Deutschland Kompass
Step-by-step interactive guides for life in Germany. Simple, clear, and well-organized.
Housing (Wohnen)
Step-by-step checklist for renting an apartment in Germany: application documents, lease signing, deposit, handover protocol, utility bill review, and reporting defects.
Moving (Umzug)
Personal moving checklist for Germany: notice, Anmeldung, utility transfers, deposit return, and address change. Your personalised route based on car ownership, children, and pets.
Work
Personal step-by-step checklist for starting work in Germany: Steuer-ID, Krankenkasse, Sozialversicherung and Steuerklasse. Adapts to your situation — employee or self-employed.
Insurance (Versicherungen)
A breakdown of the key insurances in Germany: Haftpflicht, Hausrat and Rechtsschutz. How to protect yourself from financial risk.
Car (Auto)
Buying a used car: purchase contract, insurance, transit plates, TÜV inspection and registration.
Self-Employment (Selbstständigkeit)
Step-by-step checklist for registering self-employment in Germany: legal form, Gewerbeanmeldung or Freiberufler status, tax registration with Finanzamt, business account, and health insurance update.
Convert Foreign Driving Licence
Step-by-step guide to exchanging a foreign driving licence for a German one — from country check to practical exam.
Having a Baby (Geburt)
Step-by-step checklist after having a baby in Germany: birth registration, Kindergeld (€259/month), Elterngeld, child health insurance, and Kita enrolment. Your personalised route based on family status.
Car Import from EU
Step-by-step guide for importing a vehicle from an EU country: CoC, insurance, TÜV inspection and German registration.
Rundfunkbeitrag
Interactive checklist for the Rundfunkbeitrag: new registration, shared payment with a flatmate, or applying for exemption. The tool automatically selects the right path for your situation.
Car Import from Non-EU Country
Guide for importing a vehicle from a non-EU country: customs, manufacturer data sheet, §21 StVZO inspection, insurance and registration.
Residence permit extension
Step-by-step route to extending your Aufenthaltserlaubnis: when to apply, which documents to prepare, what it costs and how the Fiktionsbescheinigung works — including the emergency path if your permit has already expired.
Permanent residency
The permanent status: 5 years (skilled workers 3, Blue Card 21–27 months), 60 contribution months, B1 — step by step, matched to your permit type.
Citizenship
Naturalisation under the current rules: 5 years (spouses of Germans: 3), B1, the test, dual citizenship allowed — with a check of your path.
Wohngeld
The subsidy for working people on modest incomes: eligibility check, your city form via postal code, renewals. Not welfare — no residence-permit risk.
Leaving Germany
The departure checklist: deregistration, cancelling every contract with the special termination right, banking and pension refunds — no loose ends, no debt collectors.
Dog: tax and insurance
The two mandatory steps for owners: dog tax at your municipality and dog liability insurance (mandatory for all dogs in 6 states).
Getting married
Marrying with foreign documents: apostilles and the certificate of no impediment (2–4 months!), registering at the Standesamt, and the paperwork after the ceremony.
Kita spot
From waitlist to contract: the legal claim from age 1 (§24 SGB VIII), the Kita voucher, fees and the Elterngeld combo.
Tax return
Who must file, which deductions bring money back (€1,172 on average) and how: app or ELSTER. Deadline for 2026: 2 August 2027.
Switching funds
Hundreds of euros a year for one application: when switching pays, the special termination right after increases, and the procedure where the new fund does everything.
Car insurance switch
The 30 November deadline, the special-termination back doors, four criteria above price, and a switch without a single uncovered day. Savings: €100–300 a year.
Bank account
The basic-account right even without SCHUFA, opening via VideoIdent in an evening, and the three first-week settings: rent, salary, direct debit.
Liability insurance
Germany first insurance from ~€5 a month: unlimited liability under §823 BGB, three tariff criteria and a 10-minute English sign-up.
Contents insurance
An honest do-I-need-it check, the €650/m² rule against underinsurance, and the two riders that matter: bicycle and natural hazards.
SCHUFA
The free GDPR report, what really moves the score (not your salary!) and how to remove wrong entries.
