Moving to Germany in 2026 Step by Step Guide

you just got the opportunity to move to Germany and you're thinking okay what documents do need what's my Visa situation how do open bank account where do research how to get an apartment what should do and in this video will answer all those questions and save you all that time of looking and searching you know grab you by the hand and take you in this journey so let's get started okay the first thing is establish what is your purpose to go to Germany is it for work is it for studying eating CTO salad whatever it may be this process will be affected by the country you're coming from if you're from the EU no problem like you have all the freedom to basically arrive into Germany without permit you can just arrive and register your apartment or your house where you're staying but yeah that's the important thing that you don't need anything to enter into Germany now if you're from any of these other countries you can enter in Germany but you will have to apply for residence permit at the local German foreigners office if you want to stay for more than 90 days if you want to work in Germany you need work visa or residence permit therefore if you want to start working directly after your arrival you should get working Visa before you come to Germany that would be very efficient as well if you from any other country then recommend you to use this website because that website basically will tell you all the requirements that you need and you will start your process so once that's done we go to the next step finding apartments finding an apartment or home in Germany is key to enter in the system this will allow you to get many documents that will be essential for your day-to-day life and will get you access to things like bank account but more on that later in the video you need to also understand that depending in which city you want to leave finding housing can be very hard cities like Munich or Berlin can be extremely hard to find apartments but if you go somewhere in the middle of nowhere you know all good lot of people write me and say hey Fernando have been applying for week and cannot find an apartment don't even don't even talk to me it's minimum 3 months minimum dude and hundreds of applications like every time meet somebody ask them what's their application count one guy told me 500 okay so that's what you're expecting you just have to mentalize yourself that it's going to be hard to start your application process you're going to need some documents that are going to make you better candidate what are those documents having working contract will indicate the landlord like your income that you're going to stay here that you already have plan that you're going to be able to pay the rent because at the end what they care is about stability if you don't have contract it doesn't mean you can't get an apartment but it may be bit more difficult if you're student you should get letter of your parents saying that they will be the ones paying for all the expenses in your behalf so to say now if you're freelancer like me you know then your chances are also sadly bit limited being freelancer honestly have learned slowly that in Germany they just like people that work in stable job but there is way to show that you are financially sound and that's by providing like basically bank statement with your 3 months earnings and that will show the landlord that you're financially Saint so yeah keep that in mind and also maybe providing kind of like your your winnings of last year or for 2 years will also convince the landlord that you are you know you have great business having document that shows that you are responsible person with your financials is key for landlords to have normally if you live in Germany already and you have German bank account you would get document called chufa this document shows your payment and depbt history since most of you are not leaving here would just try to look for similar document that has the same credibility in your country and that will help lot another document is the ma self uncom or tenant self-disclosure you basically filled out document with information about yourself like phone number email did you committ crime you know those typical questions talking about who you are in your goals can make the landlord pick you maybe you like playing tennis and the landlord also likes to play tennis and then he's like wow Fernando you're such cool tennis player grab the apartment you know no no be ready to have some money saved up for 2 months because the deposits are expensive there are lot of scams out there so please check out the super cool website they cover very well all the information and steps that you should follow to prevent getting scammed because there are lot of scams out there like there is landlord that it's not in Munich red flag now that you have all the documents and you are perfect candidate where do you start applying so you have the kind of like the main screen option which is one that have been using which is applying through these websites these are very well-known websites lot of people use them here the thing about these websites is that you can find everything you find the cheapest and the most affordable you have lot of flexibility because you can select the area where you want to leave and in general the only downside to these websites is that there's lot of people applying to these websites like everybody is there it's competition you know would not get discourage would definitely not apply for apartments that have been over month in the website that's usually like nogo because Mo most probably the landlord just forgot to remove you know most of this standards are like old and like they probably forgot to remove it so it's going to be waste of your time so just apply to the spots that are have been there for like week maximum two weeks because you always have to be the first one like here these websites what they do is that they put you directly in contact with the landlord and basically the landlord can only read as many messages you know most probably he's going to select the top 10 or something like this so yeah make sure to have notifications on to apply at least twice day super important if you are in Emos Scout 24 know you can pay for premium would recommend that because then you get the premium members are the first one that gets the apartment you have better chance but it's equally difficult but of course it's just going to bring you pay wall that will help you be faster so to say so that's personal choice if you don't have time or crazi amount of time to find apartments because it can take up to 3 months or four to find apartment and you have to start your job as soon as possible then there are the second option which is shortterm furnished apartments these apartments are like super expensive like completely blown out of proportion like the market is not like that at all these apartments can charge that amount of money because they have like valuable Furniture inside and stuff like that or they they are short term or whatever they have just loophole where they can charge you more but it's normally for people that are not there for long it can be something that you can find really quick because as said they're short term people are not necessarily staying there long you