Relocation to Germany after Brexit
Published on Dec 10th, 2020 As of Jan 1st, 2021 all British citizens who are not in a possession of a Residence Permit in Germany will be obliged to hold an entry visa before entering [...]
German Law puts an obligation on all citizens to register their residency immediately after taking up a leased property. Moreover, all foregin citizens (non-EU members) are required to obtain a Residency Permit regardless if they wish to work or not.
Residency Registration and Residency Permit are two separate matters, that are commonly mistaken.
Residency Registration (German: Anmeldung) is simply informing the authorities about the address change, that needs to be done immediately after moving in. Germans, EU-citzens and foreign citizens are required to visit a local municipality office and by presenting a passport or ID together with a landlord confirmation register their new residency address.
Residency Permit (German: Aufenthaltstitel) on the other hand is meant only for foreign citizens. Depending on the country of origin, the residency permit must be obtained before the actual arrival to Germany (entry visa) or within 90 days upon moving to Germany. The full list of countries which citizens are required to obtain an entry visa can be found at the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regardless of the fact if a foreign citizen wishes to live in Germany as a long-term tourist, take up a job or simply move with a spouse who had obtained a work permit before, the residency permit needs to be applied for at a local Immigration Office (German: Ausländerbehörde) well in advance. Depending on a personal situation, the residency permit can contain a work permit, a family visa, a job search visa or other kind to name a few.
An exact procedure and list of documents required to apply for a permit can vary and depends on the specific situation of an applicant. Commonly all the communication with an Immigration Office as well as an interview are performed in the German language, though some forms can be bi- or even tri-lingual. Also, the documents are often required to be certified translated into German, although more and more Immigration Offices accept English versions as well.
Contact us, if you require any assistance in the immigration procedure.
US Army in Germany
Published on Nov, 23rd, 2020 Since June this year, the United States has taken the decision to remove a significant number of military personnel from the region, marking a change in relations between the two countries. The presence of American military personnel in Germany is still significant and is distributed in different German cities. The strategic importance of Germany for the USA is reflected in the location of the headquarters of the US European Command in the city of Stuttgart specifically in Böblingen, south-west Germany, as part of the US Army Garrison as it serves as a structural channel for all other military bases. The army translated in numbers On the other hand, Germany is home to the majority of US troops in Europe, approximately 36,600 troops, which can only be compared to the numbers of military personnel in Japan. In addition to Belgium and Italy, the US has its headquarters at the Wiesbaden base near Frankfurt. US military installations in Germany US Air Force base: Spangdahlem and Ramstein Total US personnel: 38.605 USAG Wiesbaden: 2.119 USAG Bavaria: 10.747 USAG Ansbach: 4.438 USAG Stuttgart: 4.680 USAG Rheinland-Pfalz: 7.021 *USAG: US Army garrisons Source: US Army; US Air Force/ 2019 An interesting fact about the American bases in Germany is that many of them function like small towns where the troops together with their families have all the services available such as schools, supermarkets, shopping centers, pharmacies, and all the exercise grounds, material depots, barracks, and airfields. One of these bases, considered one of the largest in the world, covers about 390 square kilometers called Grafenwöhr. These facilities undoubtedly generate commercial movement of goods and services to the surrounding communities so that the closure of any of them can affect the local economy as was the case with the closure of the Bamberg base in 2014. […]
