How to Move to Germany from India
This page takes an in-depth look at how to move to Germany from India. From visas and insurance to jobs and accommodation, we detail the key steps Indian citizens need to complete in order to successfully relocate to Germany.
With over 200,000 Indian citizens currently living in Germany, it is fair to say that Germany is a very popular destination for Indian citizens looking to live, work or study in Europe. And with a booming job market for international workers and world-leading universities, there are bountiful opportunities for Indian citizens looking to make the move, especially considering the considerable shortage of skilled workers in Germany.
As Indian citizens currently make up around 15% of our readership, we thought it would be helpful to put together a relocation guide specifically for Indian citizens looking to move to Germany.
From having your degree recognised in Germany and applying for a visa to finding a suitable place to live and taking out the necessary insurance, moving to Germany can be confusing. It is hard to know what to do and when. But fear not! With our step-by-step approach laid out below, we will provide clear guidance on exactly how to make the move to Germany from India.
1️⃣ Degree recognition for Indian citizens moving to Germany
When it comes to moving to Germany from India, it is important to note that Germany is primarily looking to attract ‘skilled workers’. By ‘skilled worker’, the German immigration authorities really just require that you have a suitable university-level education that matches up to an equivalent qualification in the German education system.
Therefore, the first step for Indian citizens looking to move for work is to have their university degree recognised in Germany. To prove that your university qualification is recognised in Germany, you have a couple of options:
Find your qualification on the Anabin online database. See our Anabin Guide for instructions on how to use the database.
OR
Obtain a Statement of Comparability from ZAB (German Central Office for Foreign Education).
If your university degree is recognised in Germany, you meet the requirements for being considered a skilled worker in Germany. This means you are eligible for work-related visas for Germany, whether this is a Job Seekers Visa, Work Visa or EU Blue Card.
If your university degree is not recognised in Germany or you do not have a university degree, then you generally do not meet the requirements for being considered a skilled worker in Germany. In this instance, your visa options for moving to Germany may be limited to non-work-related visas such as the Student Visa or Language Visa.
2️⃣ Visas for Indian citizens moving to Germany
As an Indian citizen, you cannot just book a flight and move to Germany to live and work. You first need to obtain a suitable national visa at your local German embassy or consulate in India before making the move to Germany.
Popular national visa options for Indian citizens moving to Germany include:
Click on the links above to see an overview of the application requirements for these national visas (as provided by the German immigration authorities in India).
Where can I apply for my German national visa in India?
You can apply for a visa at your local German embassy or consulate in India. You should apply for your visa at the German embassy or consulate for your place of residence:
Covers the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Minicoy and Amindive
Covers the states of Karnataka and Kerala.
Covers the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry.
Covers the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
Covers the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Visa application process at a German embassy or consulate in India
The visa application process at a German embassy or consulate in India is fairly simple:
Schedule a national visa appointment. Here are instructions for booking appointments at the different German missions across India.
Prepare your visa application including all the relevant paperwork. Here are checklists showing the application requirements for a wide range of German national visas.
Submit your visa application at your visa appointment. Note that visa processing times can be slow so it may take several months for your visa application to be processed.
Receive your visa and move to Germany!
The German embassy in India has also put together some really useful FAQs on German visas that you may find helpful.
3️⃣ Jobs for Indian citizens moving to Germany
The majority of Indian citizens are moving to Germany for work. And for good reason! Germany is the largest economy in Europe with ample opportunities in the fields of engineering, IT and tech, science, medicine, finance and energy (to name a few).
Despite its huge economy, Germany has a widespread shortage of skilled workers, making the German job market a ripe hunting ground for international workers hoping to emigrate to Europe. Qualified international workers are sought after and coveted by leading German employers meaning highly-educated Indian citizens have a great opportunity to land a job in Germany before ever setting foot in the country.
To help you land your dream job in Germany, explore our German Job Hunting Guide. In this guide, we detail where to find a job in Germany, how to create a German-style CV, and many of the norms and expectations of the German job market to help you through the job-seeking process.
Landing a job from overseas can be tough. This is where the German Job Seekers Visa represents a great opportunity for Indian citizens. The Job Seekers Visa permits you to move to Germany for up to 6 months to search for work – this can greatly increase your chances of landing a job in Germany as you will be on-site to attend interviews. Being ready and available in Germany definitely signals to potential employers that you are fully committed to the move.
❗ If you get a job offer while living in Germany on a Job Seekers Visa, you can then apply for your work permit or EU Blue Card at your local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany. You do not need to return to India to apply for your Work Visa or EU Blue Card.
4️⃣ Insurance for Indian citizens moving to Germany
When living in Germany, everyone requires suitable health insurance. This is also a mandatory requirement in order to start a job in Germany. But the type of health insurance you are eligible for in Germany varies depending on your situation.
For Indian citizens moving to Germany for work, you will generally have one of two health insurance options depending on your level of income:
German Public Health Insurance
If you receive a job offer in Germany that pays below €69,300 per year (or €5,775 per month), then it is compulsory that you take out German public health insurance.
Our favourite German public health insurance provider for Indian citizens moving to Germany for work is TK Health Insurance. Here is why TK is our no.1 choice:
✅ TK’s policy is accepted by the German embassy and consulates in India when applying for a Work Visa or EU Blue Card.
✅ TK offer high-quality English customer support as well as English policy documents.
✅ TK have a straightforward, simple online sign-up process.