Blocked account
The blocked account for the national visa: 2026 amounts (€992/month), opening from abroad in a day, and what happens to the money after arrival.
Money transfer
Where banks hide the fee (in the rate!), when SEPA is free, and the €12,500 rule. Savings per thousand: €30–45.
Blue Card
The 2026 thresholds (€50,700 / €45,934 for shortage jobs), applying from abroad or within, and the rights it is loved for: family without German, PR after 21 months.
Degree recognition
Half of newcomers need no recognition at all — check anabin in 5 minutes. Otherwise: ZAB for €208 or the professional authority, with paths to close deficits.
Apostille
Who actually issues the apostille (not Germany!), ordering it from abroad, and why translations only count from the German sworn list.
Dental top-up
The public fund pays 60 percent of the basic option — an implant costs you €2,000–3,500. How the top-up closes the gap, and why to sign before any diagnosis.
Contest a fine
A 2-week deadline and a third of notices flawed: reading the fine, objecting without reasons — and when cold maths says pay.
Mobile
Prepaid on arrival day without registration, the networks, and moving to a contract without traps: the 24-month rule, portability, special termination.
Savings accounts
Where to park your 3-6-month cushion: the €100,000 guarantee, rate hunting — and the tax instruction without which the bank over-withholds.
WBS
Rents 30–50 percent below market for those under the income limit — which is more people than you would think. Eligibility, application and the search.
Church exit
8–9 percent of your tax for a membership born from a registration checkbox. What it costs you, how to exit in one appointment — and what actually changes.
ALG I
The two hard registration deadlines, the termination-agreement trap, 60/67 percent of net, and the side-income rules.
Family reunification
Who qualifies, the housing and income requirements, the A1 exceptions (Blue Card!), the embassy marathon with apostilles — and the family first steps after arrival.
University application
uni-assist without panic: the deadlines, VPD and Studienkolleg, the visa with the blocked account — and enrolment with free tuition.
Integration course
700 hours to B1 at half price (or free), a success refund — and the certificate that speeds up PR and covers the citizenship language bar.
Sell your car
A private sale without aftermath: complete papers, a warranty-exclusion contract (our generator), money before keys — and the sale notification that shields you from a stranger fines.
Accident
The five minutes at the scene, not a word on fault, the central hotline — and the full claims list including a lawyer at the liable party expense.
Subletting
The § 553 permission right, the written contract, the registration confirmation for your subtenant — and the traps you answer for.
Found a GmbH
Choosing the form by money and signal, the notary with the model protocol, the liability trap before the entry — and the five duties after.
Small-business rule
The €25,000/€100,000 limits since 2025, the mandatory invoice line, the § 14c trap — and when waiving the status pays.
Loan
What the bank sees in a foreigner, comparing without SCHUFA traces, the payment-protection trap — and borrower rights from withdrawal to extra repayment.
Doctor appointments
Finding a Hausarzt who accepts patients and getting a specialist slot within 4 weeks via 116117 — including psychotherapy without a referral.
Grundsicherungsgeld
€563 plus rent in 2026, the honest permit check, an evening application — and your rights from the grace period to the appeal.
BAföG: Student Funding
Up to 992 € per month from the state: half is a grant, half an interest-free loan capped at 10 010 € repayment. Many foreign residents qualify too.
Kindergeld: Child Benefit
259 € per month per child, regardless of income. Who qualifies, how to apply online with the Familienkasse and why 6 months is the critical deadline.
Elternzeit: Parental Leave
Up to 3 years off with a job guarantee — every parent has the right. The 7-week deadline, dismissal protection and the traps in the notification.
Home Internet in Germany
Home internet without overpaying: real availability at your address, your rights under the new telecom law and what happens to the contract when you move.
Occupational Disability Cover
One in four in Germany becomes unable to work before retirement, and state cover is minimal. How BU insurance works and which contract clauses truly matter.
Disability Card (GdB)
Official disability recognition in Germany unlocks tax allowances, extra leave, dismissal protection and earlier retirement. How to apply for a GdB and what the card grants.
Utility Bill Check
Every second German utility statement contains errors — almost always in the landlord favour. How to check the annual bill and dispute it properly.
