Living in Germany.
30 practical guides for Americans living in Germany, grouped by topic. Each one lists the official sources it is based on.
Daily life
Phone, internet and utilities in Germany: getting connected
SIM cards and ID checks, contract terms, switching providers, EU roaming, electricity and gas suppliers, and the broadcasting fee for Americans in Germany.
Germany's Everyday Rules: What Americans Should Know
The everyday rules Americans meet in Germany: Sunday rest, shop hours, carrying ID, recycling, cycling and pedestrian law, red lights, and house rules in rentals.
Moving to Germany With Kids: Schools, Daycare and Permits
Compulsory schooling, welcome classes, the legal right to a daycare place, school holidays by state and residence permits for children of American movers.
Documents and ID
Germany's Tax ID Number: How Americans Get the IdNr
How Americans get the German tax ID after registering an address, what it is used for, how to request it again, and how it differs from other numbers.
US Embassy and Consulate Services for Americans in Germany
What the US Embassy in Berlin and consulates in Frankfurt and Munich do for residents: passports, notarials, births abroad, Social Security and emergencies.
Anmeldung in Germany: Registering Your Address as an American
The two-week registration rule, the landlord confirmation, what to bring to the Bürgeramt, and why the Meldebestätigung unlocks the rest of your move.
Getting around
Public transport in Germany: trains, buses and resident passes
The Deutschlandticket, local and long-distance trains, ticket checks and fines, and EU rail passenger rights for Americans living in Germany.
Driving in Germany with a US license: IDP, exchange and the test
The six-month rule, translations and IDPs, which US states can swap licenses without tests, and the road rules Americans need when driving in Germany.
Health
Health insurance requirements for a residence permit in Germany
What German law says about health cover for visas and residence permits, the rules on private cover limits, and why Medicare does not follow you to Germany.
How healthcare works in Germany for foreign residents
Statutory and private health insurance in Germany, who joins which, family cover, choosing doctors, 116117 and co-payments, for Americans living there.
Housing
Renting an apartment in Germany as an American
How German leases work: open-ended and fixed-term contracts, staggered and index rent, subletting, the move-in confirmation and what landlords ask newcomers for.
SCHUFA and Kaution: Renting in Germany as an American
Why German landlords ask for a SCHUFA report, how to get your own data free, what the law says about rental deposits, rent caps and notice for Americans.
Language and culture
Etiquette in Germany: greetings, meals and everyday manners
Greetings, Sie and du, punctuality, quiet Sundays, shop hours, bottle deposits and recycling: the everyday customs Americans meet when they move to Germany.
Learning German for daily life in Germany
Integration courses, the language levels German law asks for, exams, and practical ways for Americans to learn German for work, paperwork and everyday life.
German Office Culture: A Guide for American Professionals
What Americans should expect in a German workplace: formality, direct feedback, meetings, breaks and rest periods, sick days, vacation and work-life boundaries.
Money
Cost of living in Germany: building an honest monthly budget
Budget a move to Germany from amounts fixed by law or public bodies, like the broadcasting fee and Deutschlandticket, plus your own rent quotes.
Opening a bank account in Germany as a US citizen
What German banks ask Americans for, why FATCA forms appear, your legal right to a basic account, deposit protection and US reporting duties that follow.
US taxes and admin
Social Security, pensions and the US-Germany totalization agreement
How the US-Germany agreement stops double contributions, combines work credits, and how Americans in Germany receive US Social Security benefits.
When Germany treats you as a tax resident
The German tests for unlimited tax liability, home and habitual abode, the six-month rule, when employees must file a return and how it fits with your US return.
US taxes while living in Germany: FBAR, FEIE and foreign tax credits
What Americans in Germany still file with the IRS: worldwide income, deadlines abroad, the foreign earned income exclusion, foreign tax credit, FBAR and Form 8938.
Visas and residency
Germany's Opportunity Card: Points System for Americans
How the German Opportunity Card works for Americans: the two routes, the six-point system, language rules, proof of funds, permitted work and what happens next.
German Citizenship for Americans: The Five-Year Path
Who can naturalise in Germany after five years, the B1 German and citizenship test rules, the fees, dual US and German citizenship and the steps in order.
Germany Visas and Residence Permits for Americans
How US citizens move to Germany legally: the visa-free entry rule, the 90-day window to apply in country, and the main permits for work, study and job search.
Work and business
Germany's Freelance Visa for Americans: How It Works
How Americans get a German freelance residence permit: who qualifies, documents, the pension rule after 45, tax registration and small business VAT.
Working in Germany as an American: Jobs and Remote Work
What your German residence permit must say before you work, employee rights on hours, leave and notice, and how remote work for a US company fits the rules.