✅ TK provide straightforward access to care. You just need to show your TK health insurance card when receiving healthcare in Germany. The healthcare provider will then arrange payment with TK.
By choosing TK Health Insurance, you are opting for an insurer that is trusted by millions of German residents and is consistently rated among the best insurers in Germany.
🎓 For the same reasons listed above, TK Health Insurance is also our favourite insurance provider for Indian citizens moving to Germany to study.
German Private Health Insurance
If you receive a job offer in Germany that pays above €69,300 per year, then you also have the option of taking out German private health insurance.
Some of the benefits of choosing German private health insurance ahead of German public health insurance include:
✅ Access a wider range of treatments.
✅ More affordable in certain circumstances.
✅ More flexibility to suit your treatment needs and budget.
✅ Shorter waiting times for healthcare services.
✅ Can include comprehensive dental coverage and travel cover.
If you receive a job offer in Germany that pays above €69,300 per year and are interested in German private health insurance, then we recommend signing up for a policy via Feather.
Feather is an English-speaking brokerage with a close relationship with a wide range of German insurers. They will clarify your options and ensure you sign up for a suitable policy that also meets all the insurance requirements for the German Work Visa or EU Blue Card. Better still, their services are completely free of charge!
Personal Liability Insurance
While health insurance is mandatory when moving to Germany from India, it is also good to be aware of what other optional insurances are recommended when living in Germany.
Specifically, you may wish to sign up for personal liability insurance when moving to Germany, which covers you in the event of personal injury or property damage to a third party. Without this, even fairly innocuous accidents and mishaps can have grave financial consequences in Germany so it is best to get suitable cover (especially as cover starts from just €5 per month).
When it comes to personal liability insurance providers, our favourite policy is with Feather – check out our Personal Liability Insurance Guide for further information about the benefits of this insurance and why you should have it when living in Germany.
5️⃣ Accommodation for Indian citizens moving to Germany
When moving from India to Germany, finding suitable accommodation will be essential to a successful relocation. Particularly in Germany’s major cities, competition for apartments is fierce with demand far outstripping supply. Naturally, this can cause a lot of anxiety for Indian citizens moving to Germany.
Short-term accommodation in Germany
To ensure that you have a roof over your head on arrival in Germany, we recommend that you initially opt for short-term, temporary, accommodation. There are various reasons for this, including:
You need less paperwork to apply than for long-term accommodation. You can usually apply online (and often from overseas).
The apartments are furnished.
It allows you to quickly complete your address registration in Germany (an important process known as Anmeldung).
It buys you time to find a long-term home in Germany.
Popular short-term accommodation providers in Germany include:
Smartments (available in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Mannheim)
Wunderflats (available in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf)
Spotahome (available nationwide)
Habyt (available in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf)
HousingAnywhere (available nationwide)
Long-term accommodation in Germany
While the short-term accommodation options listed above are generally quite straightforward to book, finding suitable long-term accommodation is a much more difficult prospect for Indian citizens moving to Germany.
While there are endless long-term apartment listing platforms to scour through, we think there are two clear frontrunners:
ImmoScout24 – the best platform for finding an entire apartment.
WG-GESUCHT.de – the best platform for finding a room in a flatshare.
When it comes to applying for long-term apartments in Germany, it is recommended that you provide as much paperwork as possible. For the greatest chance of success, you should submit:
Your 3 most recent German payslips
A German work contract
A bank statement showing savings
A SCHUFA credit report
Personal liability insurance
For an in-depth overview of these document requirements as well as extensive tips on how to apply for long-term accommodation in Germany, see our German Apartment Hunting Guide.
6️⃣ Best banks for Indian citizens moving to Germany
When moving to Germany from India, you will want to get set up with a German bank account as quickly as possible so as to avoid overseas bank charges, poor exchange rates and costly ATM withdrawal fees. Having a euro bank account is also a common requirement for making rental payments to German landlords and receiving your salary from your German employer.
Often the quickest option for opening a bank account in Germany is to choose an online bank. Popular options include:
These banking options have all the features and functionality you need when moving to Germany – in particular, they are cheap (or free) to set up and maintain, and come with free ATM withdrawals and a debit card, making them suitable daily transactional accounts for newcomers to Germany from India.
Frustratingly, Indian passport holders often have difficulty with the verification process for online German banks. If you do not meet the verification requirements (and are therefore prevented from opening an online German bank account), then we recommend that you instead opt for a more traditional high street bank such as:
For a more comprehensive rundown of your banking options in Germany as an Indian citizen, see our German Banking Guide.
7️⃣ Starting work as an Indian citizen moving to Germany
Once you have received a job offer in Germany, there are still various administrative hurdles to complete before you can start legally working in Germany.
In particular, you will need a:
✅ German Work Visa or EU Blue Card
✅ German Tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer)
✅ German Health Insurance (Krankenversicherung)
✅ German Social Security Number (Sozialversicherungsnummer)
You will need to submit these documents to your new employer in order to be successfully onboarded – without them, you may not be permitted to start working in Germany. While this may all sound quite scary, we have provided simple, step-by-step instructions on how to quickly get hold of these documents in our Starting Work in Germany Guide.
Our goal in this guide has been to provide a clear overview of how to move to Germany from India. By breaking it down into small bite-sized chunks, we hope you now have a solid framework for a successful relocation. For more extensive tips and guidance on relocating to Germany, see our homepage and other blog posts.