Flight Compensation EU261
A delay of 3+ hours or a cancellation entitles you to 250–600 € under EU Regulation 261 — regardless of the ticket price. How to check and claim it yourself, no middlemen.
Switching Power and Gas
After moving in you automatically land in the Grundversorgung — the most expensive tariff on the market. Getting out takes 15 minutes online and saves hundreds per year.
Term Life Insurance
If your family or mortgage depends on your income, term life insurance covers the worst case for 5–15 € a month. How much, how long and the expensive mix-up to avoid.
Sick Pay in Germany
For the first 6 weeks of illness your employer pays 100 % of your salary, then the insurer pays Krankengeld for up to 78 weeks. The big trap: a single gap day between sick notes.
Minijob: Rules and Rights
Up to 603 € a month tax-free and nearly contribution-free — but with full employee rights: vacation, sick pay, minimum wage. What employers owe and which checkboxes cost you pension.
German Job Reference Decoded
The German job reference is written in polite cipher: he always tried his best means he failed at everything. How to claim it, decode the grade and force corrections.
Power of Attorney and Living Will
After an accident or stroke your spouse does NOT automatically represent you — a court appoints a guardian. Three free documents settle this in advance.
P-Konto
An account seizure freezes everything — rent, food, transport. One request turns your Girokonto into a P-Konto: a base amount for living is protected by law, more with children.
Buying Property in Germany
Buying a flat or house in Germany step by step: how much you really need including ~10–15% purchase costs, how to compare mortgages and vet the property via the land register.
German State Pension
How the German state pension works for immigrants: EU periods count, 5 years qualify you, and gaps can be closed with voluntary contributions. Myth-free.
Private Retirement Saving
The state pension will not suffice for most — that gap is the Rentenlücke. How to close it without overpaying middlemen: employer pension, Riester/Rürup for whom, and an ETF savings plan as a flexible alternative.
Legal Expenses Insurance
Legal-expenses insurance pays for lawyer, court and experts in disputes with employers, landlords or after an accident. Who really needs it, which modules to pick and how to use it once a dispute arises.
Inheritance in Germany
When a relative dies in Germany the estate passes automatically — including DEBTS. The first and key decision: accept or disclaim, and you have just 6 weeks. Then the certificate of inheritance, tax and settling the estate.
Start-Up Grant (Gründungszuschuss)
If you receive unemployment benefit and want to start a business, the employment agency may top up your rate for six months plus 300 € for social insurance, then 9 months of 300 €. But it is discretionary — and you must apply BEFORE starting.
Objecting to a Tax Assessment
Every third tax assessment contains an error — usually in the tax office favour. An objection is free and possible within 1 month of receipt. How to check the assessment, object properly and avoid a worsening.
Property Tax Return (Grundsteuer)
Property tax reform: owners file the assessment declaration via ELSTER, the tax office determines the value. Who must file, how to complete it, check the assessment and object to errors.
Court Dunning Order & Debt Collection
A yellow court dunning order or a debt-collection letter? Do not pay blindly, do not ignore it. How to check the claim, object within 2 weeks and prevent an enforcement order.
Rent Increase: Check and Respond
Received a rent increase letter? Not every increase is valid. How to check the justification and cap, meet the consent deadline and recognise modernisation and index rent.
Divorce
The year apart, the effect on your residence permit, filing through a lawyer and automatic pension sharing — the whole divorce route step by step.
Dismissal
Three weeks to file, checking the form of notice, whether protection applies, the termination-agreement trap and the conciliation hearing.
School
Compulsory schooling, registration almost a year ahead, mid-year admission and choosing a school type after year four.
Name change
Where the spelling came from, the declaration of adjustment, names through marriage and divorce, and the chain of document updates.
Insolvency
A complete creditor list, free advice with the compulsory settlement attempt, two applications to court, three years of obligations and the limits of discharge.
Invitation
First the question that decides everything: does your guest need a visa at all? Without one, the formal obligation is usually unnecessary. With one: who pays, what it costs, and why liability runs five years.
Certificate of conduct
Which type you need, how to apply and how long it takes, and what appears on the certificate and what does not.
