Moving to Germany
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Germany, in one place.
Western EuropeThinking about moving to Germany?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Germany at a glance
How long can you stay in Germany?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Germany is in the Schengen area.
Days here count toward your 90 in any 180 across all of Schengen; count them with the Schengen calculator.
Visas and residency in Germany
Germany has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Residence permit for freelance work (Section 21(5) Residence Act) – an income of Enough income to live on, shown by a revenue forecast and fee agreements or at least 2 letters of intent from clients, and it can lead to permanent residency
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
Citizenship in Germany
Naturalization takes about 5 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Germany
Germany taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 20%
- Top income tax rate – 45%
- Corporate tax – 30%
- VAT or sales tax – 19%
- Capital gains tax – 25%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Germany
Everyday prices in Germany are about 80% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's close to US prices, or above them.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Berlin – $202
- Munich – $214
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Germany safe?
The US State Department rates Germany Level 2 ("Exercise increased caution", updated 2025-05-13), the same level it gives France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. Levels 1 and 2 are both everyday travel; the US only asks you to reconsider a trip at Level 3. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Germany
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Germany over the last 12 months, half came in above 54 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 124 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (67,766,163 tests).
By place:
- Berlin – 55 Mbps typical
- Munich – 54 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Germany
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Germany: the basics
| What | Germany |
|---|---|
| Capital | Berlin |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Languages | German |
| Population | about 82.9 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Germany
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Germany FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Residence permit for freelance work (Section 21(5) Residence Act).
It asks for an income of Enough income to live on, shown by a revenue forecast and fee agreements or at least 2 letters of intent from clients.
About 5 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Germany taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 80% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 2.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 54 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 124 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Berlin and Munich.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The euro (EUR).
The main language is German.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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