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Before the move · Documents

What do I need to work in Germany as an EU citizen?

In short

With a passport or ID card from Spain, Greece or another EU country, you need neither a visa nor a work permit. You need a valid ID, a home with the landlord’s confirmation, registration within two weeks, then your tax ID by post, a health insurance fund and a bank account. Your salary may go to an account in your home country: the employer may not specify in which EU country your account is held.

Sources: European Commission, Your Europe, Section 17 Federal Registration Act, Article 9 SEPA Regulation

6 months

you may look for work in Germany as an EU citizen, without a visa and without a residence permit.

Longer, as long as you can show that you are still looking for work and have a genuine chance of being hired (section 2 (2) no. 1a, Freedom of Movement Act/EU).

Source: Section 2 FreizügG/EU, retrieved on 26 October 2026.

Your list for the first weeks

  1. ID: a valid ID card or passport from your EU country. You need no visa and no work permit (European Commission, Your Europe).
  2. Home: what counts for registration is the landlord’s confirmation that you have moved in (section 19, Federal Registration Act), not the rental contract.
  3. Registration: within two weeks of moving in, at the registration office (section 17, Federal Registration Act). More on the station Address registration.
  4. Tax ID: it arrives by post from the Federal Central Tax Office after you register. Your employer needs it for payroll.
  5. Health insurance: if you have statutory insurance, you choose the fund yourself and tell your employer at the latest two weeks after compulsory insurance begins (section 175 (3), Social Code Book V). From an annual salary of €77,400 (2026), you can choose private insurance.
  6. Social security number: it arrives by letter from the German Pension Insurance. Your employer retrieves it directly, so you do not need to provide proof.
  7. Bank account: your account in Spain, Greece or another EU country is enough for your salary (Article 9 (1), SEPA Regulation). You are entitled to a German basic account if you want one (section 31, Payment Accounts Act).

Do I need my degree recognised?

For professions that are not regulated in Germany, recognition is not required. Regulated professions are mainly in health, safety and social work. The title Ingenieur (engineer) is also protected. You can check whether your profession is regulated on the Anerkennung in Deutschland portal.

More questions

Can my salary be paid into my account in Spain or Greece?

Anyone making a transfer to an account in the EU may not specify the member state in which the account is held (Article 9 (1), SEPA Regulation). This also applies to your employer: an account in Spain or Greece is enough.

Can I come to Germany to look for a job?

As an EU citizen you may stay in Germany for up to six months to look for work, and longer as long as you keep looking and have a genuine chance of a job (section 2 (2) no. 1a, Freedom of Movement Act/EU).

Do I need my degree recognised?

Not for non-regulated professions. You can check whether your profession is regulated on the Anerkennung in Deutschland portal. The title Ingenieur (engineer) is protected.

Three views of this station

IT professional

“What has to be done before my first day at work?”

What helps: Home and registration first, the tax ID follows by post. If it is missing for the first salary through no fault of yours, the employer uses the expected tax data for at most three months (section 39c, Income Tax Act).

Partner

“Do I need papers to work too?”

What helps: No. Family members need no work permit under EU law, even without an EU passport. Their entry and residence follow their own rules, more on the station Family and partner.

Company

“What do we need to apply for to hire someone from Spain or Greece?”

What helps: No work permit. You retrieve the insurance number from the pension insurance data centre, as with any new hire.

How we work

In the week of the move
Registration, bank account, keys: prepared, and in the right order.
Cost
Free for you. Always. We are paid by the hiring company. Never by you.

Not in our hands: Free appointments and processing times at public offices. We plan around them, but we cannot speed them up.

Related

How does moving to Germany as an IT professional work?

Calculate your own path

With your city and your salary: comparison calculator. Talk your path through with us: write to us. Who we are: home page.

Sources

  1. European Commission, Your Europe: Work permits, last checked 03/09/2026, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  2. Section 2 (2) no. 1a Freedom of Movement Act/EU (stay to look for work), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  3. Section 17 (1) and (3) Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  4. Section 19 (1) Federal Registration Act (landlord’s duty to confirm), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  5. Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), questions and answers on the tax identification number, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  6. Section 39c (1) Income Tax Act, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  7. Section 175 (3) Social Code Book V (choice of health insurance fund), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  8. Social Insurance Calculation Values Ordinance 2026, sections 1 and 2 (reference value EUR 3,955 a month, compulsory insurance threshold EUR 77,400 a year), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  9. German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung), glossary: insurance number certificate and social security number, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  10. Regulation (EU) No 260/2012 (SEPA Regulation), Article 9 (1), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  11. Section 31 (1) Payment Accounts Act (basic account), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  12. Anerkennung in Deutschland portal: professional recognition, regulated and non-regulated professions, retrieved on 26 October 2026.