Bereavement
The doctor, the registry office within three working days, burial under state law, and the long list of contracts, pensions and insurance — in order.
Landlord notice
Check the reasoning and form, calculate the real three, six or nine month period, object under the hardship clause and move out without losing claims.
Workplace injury
An accredited doctor instead of your own, the employer’s report, benefits beyond sick pay including rehabilitation — and one month to object.
Child maintenance
How the amount is set, free help from the youth welfare office, adjusting for age and income — and why contact must not be linked to money.
Care leave
Ten emergency days without employer consent, leave of up to six and twenty-four months, an interest-free loan and insurance.
Retraining
The education voucher is discretionary: who qualifies, how to prepare for the decisive meeting, and what follows once it is issued.
Lost documents
Immediate steps and blocks, who issues your replacement, and the chain of updates including the residence permit tied to your passport.
Visitor insurance
The visa package’s formal requirements, choosing by exclusions rather than price, and how the policy actually works at the doctor.
Self-employed cover
Statutory or private: the framework and deadlines, how premiums are calculated in each, and why there is practically no way back.
Professional liability
Who must have it, why private liability does not replace it, what pure financial loss means, and how to act when a claim arrives.
Accident cover
The state covers work and the commute, nothing else. How payouts for lasting consequences work and what to look for when choosing.
Rent reduction
The reduction arises by law, not by permission. But without notification the right is lost, and an error in the amount creates arrears and risk.
Werkstudent: working while studying
The contribution exemption holds as long as study outranks work. Two limits apply — hours for the insurer and working days for the immigration office — and they are counted differently.
Medical rehabilitation
Rehabilitation comes before pension. You may file with the wrong body, but the insurer’s letter carries a hard ten-week deadline and an objection just one month.
MPU and getting a licence back
Withdrawal is not a driving ban: the licence is not returned but granted anew. The assessment rests on specific grounds, and refusing it is read as unfitness.
Defective work by a contractor
Acceptance reverses the burden of proof and can occur without a signature. Everything after that rests on a deadline set in writing — without it the further rights do not arise.
Parcels and customs
The 150-euro threshold is gone: since 1 July 2026 a flat three euros per position applies. What is payable now, what may not be sent, and how clearance works.
Legal aid in Germany
A local-court certificate brings advice for fifteen euros, and the fee can be waived. In proceedings the second mechanism applies, with instalments and a four-year tail.
Closing a business
A registration does not lapse by itself: declarations, contributions and chamber fees run on. The order of deregistration, the one-month deadline and the years-long tail.
Employer insolvency pay
The agency covers the last three months of pay, but the application runs on a two-month preclusive deadline. What triggers the claim and what remains after.
Right of withdrawal
The right covers online and doorstep orders, not shop purchases. The clock runs from receipt — and without instructions, for over a year.
Dual vocational training
Company plus vocational school, paid from month one. What the contract must contain, what is void in it, and which assistance you can claim.
Rail passenger rights
From sixty minutes, twenty-five per cent of the fare; from a hundred and twenty, fifty. Plus meals and accommodation at the operator expense.
Abmahnung in Germany: deadlines, undertaking and costs
How to take an Abmahnung apart, why the enclosed form should not be signed, and what money the law allows to be demanded.
Aufstiegs-BAföG in Germany: eligibility, amounts and loan write-off
Who qualifies under the AFBG, how much is paid for the course and living costs, what is never repaid, and how the loan is written off.
Statusfeststellungsverfahren in Germany: employment or self-employment
How the Clearingstelle decides between employment and self-employment, why the first month counts, and what happens to contributions for past years.
Widow and orphan pension in Germany: entitlement, application, offsetting
Which pension the surviving spouse and children receive, why the first three and the last twelve months matter, and how your own income is offset.
German owners meeting: challenging resolutions and checking the statement
How the owners meeting works, what is voted on with the annual statement, and why a challenge has one month and two months.
AGG in Germany: asserting a discrimination claim
How to classify disadvantage on a statutory ground, secure indicators, and meet the two months for the assertion and three for the claim.
