Moving to Germany

2026 salary floors, effective 1 January 2026: EUR 50,700 gross/year (EUR 4,225/month) general, and EUR 45,934.20 gross/year (EUR 3,827.85/month) for shortage occupations and new entrants. These are 50% and 45.3% of the 2026 pension-insurance contribution assessment ceiling of EUR 101,400. They are set again for each calendar year: section 18g(7) has the Federal Ministry of the Interior publish them in the Federal Gazette by 31 December of the year before. Shortage occupations are ISCO-08 groups 132, 133, 134, 21, 221, 222, 225, 226, 23 and 25; the reduced threshold needs Federal Employment Agency approval. IT specialists without a degree qualify under section 18g(2) with 3 years' professional experience in the last 7 at a level comparable to EQF level 6, using the reduced threshold. Permanent residence after 27 months with basic German (A1), or 21 months with sufficient German (B1). Spouses are exempt from the A1 German requirement that otherwise applies to family reunification.

Requires a concrete job offer, Federal Employment Agency approval under section 39, any professional practice licence the role needs, and - critically - a formal determination that the foreign qualification is equivalent to a German one (or a recognised/comparable foreign degree). No general salary minimum for under-45s; the Employment Agency instead checks pay against comparable local conditions. OVER-45 RULE (section 18(2) no. 5): on first issuance the gross annual salary must be at least 55% of the contribution assessment ceiling - EUR 55,770/year (EUR 4,647.50/month) in 2026 - or the applicant must prove adequate pension provision. The authority may waive this where there is a public interest, in particular a regional, economic or labour-market interest, in the employment, especially where the salary falls only slightly short or the age limit is only slightly exceeded (section 18(2) sentence 2). Permanent residence after 3 years holding the permit plus 36 months of pension contributions and B1 German, reduced to 2 years / 24 months if the qualification was obtained in Germany. Spouses of section 18a-18d sponsors are exempt from the A1 German requirement.

Minimum 6 points, per the statutory Anlage to the Residence Act. Points: partial recognition of a qualification or an adaptation measure 4; German B2 3, B1 2, A2 1; English C1 1; 5 years' experience in the last 7 3; 2 years' experience in the last 5 2; shortage occupation 1; under 35 2; age 35-40 1; at least 6 months' prior residence in Germany 1; spouse or partner applying jointly 1. Entry to the points route needs a qualification of at least 2 years or a state-recognised degree, plus German A1 or English B2; a fully recognised Fachkraft needs no points at all. Proof of funds: EUR 1,091/month for 2026, i.e. EUR 13,092 for a 12-month permit, via blocked account or a formal sponsorship undertaking. Valid up to 1 year, extendable as a Folge-Chancenkarte for up to 2 further years once qualified work is found. Work permitted: max 20 hours/week part-time plus trial employment of max 2 weeks at a time. Leads to permanent residence and citizenship only after converting to a substantive permit. Whether family may accompany was not confirmed on an official page.

For a trade business under 21(1): an economic interest or regional need, an expected positive economic effect, and financing secured by equity or a loan commitment. Section 21 sets no minimum investment: no EUR 250,000 figure, or any other amount, appears in it. The amount of capital is one of the factors the assessment looks at, alongside the viability of the business idea, your business experience, the effect on jobs and training, and the contribution to innovation and research (21(1) sentence 2). For a Freiberufler under 21(5): no economic-interest test, but any required professional licence must be granted or promised. Section 21(3): applicants over 45 should only be granted a permit if they have adequate pension provision. For a trade business the permit is limited to a maximum of 3 years, and permanent residence can be granted after 3 years of self-employment if, among other conditions, the business has succeeded and your livelihood, and that of the family members you support, is secured by sufficient income (21(4)). Section 21(5) disapplies both of those rules for a freelancer. NOT A DIGITAL NOMAD VISA: section 21 requires genuine self-employment exercised in Germany, so a salaried employee of a foreign company working remotely does not fit it; genuine freelancers may serve foreign clients but authorities generally look for a German-market nexus. That last point is practitioner consensus, not confirmed statute.

Up to 18 months after successfully completing a degree or a period of research in Germany, qualified vocational training in Germany, or the recognition of a foreign qualification (or the grant of a licence to practise) during a stay for that purpose (section 20(1) nos. 1-4 and (2) sentence 2). Only up to 12 months, extendable once by up to 6 months if your livelihood is secured, after completing assistant or helper training in a health or care occupation in Germany (no. 5 and (2) sentence 3). The permit cannot be extended beyond these periods ((2) sentence 4). The applicant must show secured means of subsistence; the statute sets no fixed euro figure. The permit converts to a section 18a/18b skilled-worker permit or an EU Blue Card once suitable work is found, and a qualification obtained in Germany then cuts the permanent-residence wait to 2 years. You cannot naturalise while holding this permit itself: section 10(1) no. 2 StAG excludes a section 20 permit from the titles you must hold when you apply. Family accompaniment on this permit was not confirmed.

Both spouses must be at least 18 (hardship waiver possible). The sponsored spouse must normally be able to communicate in German at least at a basic level (A1) - but spouses of EU Blue Card holders, ICT and Mobile-ICT card holders, section 18a-18d skilled workers, section 19c and section 21 self-employed sponsors are EXEMPT from the language test entirely, which covers most skilled-migration sponsors. Income: no fixed euro figure; the general section 5(1)(1) secured-livelihood test applies. NATURALISATION CHANGED IN 2025: the June 2024 reform's 3-year fast track for exceptional integration was abolished by the Sixth Act amending the Nationality Act, passed by the Bundestag on 8 October 2025 and in force 30 October 2025 - section 10(3) StAG now reads '(weggefallen)'. The standard requirement is 5 years' lawful habitual residence, B1 German, secured livelihood and a civics test; dual citizenship remains permitted. There is no transition provision for pending applications.