Bureaucracy

citizens' office

immigration authority

tax office

employment office

Now officially called Agentur für Arbeit, but "Arbeitsamt" is still widely used.

social welfare office

registry office

Handles births, deaths, marriages, and name changes.

job centre / unemployment office

Handles Bürgergeld (basic income support) and job placement.

embassy

consulate

public order office

Handles local regulatory matters: noise, parking violations, waste violations.

registrar

case worker / clerk

national ID card

passport

residence permit

temporary residence permit

permanent residence permit

Usually requires 5 years of legal residence, language proof, and financial self-sufficiency.

registration certificate

registration

Must be done within 14 days of moving in. Required for almost everything.

deregistration

landlord confirmation form

Landlord must provide this for your Anmeldung. Without it, registration is impossible.

change of address registration

Required within 14 days every time you move.

right of residence

foreign

nationality / citizenship

German language skills

B1 level is the minimum requirement for naturalisation.

citizenship test

33 questions on German law, history, and society. Pass rate is 17/33 correct.

dual citizenship

Germany now allows dual citizenship (since 2024 reform). Previously required renouncing prior citizenship.

naturalisation application

length of stay

Standard requirement: 5 years legal residence. Can be reduced to 3 years for special contributions.

of good conduct / no criminal record

certificate of good conduct

Background check certificate. Order online through Bürgeramt or BVA. Takes ~2 weeks.

tax

income tax

tax return

tax ID number

Automatically sent to your registered address within 2–4 weeks of Anmeldung. Keep it — you'll need it forever.

tax class

Classes 1–6. Single employees are class 1. Married couples often split between 3 and 5.

church tax

8–9% surcharge on income tax if you are registered as Catholic or Protestant. You can opt out at the Finanzamt.

VAT / sales tax

Standard rate 19%, reduced rate 7% (food, books, etc.). Abbreviated MwSt on receipts.

IBAN (bank account number)

German IBANs start with DE and are 22 characters long.

wage tax (withheld by employer)

social security contributions

About 40% of gross income: pension, health insurance, unemployment, care insurance. Split between employer and employee.

pension insurance

German tax portal (online)

ELektronische STeuerERklärung — the official online tax filing system. Registration takes time; do it early.

turnover tax (same as MwSt)

Umsatzsteuer is the formal legal term for MwSt. On invoices you'll see both terms used.

health insurance card

compulsory insurance

Health insurance is compulsory in Germany. Without it you cannot legally work or reside here.

statutory health insurance (public)

Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung. ~88% of Germans use this. Premiums ~14.6% of salary.

private health insurance

Private Krankenversicherung. Only available above income threshold (~€69,300). Often faster access to specialists.

co-payment

long-term care insurance

Mandatory alongside Krankenversicherung. Covers nursing care costs in old age.

insurance number

family co-insurance

Non-earning spouses and children can be insured for free under GKV member's policy.

work permit

social security card

Must be given to employer on first day. Issued automatically when you first register for work in Germany.

pension insurance number

business registration

Required to legally operate a business (Gewerbe) in Germany. Done at the Gewerbeamt.

freelance / self-employed (liberal profession)

Freelancers (Freiberufler) register with the Finanzamt, not the Gewerbeamt. Doctors, lawyers, artists, etc. are "freie Berufe".

short-time work (state-funded hours reduction)

Government scheme where Bundesagentur für Arbeit pays part of wages when employers reduce hours. Used heavily during COVID.

unemployment insurance

work authorisation

employment

mini-job (up to €538/month)

Marginal employment with simplified taxes. Employer pays flat-rate contributions. No income tax for employee.

vocational training

parental benefit

State payment replacing 65–67% of net salary during parental leave. Max 14 months if both parents take leave.

child benefit

child tax allowance

Alternative to Kindergeld — whichever is more financially beneficial is applied automatically at tax assessment.

birth certificate

certified / authenticated

Foreign documents often need to be "amtlich beglaubigt" (officially certified). Check requirements in advance.

marriage certificate

divorce

adoption

nursery / daycare

Short for Kindertagesstätte. Every child over 1 year has a legal right to a Kita place — but waiting lists are long.

compulsory schooling

Compulsory from age 6. Home schooling is illegal in Germany.

nursery place

Apply to multiple Kitas simultaneously. Start the search 12–18 months before you need the place.

application / form

signature

certification / authentication

apostille (international document certification)

The Hague Convention certificate needed for foreign documents to be recognised internationally.

translation

German authorities often require "beglaubigte Übersetzungen" (sworn translations) by a certified Übersetzer.

queue / waiting list

online portal

German digitisation is improving. Anmeldung, Finanzamt, and some visa extensions are now partly online.

deadline / time limit