Relocation to a different country requires plenty of planning and can be stressful. Facing a new culture and systems can often lead to embarrassing mistakes. This is a start of a new chapter of your life, and we believe it should be a lovely experience. So here is a comprehensive checklist to make your move to Germany a little bit more peaceful.
Checklist for relocating to Germany
- Before the move
- During the move
- After relocation
Before the move
- Visa — Preparing the application, visa appointment and processing takes time. Start the procedure early (a few months in advance). https://www.germany-visa.org/ is a nice resource.
- House hunt — Once you’ve got your visa and booked flights to Germany, it’s time to search for an apartment. This blog guides you through the whole process.
- School search — German schooling system is quite unique. After primary school, there are 3 types of school a child can go into. Also bilingual schools teaching in English and German are hard to get into. Start early on searching a school for your child.
- Packers and movers — If you’re bringing a lot of luggage with you then find and book a relocation service before the moving date.
During the move
You’ve booked your flights and packed your bags! 🛫 Before boarding the plane, here are the things you need to take care of:
- Euros — Carry some Euros in cash with you for expenses after landing. Also get some euros digitally before getting the first salary / allowance. You can use https://wise.com/ for low currency conversion rates.
- Phone — activate an international roaming plan for usage before getting a local sim card.
- Immigration documents — keep your job contract, visa and passport handy for checks at the immigration.
- Winter wear — if you’re coming from a tropical country to Germany between October to March, do carry sufficient winter clothes! Also watch out for snow, it won’t be easy to carry your luggage through it.
After arrival
- Bank account — For non-EU citizens, most banks do not offer an account without registration. Deutsche Bank is most likely the only choice you have to open a German account. For a debit card, Revolut has brilliant user experience and security features.
- Insurances — This is a big topic. Refer to this blog for a complete guide.
- KVR registration — After getting an apartment, book an appointment at KVR for registration. Carry the registration form and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (proof of residence signed by your landlord). You can find these forms on the city portal (example for Munich).
- Phone — There are several local sim providers, who mostly operate on T-Mobile, Vodafone or O2 network. https://www.premiumsim.de/ has been quite cost effective in our experience, and it can easily be ordered online.
- Language lessons — While you can get away without learning German in big cities, it is very useful to learn German while you’re living here. The best way to learn is to go to language schools like Edeltraud or DeutscheGuru. Apps like Duolingo are good for learning vocabulary, but they are simply no match when it comes to learning the language for daily interactions. Also language schools are a great place to make friends.
So there it is! We hope this list helps you prepare for your move to Germany. If you need further advise or help with relocation, get in touch with us at Movy.
