If you are an EU citizen, finding a job in Germany does not involve a permit, a quota or a sponsor. It involves a contract, a tax ID and an insurer. Working in Germany is regulated in detail, which is annoying when you are in a hurry and reassuring when something goes wrong. Here are the rules that matter in your first job.
Do you need a work permit for working in Germany?
No, if you are a citizen of an EU or EEA state, or Swiss. Your access to the labour market is free and the same as for Germans. Our article on residence in Germany for EU citizens explains the right of residence behind it. British citizens need a residence title that allows work, unless the Withdrawal Agreement covers them (see moving to Germany from the UK).
Jobs in regulated professions (doctor, nurse, teacher, architect and so on) require recognition of your diploma before you practise. The Anerkennung in Deutschland portal has a tool, the Anerkennungs-Finder, which tells you the competent authority. For many EU professions recognition is automatic under European law, but you still have to apply, and German language skills may be required.
What must be in your employment contract?
Before you sign, read the Arbeitsvertrag: gross pay, working hours, probation period, holidays, notice, and the collective agreement (Tarifvertrag) that applies. Your employer must give you the essential terms in writing (§ 2 NachwG). Parties, pay and working time are due by your first working day, the start date, place, job description and probation by the 7th calendar day, and the rest within a month. Electronic format is possible if you can store and print the document and acknowledge receipt, but you may demand the signed paper version. In some sectors, such as construction, hospitality, transport and logistics, cleaning, security and the meat industry, paper and signature are compulsory.
If your offer includes a variable salary, a posting from another country or a contract you do not understand, it is worth reading each clause with someone who knows German employment law. Moovy can explain the terms in plain English and point to the rules that apply. It does not review contracts as a lawyer would.
How much is the minimum wage, and what are mini-jobs?
The statutory minimum wage is €13.90 gross per hour in 2026 and €14.60 from 1 January 2027. Collective agreements often pay more.
A Minijob pays up to €603 a month in 2026 (€633 in 2027). The employer pays flat-rate contributions: 15% for pensions and 13% for health insurance if you are in the statutory system. You pay 3.6% towards your pension unless you ask in writing to be exempt. Income tax can be paid at a flat 2%. The 13% does not give you health cover of your own, so you still need insurance. Think twice before opting out of the pension share, because you lose some rights. A Midijob, between €603.01 and €2,000 a month in 2026, has reduced employee contributions.
What are your rights when working in Germany: hours, holiday and notice?
- Working time. Eight hours a day, up to ten if the average stays at eight over six months or 24 weeks (§ 3 ArbZG).
- Holiday. At least 24 working days a year for a six-day week, which is 20 days for a five-day week (§ 3 BUrlG).
- Probation. Up to six months, two weeks' notice on either side (§ 622 BGB).
- Your notice. Four weeks to the 15th or end of a month.
- Employer's notice. Four weeks, then one month after two years, two months after five years, three after eight, four after ten, five after twelve, six after fifteen and seven after twenty years, always to the end of a month.
Collective agreements can change these rules, so ask which one applies.
What if you are dismissed or want to leave?
A dismissal must be in writing on signed paper. An email or SMS is not valid, and the same goes for a mutual termination (§ 623 BGB). The law protecting against unfair dismissal applies after six months in the job and in workplaces with more than ten employees (more than five for people hired before 2004). If you want to challenge a dismissal, you have three weeks from receipt of the letter to go to the labour court (§ 4 KSchG). Go to a lawyer or a union quickly.
If you lose your job, register as a jobseeker with the employment agency at least three months before the end of the contract, or within three days if you learn of the end later. The unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) is 60% of your net reference pay, 67% with a child. You need at least 12 months of insurance in the last 30 months, and periods worked in other EU countries count if you bring the right form (U1 or PD U1). Resigning without a valid reason can mean a 12-week suspension, and registering late a one-week suspension (§ 159 SGB III).
What do you need to organise in your first weeks?
- Register your address (Anmeldung) and wait for your Steuer-ID.
- Choose a health fund and tell your employer.
- Open a bank account for your salary.
- Keep your social-security number for the pension fund. Your employer usually obtains it.
- If you stay insured in another country (a posting or work in several countries), your employer needs the A1 certificate. Otherwise you contribute in Germany from day one.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Believing a mini-job insures your health.
- Opting out of the mini-job pension share without thinking.
- Accepting an oral dismissal. Only the written paper counts.
- Missing the three weeks to challenge a dismissal.
- Forgetting the collective agreement, which may give more pay, holiday and notice.
- Not logging unpaid overtime. Check whether it is paid, compensated or included in the salary.
How do you find a job when working in Germany is your goal?
Start with the public portals. The Federal Employment Agency runs the largest job board in Germany, and its international service, the ZAV, helps candidates from abroad. The EURES portal also lists vacancies aimed at Europeans and offers EURES advisers (EURES, July 2026).
Adapt your application to German habits: a cover letter of one page at most, a tabular CV of two pages at most, dated and signed, with copies of diplomas, work references (Arbeitszeugnisse) and certificates, translated into German if needed. A photo is still common. By email, send a single PDF of no more than 2 MB. If your profession is regulated, start the recognition procedure early, because it usually takes three to four months, and can be started from abroad. For a university degree in a non-regulated profession, the ZAB can issue a statement of comparability for €208 in 2026, normally within three months of receiving your payment and complete file.
What do you need to do when you start working in Germany?
Your employer will ask for several documents on your first day, and each one comes from a different office:
- your tax ID, which arrives after your address registration (how to get it);
- the name of your health fund (health insurance in Germany for expats);
- your IBAN (bank account in Germany);
- your social-security number, which the pension office assigns, usually when your first employer reports you;
- your diplomas and references, and for regulated professions the recognition decision.
If you work in Germany but live in another country, the tax and social-security position follows the rules for cross-border workers. Your employer must hold proof of which country insures you.
Which benefits protect you if you lose your job?
If you were insured long enough, the Arbeitslosengeld I replaces part of your pay: 60% of your net reference pay, 67% if you or your partner have a child. The duration depends on your insurance period and age: six months after 12 months of insurance, eight after 16, ten after 20 and twelve after 24, with longer periods from age 50 (15 months), 55 (18) and 58 (24). Register as a jobseeker as soon as you know your contract ends and as unemployed on your first day without work. Online services exist for both steps. If you worked in another EU country, ask its unemployment office for the U1 or PD U1 document: it speeds up the file.
If you leave Germany to look for work elsewhere in the EU, your benefit can in some cases be exported for three to six months, but only under the procedure, so ask the employment agency first. Pay attention to British citizens, whose situation differs after 2020. Our article on moving to Germany from the UK gives the outline.