Handwerksrolle in Germany: entry, master requirement and exemptions
Whether your craft needs authorisation, the four bases for entry, the exceptional permit, and the route for EU nationals.
Overtime in Germany: pay, proof and exclusion periods
When extra hours may be demanded, how to prove them, money versus time off, and why the claim lapses sooner than you expect.
Degree recognition: check your profession
Half of newcomers need no recognition at all, the other half may not work a single day without it. The difference is the profession, not the degree.
Check your profession →Forms & documents
All documents →Fill in a form — get a ready German PDF. Your data never leaves the browser.
Landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) for Anmeldung
Mandatory landlord confirmation for address registration. Fill in the fields to get a ready PDF that meets the requirements of § 19 BMG and is accepted by every Bürgeramt in Germany. Your data never leaves your browser.
Certificate of no rent arrears (Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung)
Confirmation from your previous landlord that you have no rent arrears — a key document for your apartment application (Bewerbungsmappe). Fill in the fields and hand the PDF to your landlord to sign.
Power of attorney for vehicle registration (Kfz-Vollmacht)
Can't visit the Zulassungsstelle in person? With this power of attorney an authorised person can register, re-register or deregister the vehicle for you. Accepted by all registration offices.
Rental contract termination letter (Kündigung)
A legally correct termination letter under § 568 BGB. Fill in the fields to get a ready PDF. Remember: ALL tenants named in the contract must sign, and send it by registered mail (Einschreiben mit Rückschein).
Defect notification to the landlord (Mängelanzeige)
Mould, broken heating, a leak? Your right to reduce the rent (§ 536 BGB) only arises after formally notifying the landlord (§ 536c BGB). Fill in the fields to get a correct letter with a repair deadline.
Tenant self-disclosure form (Mieterselbstauskunft)
The standard self-disclosure landlords expect in your application folder. Fill it in once — attach it to every apartment application. A clean, professional form sets you apart from 30 competitors at a viewing.
Apartment handover protocol (Übergabeprotokoll)
The single most important proof of the apartment's condition at key handover: defects, meter readings, keys. Without it, a deposit dispute is nearly lost. Fill in and sign together at the handover.
Private car sale contract (Kfz-Kaufvertrag)
The standard contract for private used-car sales: vehicle data, mileage, defects, warranty exclusion. Protects the seller from claims and documents the promised condition for the buyer.
Calculators
All calculators →Work out the money and the deadlines before you sign anything. All in your browser.
Blocked account (Sperrkonto): true-cost decoder
Every provider blocks the same amount, but the fees differ. See the total cost of the account across your whole visa period at embassy-recognised providers.
Cost of your first month in Germany
Deposit, first rent, internet, insurance, groceries — your one-off move-in costs and your ongoing monthly budget. Every estimate is editable.
Gross-to-net salary calculator 2026
The offer says gross, your account sees much less. Net salary with the 2026 figures: wage tax, social contributions, Soli and church tax, each deduction explained.
GKV or PKV: health insurance contributions
Your public health insurance contribution including long-term care, plus a check on whether you earn enough to switch to private cover. Official 2026 figures.
Freiberufler or Gewerbe? Status check
Your status decides trade registration, trade tax and IHK membership. Two or three questions give you a preliminary § 18 EStG assessment and your next steps.
Notice period for terminating your lease
The last day your Kündigung must reach the landlord under the 3rd-working-day rule (§ 573c BGB) — or your contract end date if the letter is already on its way.
Wohngeld (housing benefit) calculator by postcode
Postcode, household size, cold rent and income give you the approximate monthly Wohngeld amount under § 19 WoGG. Everything runs in your browser.
Elterngeld (parental allowance) calculator 2026
Elterngeld replaces 65–100% of your pre-birth net income, between €300 and €1,800 a month. Basis and Plus variants, including sibling bonus and twins supplement.
When can I apply for permanent residency and citizenship?
Enter your arrival date and permit type to see the earliest dates you can apply for permanent residency and for German citizenship under the 2026 rules.
Car import duty calculator
Customs duty and import VAT for bringing a car from outside the EU — plus a check on whether you qualify for full exemption as relocation goods.
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