Checklist for qualified professionals from the EU,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland
How do I prepare to enter Germany?
1. Job search
✓ Look for vacancies in the job listings of Make it in Germany or in other job exchanges.
✓ Many companies publish their job listings on their websites. If there are no open vacancies, try
to send an unsolicited application.
✓ Prepare your application documents:
Keep in mind that you have to
➢ CV proof sufficient German
➢ Cover letter language skills.
➢ Diplomas / References
✓ Please note that a professional licence is required for regulated professions.
2. Visa
✓ Citizens from the EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland need for the entry to
Germany just a valid passport or identity card.
You don‘t need a special
permission for your
employment in Germany.
3. Entry / Arrival
✓ From the first day of your arrival, you need a valid health care insurance. Find out if your health
care insurance covers all German health care benefits.
✓ Take some cash with you to make first purchases.
Accomodations at the beginning
✓ An overnight stay in a hotel / pension or in a hostel is possible at the beginning.
✓ Look for furnished appartments for subleasing.
Created by IW Köln June / 2020
Looking for housing
✓ You didn‘t find a permanent residence? Try to find German shared flats in online portals.
✓ Let your local Welcome Center help you find an accommodation.
✓ Look for accomodations in newspapers or on websites of real estate companies. Get more tips on
looking for housing on Make it in Germany.
4. Registration of residence
✓ A „reporting obligation“ („Meldepflicht“) exists in Germany. You have to register within 2 weeks
with the registration office or at the “Bürgeramt“.
✓ Make a timely appointment at the registration office.
Keep in mind, that a hotel
adress is not accepted
✓ Prepare the required documents for the registration office: everywhere.
➢ filled and signed form
➢ valid passport or identity card
➢ lease or a confirmation from your landlord (“Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung“)
5. Get settled
✓ Make new friends in sports clubs or at public events.
✓ You can meet new people in integration courses, who also arrived in Germany recently.
✓ Learn German while you are still in your home country! The Goethe-Insitutes offer worldwide
German language courses and exams to proof your language skills. The world map of Make it in
Germany shows you where to find Goethe-Institutes nearby.
Tip: The workers of the migration
advisory services support you to get
settled in Germany.
Created by IW Köln June / 2020
Attachment: important documents at a glance
You probably need the following documents down below. We recommend to bring certified
copies or original documents (incl. certified translations) with you.
o Valid Passport / ID
o Credit or debit card
o Birth certificate
o If neccessary: marriage certificate (required for the registration
with the registration office and for the residence permit of your
spouse, too)
o If neccessary: university degree (in original form, required for the
work contract) or another proof of qualification
o Proof of funding your stay in Germany (for example: salary
statements, it‘s neccesary to grant a visa and for the residence
permit)
o Proof of health insurance
Created by IW Köln June / 2020