have more availability so quick side note here wanted to interview my friend William who is pretty cool guy he lives in Munich and his apartment is shortterm rental so wanted to ask him what was his process and how is it going right now with his shortterm apartments and what are the benefits or disadvantages that you know it may bring was looking into several websites one of them was housing anywhere Emos Scout 24 and Mr Lodge landed the my first apartment was through Mr lodge because their response was very fast very straightforward and super helpful so felt that already was able to communicate with someone that could help me through the process especially being overseas they asked you for reason as to why you're looking for an apartment guess through them but just overall in general like why you're looking for an apartment in my case cuz was looking to relocate so that was pretty honest pretty straightforward the contracts vary some are some could be 1 month two months 3 months and then up to 6 months and think even so up to year think the month toon or twomon contracts are more competitive so it depends on you know the availability that you're during the moment that you're looking for okay because lot of people want to get the two months yeah exactly are they more expensive than two months or are they like the same price as if you get so it depends the the it doesn't vary the price doesn't vary by contract length but it's more on the luxury on on the appliances or the luxury of the apartment itself like the furniture yeah the furniture stuff like that and good thing is big big Savor here is that depending on the contract my contract happens to allow me to extend month to Monon so if in case don't find something by by the by the the last day of the the contract the original contract could extend it but of course that depends also on the apartment owner and Mr Lodge have heard that you get like you have fix like for example let's say you found an apartment in the next week and then you wanted to leave but guess you can't right like you have contract you're bound yeah so that happened to me also few times found great opportunities within the city within my budget and there is just no way that could get out of this contract so yeah was tied up yeah we will find something soon for you of course my pleasure thank you again to William for helping me with this video and also if you want to see more of his stuff go check out his channel he's pretty cool guy and you can also ask him questions okay moving on these apartments can be solution quicker faster solution they can allow you to have boots on the ground and allow you to start searching for other apartments to visit other apartments to meet new people that have apartments and like they have room free and that that room is not €2,000 wanted to do quick stop here because I'm talking about like meeting people creating Friends new apartments and stuff like that and the the problem is lot of people lot of you guys that are moving here not necessarily know anybody so that's why have created social club called the Wate Club it's currently based in Munich because I'm based in Munich but it will slowly become more German wide but you can still join it and join the chat and kind of like ask questions about Germany but also you have the social aspect which is like we meet twice month specifically in on Wednesdays to meet and kind of like host them and will be there people that have met there has actually become my friends so lot of these people that you see here are from that group which is funny and it's because like minded people come to this group Naturally by being there and socializing you will get to know friends and through friends you get all these things that I'm talking about so go follow Wednesday Club submit your motivational letter through Instagram and yeah most likely you will get in but you know have to somehow filter the the you know the Psychopaths like hope it works I'm doing this because think it can help lot of people so great okay when you move to to Germany and you want to take permanent residence and you stay more than 90 days you have to register your address in the period of 2 weeks that's very important the citizens office in Munich is called and it's part of the Department of Public order but anyways this is where you go and this is where you register and this is where you are going to obtain all your documents there are locations in each City so it's simple Google search and you should be completely fine you have to register in person or you can also give another person letter that basically authorize them to register in your behalf for the registration you need your valid password or identification card in addition you need to present reading confirmation from your landlord and it's called on so make sure your landlord gives you this document or signs it have linked it in the description the best way is online it takes just few minutes if you want to go there or call it will take long time so wouldn't recommend it the online thing is just that it's in German but you can just use Google Translation and also have done video separately where show you step by step how to do it so just go Link in the description and watch that once you're registered you will be getting the registration certificate and maig and your tax ID these documents are very important for your life here so please keep them safe it's important to know that if you let's say you got short-term accommodation and you register with short-term accommodation when you find long-term accommodation that you're happy with hopefully then you have to deregister that apartment and register in this new apartment it's the only way that they know where you are and it's important because they can send you letters and it's where they will contact you and if you move away like if you say goodbye choose Germany you have to deregister if you're like me like Italian or you're from another country whatever like it is important that you check with your government as well if you have to tell them where you are like for example me as an Italian have to not only register at the Cala air but have to go to my Italian Council and have to be like hey I'm leaving in this apart like in this place and moved to Germany it's not the case with every country so just make sure to check separately with your country if you need to tell them hey bro I'm here so all good what's up guys quick update about this topic now there is way that you can register and deregister your apartment online but it only works if you're European so sadly for everybody else this doesn't work guess for now you just have to go to this side and kind of like follow the steps you just need your valid ID but the cool thing is like now you can do this online and you don't have to go to the burger and be there and do the meeting yeah that's kind of cool not lot of people know about it so thought that would integrate it now on this video so yeah okay until the next one to open bank account you will need valid passport residence permit certificate of regist ation and your tax ID it is important to understand that with traditional German banks your process will be slower and can take few days but there's also the electronic bands like the online banks like n26 revolute and stuff like that that may be