Working in Germany: registration, insurance, bank account — the first steps

Do I need a visa or work permit as an EU citizen?

No. As a citizen of an EU member state — Poland, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic or Slovakia, for instance — you may live and work in Germany without a visa and without a work permit. That is your right under the European Union's freedom of movement for workers: you enter with your identity card or passport and can take up employment immediately. Comparable rules apply to citizens of the EEA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and of Switzerland.

That does not mean there is nothing to do, though. A few practical steps face almost everyone coming to Germany for an assignment or a permanent job: the question of registration, the tax identification number, health insurance and usually a bank account. This guide works through the points in order — the order in which they arise in practice.

One important note first: it makes a big difference whether you have a German employment contract or whether your foreign employer is posting you to Germany. In the second case you generally remain in your home country's social security system (the key term being the A1-Bescheinigung, the A1 certificate) — what that means exactly is explained in a separate guide: posting workers to Germany. This article deals mainly with the case where you are employed in Germany or about to be.

Do I have to register with the residents registration office?

On a typical assignment, usually not straight away. Anyone keeping their residence abroad and living temporarily in worker accommodation in Germany only has to register once the stay in the same accommodation exceeds three months — then within two weeks of that deadline elapsing (§ 27 (2) Bundesmeldegesetz, the German Federal Registration Act). For people with an existing German main residence, a six-month threshold applies.

For shorter assignments that means: no trips to the authorities because of the accommodation. Anyone moving to Germany permanently and taking a dwelling here, by contrast, registers with the residents registration office within two weeks — for which a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord's confirmation) is required.

We have summarised all the details on deadlines, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung and second-home tax in a separate guide: registering worker accommodation: registration and second-home duties. Here, just the essentials for your planning: note down your move-in date. If your assignment runs longer than planned, you will know exactly when the three-month threshold is reached.

How do I get a tax identification number?

The tax identification number (Steuer-ID) is an eleven-digit number you keep for life. Your employer needs it for payroll — without a tax ID they cannot retrieve your wage tax data through the electronic procedure (ELStAM) and initially have to apply a less favourable calculation.

The route to a tax ID depends on whether you are registered in Germany:

With registration: if you register with the residents registration office, the tax ID is issued automatically. The Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (Federal Central Tax Office) sends it by post to your registered address — you do not have to apply for anything further, just bring some patience, as delivery experience shows takes a few weeks.

Without registration: anyone working in Germany but keeping their residence abroad and not (yet) required to register can also obtain a tax ID. There is an application for this at the tax office: the form "Antrag auf Vergabe einer steuerlichen Identifikationsnummer für nicht meldepflichtige Personen" (application for a tax identification number for persons not subject to registration). The competent office is the tax office responsible for your employer (the Betriebsstättenfinanzamt). You enclose a copy of your ID with the application; the number is sent to your foreign home address. Handy: your employer can also submit the application for you with your power of attorney — ask the HR department, that is the fastest route.

How does social insurance work with a German employment contract?

This is where you have the least to do yourself — which is good news. As soon as you are employed by a German employer, they register you for social insurance automatically. The contributions to pension, health, long-term care and unemployment insurance are withheld directly from your gross wage and paid over. In the process you receive a German social insurance number, which the pension insurance sends you by post.

What you have to do actively: choose a health insurance fund (more on that shortly) and give your employer the necessary details — tax ID, health insurance fund, bank details. Keep the letter with your social insurance number safe: you will need the number again whenever you change employer in Germany.

And one point that makes the decision to take an assignment in Germany easier for many: your contribution periods are not lost. Within the EU, insurance periods for pensions are aggregated — what you pay into the pension insurance in Germany is later coordinated with your periods from Poland, Romania or any other member state. At pension age, each country pays its share for the periods completed there.

The distinction from posting matters: if your foreign employer sends you to Germany temporarily while your employment relationship continues in your home country, you remain in your home country's social security system with an A1-Bescheinigung. This section then does not apply to you — your contributions continue at home. What your employer has to observe is set out in the guide on posting workers to Germany.

What is on my first German payslip?

The first German payslip raises questions for almost everyone — the difference between gross and net is bigger here than in many other EU countries, but you are comprehensively covered in return. Deducted from the gross wage are: wage tax (depending on your tax class), church tax where applicable, and your shares of pension, health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. The employer bears the other half of the social contributions on top of the gross wage.

