I am moving to frankfurt- how do i get a work permit and do i need one?

Question

I am moving to frankfurt- how do i get a work permit and do i need one?

Answer 1

Are you American? Assuming so, the answer is: It's not easy! Non-EU citizens need to have a solid job offer and proof of the job offer from a firm or company located in Germany. Then, within 60 days of your arrival in Frankfurt, you need to apply for a new residency permit for the length of time of your new job at the "Auslaenderbehoerde". After that, you need to apply for a work permit at the "Arbeitsamt". At the Arbeitsamt, you'll need to speak German decently.

You can also bypass this process by becoming freelance in something that you're an expert in. If it's consulting, teaching, horse breeding... I dunno, whatever it is, you can get a freelancer's permit from the Arbeitsamt.

Also, you didn't say which Frankfurt you're moving to. Frankfurt am Main or Frankfurt an der Oder? It's important, because if you're moving to Frankfurt/Oder, it will be extremely difficult to find a job offer - unemployment there is pretty high.

You also asked, "Do I need one?" The answer in general is yes, depending on how long you want to stay. I know plenty of Americans who work for "Schwarzgeld" or "black money" (under-the-table). But they generally don't stay very long and they lack normal health insurance. So, you can try working without a work permit for a little while, but the consequence may be that you accrue time of illegal presence. Illegal presence is not so bad in Europe, they don't actually rip your life apart and remove you, like we do to undocumented migrants in the USA. But, you won't be able to get a bank account or secure a cell phone contract - little consequences like that.

Good luck. Learn German. Be patient. Keep trying.

Answer 2

not if you are european!