Get Your Freelance Artist Visa in Berlin the Smart Way
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So, you’re an artist… you may have visited Berlin or heard how incredible it is through a trusted grapevine (or google). You want to call this place your home, and need a bit of help getting everything in order. I’m glad you are taking the first steps for your new, adventurous life in Europe!
Disclaimer: Everyone’s experience and situation is a bit different. I highly recommend getting professional advice from a consultant that’s updated on the current workings of the system and your options.
My quick story:
I am a travel photographer/entrepreneur and last month (April, 2015), I accomplished one of the biggest feats in my 25 years of life. I was approved for the magical freelance artist visa that allows me to legally create my art, work for clients, and get compensated while living in Germany for full 2 years. This is a HUGE deal and I celebrated accordingly.
There is a somewhat meticulous process you must undertake to acquire this visa and have this freedom. The better prepared you are, the better your chances are at obtaining it. Before arriving in Berlin (with my superhero girlfriend) I did many searches on the topic. What I found was lots of contradicting information and confusing tasks that didn’t make much sense. This is precisely the main reason I am creating this article! This is for Americans interested in getting the Freelance Artist Visa!
So let’s jump in…
Get your freelance visa the smart way:
Step 1.
Have a plan:
- Make a good checklist of the things you need to do
- As an American, you can stay here for a maximum of 90 days if you’re just traveling. If more than 90 days, you must apply for a visa. Keep this in mind before you fly out here. Also, you cannot legally work here until you have a visa
- What will you show at the Visa office? Create a detailed portfolio of your awesome art as if you were applying for grad school
- How will you make a living? How will you find clients? Plan what you are going to do when you make your move!
- Where will you stay? Hostel? With friends/family? Airbnb? Book somewhere in advance that you’ll be able to stay before you find an apartment here
- Start searching for apartments to see what prices and areas are available
- Start learning German, Duolingo is pretty good for this. I also recommend taking a class before you come
- Savings, the more the better. Even though it’s no longer necessary to show how much you have in the bank, it’s super helpful to share this info with the folks at the office. (around €10,000 is awesome, they want to make sure you won’t abuse their social system.. No bumming off of their social system)
- How much will you be spending? Figure out how much you’ll be spending per month before you move here. It’ll make your life easier. You should probably be doing this no matter what though
- How long will you stay? Figure out how long you’d like to stay in Berlin
- Find a friend that can help you in the German offices. We’ll talk more about this later
Step 2.
•Pre Visa Process
- Do as much as possible to get yourself ready for the visa office. The more you get done at home in the states, the smoother your transition will be out here! You can basically do everything in Step 1 and most of the things in Step 2
- Make your friends and family aware of the awesome journey you’re about to undertake. Ask for ways they can support what you are doing, maybe create something special for them to purchase to help you save up
- You cannot legally work here until you get the visa! You can get paid from the states, but no German money. Be prepared to live off of your savings for a few months
- Research!!!!!!!!! Find a few other stories of other artists that have acquired their visas such as: this, and: this one is awesome. Also, check out this Berlin travel video from Rick Steeves.
- Business plan on how you’ll be networking/gaining clients out here.
- Notify your American Bank. Call up your bank and let them know when you’ll be moving abroad. This will help with bank transactions ect.
- Start networking in facebook groups and other sites to find potential clients. Ask your friends/family if they have any contacts here
- Get your documents as ready as possible for the visa office. You’ll need a CV, portfolio, cover letter, any evidence of past payments from clients (invoices, screenshots of email agreements, etc), bank statements, health insurance. They love paperwork here, so you should be arriving with a binder full of relevant papers. I didn’t plan too well beforehand (lack of resources online like the page your reading was a big reason why)
Step 3.
•Make your move:
This is where the rubber meets the road. Here we will find out who are the dreamers and the doers.
Who will you be?
- Search the sites: Wg-gesucht, craigslist, search forums on Facebook, personal connections etc.
- As soon as you find a place, you MUST register with the German government at the local Burgeramt. You are given about 10 days to register your address (which can also be your hostel or friend’s place) You need to show them a contract stating that you will be living at this location. This is the 1st BIG step you must take when arriving here. It shows the German government that you plan on staying here long term as a law abiding citizen. Wherever you’re planning to register you must be prepared to be there for at least a month so that you can receive important mail from the Burgeramt. ☺
- Get a German number! I’m currently using my iPhone 5 on the Ortel Network. It’s about 15 euros a month, and works just fine. You can get a Sim card at most grocery stores out here.