The tax class is assigned to you automatically: single people generally receive tax class I, married people can choose between combinations. As long as the employer does not yet have your tax ID, they will temporarily apply the unfavourable tax class VI — you do get overpaid tax back later, but that is precisely why it pays to obtain the tax ID early. On every payslip, also check that the hours worked are correct and that the hourly wage is at least the statutory minimum wage — since 1 January 2026 that has been 13.90 euros gross per hour. It applies to practically all employees in Germany, regardless of nationality.

Is my EHIC card enough or do I need German health insurance?

That depends on the employment contract again — and it is one of the points where most misunderstandings arise.

With a German employment contract: you become subject to compulsory health insurance in Germany. Your home country's European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not enough then — it is intended for temporary stays, not for employment in the country. The country-of-employment principle applies: anyone working as an employee in Germany is insured here. For this you choose a statutory health insurance fund (AOK, TK, Barmer or another — the benefits are largely the same, the supplementary contributions differ slightly) and tell your employer your choice. If you do not choose, the employer will register you with a fund. With membership you receive a German health card and have full access to medical care.

As a posted worker with an A1-Bescheinigung: you remain insured in your home country. For visits to the doctor in Germany you use your EHIC — it covers medically necessary treatment during the stay. So make sure you bring the card and check before departure that it is still valid.

In case of doubt: ask your employer which case applies to you before you travel to Germany. That saves nasty surprises at the first visit to the doctor.

Can I get a bank account in Germany?

Yes — and you even have a statutory entitlement to one. Under § 31 Zahlungskontengesetz (ZKG — the German Payment Accounts Act), every bank offering payment accounts to private customers must open a so-called basic account for you. The entitlement applies to all consumers lawfully resident in the EU — a German registered address is not a precondition. The bank must offer the contract no later than ten business days after receipt of your application and may only refuse in cases laid down by law. If it refuses without justification, you can apply for administrative proceedings at the financial regulator BaFin, which can enforce the opening of the account.

The basic account offers the core functions: salary payments in, transfers, direct debits, a payment card. In practice, opening an account works straightforwardly at many banks and direct banks with a valid EU identity card or passport — sometimes entirely online by video identification. A German account simplifies a lot: the employer transfers the wage without foreign transfer fees, and rent and mobile phone contracts can be paid by direct debit. It is not compulsory, though — your employer can also transfer the wage to an account in another EU country (SEPA makes it possible), which may just take a little longer depending on the bank.

What else should I sort out in practical terms?

Mobile phone and internet: thanks to EU roaming, your home SIM card works in Germany at no extra cost — for shorter assignments that is entirely sufficient. For longer stays a German prepaid card can make sense; activation in Germany requires identification with an ID document, done in the shop or online by video ident. A German number also makes dealings with authorities and contracts easier.

Driving licence: your EU driving licence is valid in Germany without restriction — no exchange or transcription is needed, even for a longer stay. That applies to all licences issued in an EU or EEA state. Anyone travelling in their own car should simply remember valid vehicle documents and the green insurance card; for company vans the employer handles this anyway.

Important documents to hand: it has proved useful to keep a small folder (or a folder on your phone) with the most important papers — ID, employment contract, tax ID, social insurance number, health insurance documents or EHIC and A1. At the authorities, at the doctor's or during a site inspection, that saves time and nerves every time.

Accommodation: anyone wanting to work calmly through the first points on this list needs one thing above all — fixed, reliable accommodation from day one. That is exactly where we help: Anyrooms arranges vetted worker rooms and worker apartments throughout Germany, matched to the place of work, period and team size. Tell us about your assignment — we will take care of the roof over your head so that you can take care of work, registration and your bank account.

The first steps at a glance

For starting out in Germany as an EU citizen with a German employment contract, a simple sequence emerges: enter with your ID (no visa needed), move into accommodation and note the move-in date, sort out the tax ID (automatic after registration, or by application through the tax office), choose a health insurance fund and tell your employer, open a bank account. Social insurance is handled by the employer. Anyone being posted has a shorter list: pack the A1-Bescheinigung and EHIC, secure accommodation — the employer sorts out the rest in the home country.

Germany asks for a bit of paperwork at the start, but none of these steps is complicated once you know the order. And with the accommodation, you do not even have to start looking — we take that on.