungsausweis)
✅ A work visa for Germany if you are not a citizen of an EU/EEA member state
✅ German bank details
✅ A Red Card (Rote Karte) – only needed if handling food in a restaurant, bar, cafe, etc.
✅ A police check – primarily needed if working as a teacher or with children
We have expanded on each of these and provided full details on how to get hold of the different documents below.
1️⃣ German Tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer)
📃 When starting working in Berlin, one of the most important documents that you need to provide to your employer is your German tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer). Your tax ID number will determine which tax bracket you fall into, and consequently the level of monthly income tax that you will pay.
You are in fact able to start working before you have received your German tax ID, but your employer will tax you at a much higher rate until you are able to provide your tax ID number. Therefore, we highly recommend getting your German tax ID at the earliest availability and definitely before your first payroll at your new job in Berlin.
So, how do you get your German tax ID?
🏠 Your tax ID is automatically generated when you officially register at an address in Germany, a process that is known as Anmeldung. Once you have completed your Anmeldung, your tax ID will be mailed to you in the post, and you will usually receive this within 2 – 4 weeks of your Anmeldung appointment. Note: officially registering at an address is the only way to obtain a tax ID in Germany.
If you are struggling to find an address where you can complete your Anmeldung, 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 Germany, meaning you will receive your tax ID in good time before you start working in Berlin.
2️⃣ German Health Insurance Certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung)
🚑 This may come as news to you, but it is mandatory that you have German health insurance cover when working in Berlin. Your employer will require a copy of your German Health Insurance Certificate as proof that you are covered and to process your salary payments.
⚠️ Without German health insurance cover, your employer will not be able to pay you and likely will not permit you to start working until you can show a valid policy.
There are 113 German public health insurance providers to choose from and you can choose any provider you wish. While your employer may have a default insurance provider that it uses for employees, you are under no obligation to go with this provider, and it is often a good idea not to as the majority of the providers are not very expat-friendly and have cumbersome sign-up processes.
So, which German public health insurance provider should you sign up with?
✔️ Considering the above, our favourite German public health insurance provider is TK (Techniker Krankenkasse). TK has recently been recognised as the no.1 public health insurer in Germany for the 14th year running so you can rest assured that you are opting for a well-regarded insurance policy!
Importantly, TK offer English-speaking customer support and services, and a streamlined and simple online sign-up process, meaning you can get your German Health Insurance Certificate within 48 hours of signing up. Everything is digital, so you do not have to faff around with paperwork/posting in ID pictures as you do with most other public health insurance providers in Germany.
And on top of this, TK health insurance meets all the requirements for applying for a Work Visa or EU Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin or at a German embassy/consulate overseas.
You can quickly and securely sign up for TK insurance via this link. Other options for German public health insurance that are popular with expats in Berlin include:
Note: If you are a regular employee in Germany and earn over €66,600 per year, you are also eligible for the German Private Health Insurance System. To find out why this might be a better option for you, see our guide on private health insurance in Germany.
3️⃣ German Social Insurance Certificate (Sozialversicherungsausweis)
📃 In addition to your health insurance confirmation, your new employer will also need your German social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer) when you start working in Berlin.
Your employer needs this number prior to your first payroll in order to process your mandatory German pension contributions, which are automatically drawn from your salary each month. As with confirmation of your health insurance, your employer will often not permit you to start working if you have not received your social security number.
So, how do you get your German social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer)?
✔️ Your social security number can be provided by your health insurance provider. If you register with TK health insurance via our sign up link, your social security number can be sent to you after just 24 hours of your policy being confirmed.
Most other German insurance providers will only provide your social security number via post, which usually takes 4–6 weeks. This can be a costly delay as you may not be able to start working in Berlin before you receive it in the post – therefore, a good option is to go with the expedited process offered by TK.
For further information about your Sozialversicherungsnummer and how to get hold of your number, see here.
4️⃣ Work Visa for Germany
👔 Unless you are an EU/EEA citizen, you are not able to start working in Berlin simply on the basis that you have obtained a job – you still need to obtain a relevant work visa for Germany before you are permitted to start working.
You will likely have a number of visa options for Germany depending on your age, nationality and job offer. As these options would be too extensive to document fully on this page, we have put together some free comprehensive visa guides for you to follow:
✔️ Applying for a German Work Visa at the immigration office in Berlin
✔️ Applying for a German Work Visa at a German embassy or consulate
✔️ Applying for an EU Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin
✔️ Applying for an EU Blue Card at a German embassy or consulate
As a starting point, we recommend reading through our free step-by-step guides to obtaining a relevant work visa for Germany.
5️⃣ German Bank Details
💰 In order for most German employers to pay your monthly salary, you will need a German bank account. For newcomers to Berlin, our favourite banking option is N26. We like N26 because:
✔️ They offer a quick and easy sign up process.
✔️ Their standard account is free to open and maintain, and you will also receive a free Debit Mastercard.
✔️ Your bank card will generally arrive after just 1 week, at which point your account will be fully operational.
✔️ They have a sleek, intuitive app through which you can manage all your banking.
Ultimately, N26 is a modern online bank that combines quick sign up, intuitive functionality and nifty features, in contrast to the more archaic offerings from Germany’s large ‘bricks-and-mortar’ banks. For further details, check out our N26 review.
🏧 Alternative and increasingly popular banking options are Tomorrow Bank and bunq. You can read more about these banks and what they offer in our Tomorrow Bank review and bunq review.
If you are interested in exploring other banking options in Berlin, we have covered a number of the most popular, expat-friendly banks in Germany on our Banking page.
6️⃣ A Red Card (Rote Karte)
👩🍳 The Red Card (Rote Karte) is a safety and sanitation certificate that you require if you are looking to work in hospitality or if your job involves preparing or handling food (bars, restaurants, kitchens, hotels, kindergartens, etc.) in Germany. If you wish to work in hospitality, you should arrange a Red Card as soon as possible as many places will not hire you without one.
🟥 To obtain a Red Card, you need to book an appointment at one of Berlin's Gesundheitsamt (health departments). In Berlin, these are located in Lichtenberg, Mitte and Charlottenburg. You can book a Red Card appointment at one of the offices through this link.
If you only speak very basic German, you generally require a German speaker with you at your appointment.
Once you have booked an appointment and arranged a German speaker, it is time to actually attend your Red Card appointment. Here, you will need to show your:
✔️ Passport
✔️ Address registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung)
✔️ Appointment confirmation
At the appointment, you watch a short 20-minute video in German. Following the video, you must return to collect and pay for your Red Card. The cost for the Red Card is €20. In general, you will need a German EC card in order to pay for the Red Card (although the Gesundheitsamt at Charlottenburg has been known to accept cash).
For more detailed instructions, see our blog on how, where and when to apply for your Rote Karte in Berlin.
7️⃣ Police Check / Certificate of Good Conduct
👮 Some jobs in Berlin require a police check or a 'Certificate of good conduct' (Polizeiliches Führungszeugnis).
If you would like to work as a teacher or with children, you should make an appointment for a police check shortly after you arrive in Berlin to increase your chances of employment. After applying, you can include on your job applications that you have already completed a recent police check for Germany.
🏛️ You can make an appointment for a police check at any Bürgeramt (town hall) in Berlin through this link. There are two different types of police check. You need to apply for the certificate intended for private purposes (für private Zwecke) as this is the type that is required by an employer.
The cost for the police check is €13 and you generally need to pay with a German EC card as most Bürgerämter do not take cash.
✅ We hope you have found this page useful. For further info on how to move to Berlin, check out our homepage and free relocation resources.