Resident Registration and Residency Permits

Announcement of Residency/Resident Registration

Your must announce your residency (even if you have a visa!) at the Immigration Office and the Resident Registration Office immediately after your arrival in Germany (within one week). You need to bring the following documents with you:

• your passport with entry visa
• a passport photo
• a certificate of employment
• enough cash to pay the processing fee

If you are asked questions about your residency permit, health insurance, or other matters, please call Ms. Kühnle for advice and assistance. The announcement of residency and resident registration can also be taken care of by the institute you are to be employed by. However, to take advantage of this option you must give the institution power of attorney.

Work Permits

Foreigners who are not citizens of a member country of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) or of Switzerland need a residency title in order to reside in Germany for the purpose of employment. These persons may seek gainful employment in the Federal Republic of Germany only if their residency title explicitly allows this. Citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United States of America may apply for the necessary residency title upon entry at the Immigration Office of the town in which they plan to reside in Germany. The person may not take up an occupation until he or she has been issued the appropriate residency title. Citizens of all other countries must apply for a visa at an agency of the German government in their home country (for further information, see under entry requirements for Germany, visa).

Due to changes in German immigration policy in 1973 made necessary by persistingly high unemployment rates, the access of foreigners to the German job market is limited by a legal regulation (employment regulation). Access is limited to particular occupational groups and requires in all cases the previous approval of the labor administration.

More information on this topic may be found at the internet site of the German Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).

Due to transitional periods for the freedom of employees, citizens of the following EU member countries which joined the EU on May 1st, 2004 are still required to obtain a work permit: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary. The required „EU work permit“ may be obtained directly at local employment agencies.

Here is the address of the Freiburg Employment Agency:

Please visit the following website for more detailed information:
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/WillkommeninD/Uebersicht.html