Many people arrive in Germany with a folder full of copied documents for an immigration appointment that will never happen. For EU citizens, there is none. Residence in Germany for EU citizens rests on free movement (Freizügigkeit), and the state does not issue you a permit. That also means you need to know what the conditions are, because your right does not disappear just because there is no card to prove it.
Do EU citizens need a residence permit in Germany?
No. The right to enter and live in Germany comes directly from EU law and is set out in the German free-movement law, the FreizügG/EU. The same applies to citizens of the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). No visa, no residence card, no fee, no immigration appointment.
You still have one duty, and it is not optional: registering your address with the local registration office within two weeks of moving in. Our guide to the Anmeldung explains how. The federal immigration authority, BAMF, makes the same point on its page for EU immigrants.
What are the residence rules in Germany for the first three months?
Up to three months, an ID card or passport is enough. You do not need a job, a minimum income or proof of insurance for the right itself, though in practice you will want health cover (the EHIC from your home country works for short stays) and you should not become a burden on social assistance.
If you plan to stay and work from day one, nothing changes: you register your address, take your job and handle the tax and insurance formalities. Our step-by-step guide to moving to Germany gives the order of the first weeks.
What changes in your residence in Germany after three months?
After three months, the right of residence depends on one of the situations in § 2 of the FreizügG/EU:
- You are an employee or in vocational training. Employed work is the most straightforward route.
- You are self-employed. You run a business or work as a freelancer.
- You are looking for a job. You can stay for up to six months, or longer if you can show that you really have a chance of being hired.
- You have no activity, but you have enough resources and adequate health insurance. This is the route for retirees, remote workers with income from abroad and students, with their own rules on funds.
Nobody collects paperwork at the three-month mark. In practice the question arises if you apply for a benefit, want to prove your status to a bank or landlord, or if the authorities have doubts. Keep your contract, payslips or proof of insurance in a folder you can open on the day.
If your situation is mixed (for example, a few freelance clients and savings, or a job that starts in two months), the free-movement rules can feel abstract. Moovy can help you work out which category fits best and what proof to keep. It does not submit anything to the authorities.
Do Swiss and EEA citizens follow the same rules?
EEA citizens follow the same rules as EU citizens. Swiss citizens do not need a residence permit either, thanks to the 1999 EU-Switzerland agreement. On request, the immigration office will issue a document certifying the right of residence (§ 28 of the residence ordinance, AufenthV). Some Swiss residents ask for it to make dealings with banks and employers easier. Registration of the address remains compulsory.
What about family members?
Family members of an EU citizen who lives in Germany under free movement have a derived right to join them, whatever their own nationality. For a partner or child who is also an EU citizen, nothing more is needed. For non-EU family members, a residence document is issued by the immigration office, and the details depend on the relationship. Plan early, and check with your local office.
When does the immigration office matter?
Rarely, for an EU citizen. The Ausländerbehörde (foreigners' office) handles permits for non-EU nationals, including British citizens after Brexit. British citizens who were already living in Germany on 31 December 2020 are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and hold a document issued by the same office. Everyone else coming from the UK applies for a residence title based on the reason for their stay. This is spelled out in moving to Germany from the UK.
Do you lose the right if you stop working?
Not automatically. Under § 2(3) of the FreizügG/EU you keep the status of a worker or self-employed person in certain cases, such as temporary incapacity through illness or accident, or involuntary unemployment confirmed by the employment agency. After less than a year of employment, the right is kept for six months. If you have no job and no income for an extended period, the position becomes less clear. Registering with the employment agency and keeping your insurance in order are the safest steps. If your situation is uncertain, ask a lawyer who handles free-movement cases or a migration counselling service before you take action.
What does free movement (Freizügigkeit) mean in practice?
Freizügigkeit, the German word for free movement, is why you can take a job, open a business, rent a flat and enrol your children in school on the same terms as a German. EU law bans discrimination on grounds of nationality in pay, working conditions and access to jobs. In daily life it means, for instance, that a landlord cannot ask for a larger deposit because you are a foreigner: the cap of three months' net rent applies to everyone.
It also comes with duties. You register your address, you pay tax and social contributions like any resident, and you have health insurance. The system is built on data sharing: the registration office informs the tax office, your employer informs the pension and health funds, and so on.
Which documents should you keep, even without a permit?
Think of your proof file as three folders:
- Identity and address: your ID or passport and the Meldebescheinigung.
- Right to stay: an employment contract, proof of self-employment, or proof of resources plus health insurance.
- Health insurance: the card of your German fund, or the S1 form if another state covers you.
If you ever need to prove your status, for a mortgage, a family reunion or a naturalisation file years later, those three folders answer most of the questions.
What is the residence situation in Germany for family members?
Family members of an EU citizen who lives in Germany under free movement have a derived right to join them, whatever their own nationality. For a partner or child who is also an EU citizen, nothing more is needed. For family members from outside the EU, a residence document is issued by the immigration office, and the details depend on the relationship. Plan early, and ask the Ausländerbehörde of your city what it needs.
Can you get permanent residence or citizenship?
EU citizens acquire a permanent right of residence after five years of continuous lawful stay in Germany (§ 4a FreizügG/EU). It is a right you can have confirmed on request, not a card you must collect. Naturalisation is a separate subject with its own rules on years of residence, language and integration, set by the federal nationality law, which was amended recently. If that is your goal, check the current conditions on the official pages before planning.
What if you work in Germany but live in another country?
Cross-border commuters, for example between France and Germany, do not register in Germany, because they do not live here. They are covered by free movement and by social-security rules that make one country responsible: your employer should hold a form proving which country insures you. Tax follows the treaty between the two countries, and someone with at least 90% of their income taxable in Germany can ask to be treated as a resident. A tax adviser can check your case.