- Book an appointment at the visa office that’s scheduled BEFORE your 90 days are up. The office is called the Ausländerbehörde, here’s the link: immigration office.
- I HIGHLY recommend going to Expath for invaluable help. They have language classes and low cost coaching sessions for personalized info. Not sure if I would’ve gotten this Visa without their help. The personalized coaching will be 30 Euros an hour per person, that’s a pretty low cost for the ways they helped us in our personal visa experiences. They also have translators that can help you at the German Government offices. They’re pretty awesome. Also, I’ve heard good things about: Red Tape Translation
- Start networking! Head to meetup.com, facebook groups, make lots of friends and potential clients. Your network determines your net worth
- Of course there is a Visa application, which can be found at: Visa App
- Open a bank account. I’m banking with Deutsche Bank. It was super simple to open an account, no atm fees, bank card & pin number is sent in the mail. Make sure to ask to speak to an English speaker. (I have since updated to N26 which is great as well)
- Get 2 biometric photos, you can do this at many train stations (Photofix booths for about 6euro for 4 photos) Don’t bother getting these in America, they will not be the correct size and form.
- Health insurance is necessary for everyone living in Germany, go get it. **Ask around the expat community to see what is best for you. I use ALC Health Insurance, be prepared to pay 100–200+ euro a month. (Update: I’m now using AOK Insurance)
- Printout of you bank statement reflecting how much you have in the bank
- 2–3 Letters of intent from potential clients showing that people are interested in hiring you. Here, you want to show that there is economic interest in what you do, in Germany. Include how much they are willing to pay you and for how long
- Find someone willing to go with you to the visa office to translate. They aren’t going to speak English to you, and it increases your chances if you’re getting help
- You’ll also need to pay 50–110 Euros once they allow you to stay. This depends on what they want to charge you. *set aside for application fee
- If you don’t get approved immediately, you may have to wait a few weeks. Be patient!
- The will to make it work, not everybody is built for this, you need to have a strong will to be epic
Step 4.
•Visa Office:
The big day has arrived, time to be positive!
- Double check that you have all of your documents together and neatly in a binder.
- Make sure your German speaking friend is ready to go! I had an awesome friend named Sibel to help with translating at the office. She actually did most of the talking. Thanks again Sibel!!!! ☺
- When you go in at your scheduled time, you’ll have a number from when you scheduled your appointment online. Hang out in the waiting room with your friend until your number is called
- Make sure to smile when you are in the room and show them your portfolio.
- They’ll ask for your Visa Application, Health Insurance, CV, Passport, Letters of Intent, and your Biometric Photos.
Step 5.
•After you get your visa:
- So you’ve made it, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
- Celebrate with your newfound friends, go to a club, or just have a drink on the spree, you’ve made it!
- Thank Everyone that helped you in the process! Email friends/family back home, visit Expath, new clients, everyone that helped! Even me! It’s virtually impossible to do this alone.
- Now it’s time to get your tax number so you can begin getting paid. You get this by going to the finanzaemt and filling out a tax form. I Highly recommend getting a tax advisor to help you out with this for the 1st year because it gets tricky. I’m currently in the process of getting this handled.
- Begin living your new life in this incredible city. You are free, and have made it to Europe.
Closing Remarks
As I type this, many videos and news articles related to police brutality and riots happening all over the place in the states are on my facebook timeline. Where I grew up, there has been been many times when I’ve felt a target was on my back. This is unfortunate and one of the many reasons I chose to leave my home in NYC to begin a new life here. Of course this place has it’s own set of problems; it’s not utopia. It is a beautiful, historic, affordable haven for artists at the moment though, and that works for me. I must say, I am pleased with my decision.
There will be ups and downs in the process, I guarantee that. But making it past this step is incredible! I haven’t felt this free in a while.
My advice if you’re thinking about doing this, is to weigh your options, and really figure out if it’s a good move for you. I can tell you that my awesome life has just got another improvement. Not saying everything is perfect, but when a book is written about my life, it’s going to be pretty dope. I’m living my dream of traveling the world, and I’m getting paid to do it, thank you universe!
I honestly hope this guide helps you on your journey! There may have been some changes in this process over the years so I highly recommend you find a professional that knows what they’re doing!
If you’d like to support what I’m up to, feel free to check out my photography prints at: alexhallfilm.com/prints
Find me on: Instagram| Youtube | Facebook
If this has helped you, or believe it can help someone else, please give it 6 claps and/or a share.
