If you come from a country within the European Union, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland, you can live and work in Germany without any restrictions.

However, transition regulations do apply to the new EU Member States Romania and Bulgaria. Although their citizens do not require a visa, they do require a special labour permit. It is issued by the ZAV. ZAV will also help you apply for a labour permit or permission to access the labour market. 

All other foreigners require a visa if they wish to stay for a long duration. For this purpose you should contact the German mission in your home country. An exception applies to citizens from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea: they can also apply for the necessary residence permit in Germany from the responsible immigration authorities. 

How quickly and uncomplicated your labour permit can be issued depends to a considerable extent on your profession. At the moment engineers, scientists and computer specialists are particularly in demand, as are fully qualified doctors and healthcare personnel. Specialists from other service sectors also have good chances, such as from the hotel and catering industry. If you would like to know how much demand there is for your vocational qualifications in the German labour market, then you can find out from the ZAV. You can contact the ZAV Info Centre at +49 (0) 228/7 13 13 13.

Back to Top