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Country guide · Germany
Living and working in Germany
A guide for international candidates
Unless you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you'll need a residence title that lets you work. The best-known route is the EU Blue Card. In 2026 it needs a recognised or comparable degree and a job paying at least €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations and for recent graduates. There's no sponsor licence: employers deal with the Federal Employment Agency instead.
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Euro
Currency
€, EUR
Berlin
Capital
CET
Time zone
UTC+1
112
Emergency number
Fire and ambulance, 110 (police)
Type F and Type C
Plug
Schuko, 230 V
Last checked 12 October 2026. Estimates are labelled.
Where the jobs are
All regions lets you pick a place and see rent, jobs and the sectors in this guide. Choose a sector to see that industry in every place.
Cyan is the region you picked. Navy is everywhere else.
Region
Schleswig-Holstein
Pay €3,935.
€705 (€7.41/m², 95 m²)
- Rent
- €7.41/m²
- Vs regions in this guide
- +6%
- Jobs
- 1,470
- Strongest sector
- Hospitality
Sector strength vs average for Germany
- Techn/a
- Healthcare1.16×
- Engineeringn/a
- Financen/a
- Hospitality1.25×
Job links open all Germany roles for now. Rent compared with the other regions in this guide.
View the map as a table
| Land | Jobs (thousands) | Sectors above average (LQ 1.05 or more) | Average net cold rent a month, Census 2022 | Median full-time pay a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1,470 | Hospitality 1.25, Healthcare 1.16 | €705 (€7.41/m², 95 m²) | €3,935 |
| Hamburg | 1,370 | Tech 1.78, Finance 1.52, Hospitality 1.23 | €702 (€9.16/m², 77 m²) | €4,768 |
| Lower Saxony | 4,231 | Healthcare 1.07 | €685 (€6.56/m², 104 m²) | €4,029 |
| Bremen | 446 | Tech 1.13 | €605 (€7.34/m², 82 m²) | €4,392 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 9,818 | Healthcare 1.10 | €632 (€6.82/m², 93 m²) | €4,231 |
| Hesse | 3,611 | Finance 1.92, Tech 1.13 | €807 (€8.21/m², 98 m²) | €4,530 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 2,054 | Engineering and manufacturing 1.07, Healthcare 1.05 | €727 (€6.75/m², 108 m²) | €4,124 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 6,395 | Engineering and manufacturing 1.42, Tech 1.09 | €806 (€8.13/m², 99 m²) | €4,546 |
| Bavaria | 7,841 | Engineering and manufacturing 1.22, Tech 1.20, Hospitality 1.07, Finance 1.07 | €879 (€8.74/m², 101 m²) | €4,363 |
| Saarland | 516 | Healthcare 1.11, Engineering and manufacturing 1.08 | €656 (€6.12/m², 107 m²) | €4,149 |
| Berlin | 2,196 | Tech 2.18, Hospitality 1.60 | €562 (€7.67/m², 73 m²) | €4,459 |
| Brandenburg | 1,144 | Healthcare 1.16, Hospitality 1.11 | €550 (€6.21/m², 89 m²) | €3,613 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 752 | Hospitality 1.83, Healthcare 1.33 | €488 (€5.91/m², 83 m²) | €3,497 |
| Saxony | 2,047 | Healthcare 1.09, Hospitality 1.07 | €453 (€5.72/m², 79 m²) | €3,588 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 983 | Healthcare 1.19 | €452 (€5.38/m², 84 m²) | €3,563 |
| Thuringia | 1,005 | Engineering and manufacturing 1.18, Healthcare 1.09 | €489 (€5.65/m², 87 m²) | €3,508 |
Cities
Pay, rent and the share of pay that rent takes. Estimates stay labelled.
Germany
Berlin
- Rent
- €562
- Pay
- €4,459
- Rent share
- 12.6%
- Tech 2.33
- Hospitality 1.48
- Finance 1.14
- Healthcare 1.08
Germany
Munich
- Rent
- €947
- Pay
- €5,600
- Rent share
- 16.9%
- Tech 2.85
- Finance 2.26
- Hospitality 1.57
Tools
Step 1 of 2
Visa route finder
A route to read about, not a decision on your application. Figures are the ones in this guide.
Rent and pay
The pay and rent figures already in this guide. This is not a tax calculation.
Rent a month in Berlin
€562
- Pay
- €4,459
- Rent share of pay
- 12.6%
Take-home pay
The Federal Ministry of Finance wage-tax calculator includes income tax, the solidarity surcharge and church tax.
Open the wage-tax calculatorVisa routes to read about
These describe the route. They do not say whether you qualify.
- Source
EU Blue Card (AufenthG § 18g)
Graduates with a recognised or comparable degree and a job matching their qualification. €50,700 a year; €45,934.20 for listed shortage occupations and graduates of the last 3 years (with BA approval).
- Source
Skilled workers with vocational training or a degree (§§ 18a, 18b)
People with a recognised qualification and a job offer. No fixed salary threshold in the law for most cases.
- Source
Opportunity Card (§ 20a)
Job seekers: recognised skilled workers, or 6 points on the points table. €1,091 net a month proof of funds; up to 20 hours' work a week.
Recognition measures (§ 16d)
Little-known facts
Daily life
- PayAddress registration within two weeks (Anmeldung); tax ID arrives by post after registration (BZSt: sent automatically to your registered address; write to the BZSt if nothing arrives after 3 months).
- Good to knowSunday shop closing, recycling and deposit bottles.
- Good to knowDeposit on single-use drink bottles and cans: at least €0.25 (Verpackungsgesetz § 31).
Family, school and pets
- FamilyBlue Card spouses get a residence title without proof of German and can work immediately (BAMF).
- ChildcareChildcare right from age 1 (SGB VIII § 24); Kindergeld €259 a month per child.
- SchoolSchool is run by each Land: school is compulsory from about age 6 for 9 or 10 years of full-time schooling, depending on the Land (KMK, The education system in Germany).
From job offer to settled in
1
visa or visa-free entry
→ find a flat → Anmeldung (14 days) → residence title appointment at the Ausländerbehörde → health insurance → bank account → tax ID → Kindergeld claim (Familienkasse)
Questions
Do I need a job offer to move to Germany for work?
Not always. The Opportunity Card lets people search for work for up to a year if they meet its conditions, including proof of €1,091 a month. Most other work routes need a job offer.
What salary does the EU Blue Card need in 2026?
€50,700 gross a year, or €45,934.20 for listed shortage occupations and people who graduated in the last three years. The lower figure needs Federal Employment Agency approval.
Do I need to speak German?
Not for the Blue Card itself. German at B1 shortens the wait for settlement from 27 to 21 months.
Can I enter first and apply in Germany?
Nationals of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the UK and the US can, applying within 90 days. Others usually need a visa from a German mission.
Does my employer need a sponsor licence?
No. Germany has no sponsor licence. Many cases need Federal Employment Agency approval instead, and employers can start the accelerated skilled worker procedure.
Does every employer on Global Sponsor Hub sponsor visas?
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