faster have Linked In the description video from my good friend Max he compares the different banks that are in Germany and basically gives you an overview of what bank may be the best for you and also have linked an article from this cool website and they really explain you where are the benefits for xats actually really quick wanted to stop here because something very cool happened and it really solves one of the problems that people are having with banks so hear me out one of the problems that lot of people write me about is that they kind of like have to rush their move to Germany because their job starts but then they haven't found an apartment and if you haven't found an apartment you cannot register without the registration then you cannot make bank account so literally this week got an email from bunk which is this online bank from the Netherland the Netherlands and one of the things that they're doing for xbots is that they're offering kind of like 90day period where you don't need your tax identification number and that's pretty cool because it will really help you solve that problem that many people have when they come here where it's like you need to start paying things or your employer wants to start paying you but you don't have German bank account and that's one of the biggest problems like how do you start getting money so definitely go check out bunk they have lot of cool features that are beneficial on your everyday life and remember to use my link in order to support the channel and I'm really happy to promote things in this channel that honestly solve problem okay moving on health insurance this is beautiful topic Germans love insurances like they over inure honestly like every time go somewhere they are asking me hey do you want an insurance for this and don't know it's it goes with culture think Germans just want to be safe when you move to Germany and you have job you are insured there is private insurance and public insurance but most of the people that are on work contract they get public Insurance private insurance is kind of like smart if you're earning above wage because the public Insurance go up with your income so if you're earning lot of money then the public insurance is going to be like okay we want more depending on your situation private insurance will make sense especially if you earn lot but for most people also me included am with public Insurance because it's sometimes the most affordable and it just makes sense with you know with my current situation of course there's benefits of having private insurance like you get faster appointments which is honestly sometimes great but overall the public insurance they cover lot of things like for example if you want dental insurance and stuff like that most of your insurance that you have at your job won't cover certain things so that's where you're going to need to start adding insurances but Fernando don't have job do still have to pay insurance yes know you can also choose between public or private but yeah you're going to need to pay insurance so would 100% go for the public one because if you don't have job you're not earning money so most probably you're going to pay the lowest if you're with public one instead of the private one because the private one starts at fixed rate which is like around 500 and more so this one is important because if you arrive to Germany you're probably going to need also phone and you're going to need to start using it to communicate with your friends family and also for work so what do you need you will need to go in person to any phone provider and bring your ID and also you have to already have German bank account as well as register address in Germany it should take more than few days but you can always get prepaid card if you really need to get in contact with people also have been using O2 now for 10 years mean they're pretty good you can just you know select if you want to get into contract for 2 years which normally they just like lower the price but if you're just staying here for 6 months or 7 months or for year maybe what you want is monthly subscription also linked in the description this we site where they compare all the prices and the different companies honestly they do great job on comparing everything all the all the different packages that you can get also for additional services like Wi-Fi you can go directly to the provider that you got your phone plown with or you can check other providers just highly suggest you to always check the prices and that you know what you're paying for okay that's it transportation in Germany is quite cool like the autoband are like amazing they're pretty good like coming from Venezuela where driving is insane this is quote unquote Heaven don't own car but would definitely link some articles in the description where you can start seeing what you need to buy car know that getting license here can be quite expensive we'll link all that down below but if you own car here and you like driving fast this is kind of like the place for you now moving on to people that are into public transportation if it's like if it's even thing that people are into but anyways public transportation is what mainly use here especially in Munich really think it works extremely well the one that doesn't really work that well but it's equally pretty good is deutche band which is all the regional trains and also the kind of like the lines which is also like long distance trains around the city quite difficult to actually explain there's so many trains here anyways we'll do separate video on that now the cool thing is that you can buy the deut ticket which is ticket that basically includes all the ways of transportation like boss trams Subways espand Regional trains the only thing that it doesn't include is the high-speed trains the ones that go like from Munich to Berlin for example but overall it's great ticket because before you had to pay like like quite lot so definitely having this new ticket has been game changer but it can be by the time that you're watching this video this ticket doesn't exist anymore kind of like arguing if it's worth it or not and stuff like that so you know hopefully you will be able to get this ticket because honestly it saves you lot of money talking about like other ways of transportations like bikes for example think made video about that like with on cost of living in Germany overall think like for example for the city of Munich like my bike is almost like my second best way of transportation the bike lanes and everything here is amazing and honestly it just changes your life feel like you know comparing to city like New York where public transportation is also pretty cool but like the city is quite busy and narrow it makes it quite difficult to you know just be with your bike but here man don't know why especially in Munich it is super nice guess like the only things that you're going to need to pay you know bike repairs and somebody steals your bike but that doesn't usually happen in Munich but never say never thank you very much for watching this video this was honestly lot of research that put in into this video and if miss something will definitely link it down in the description but let me know if you have any questions that can help answer and good luck in your journey and all the best bye-bye