How to get residency in Germany in 2026: every route

Work, job search, study, your own business and family: conditions, amounts in dollars, fees, timelines and the path to permanent residence

Germany grants residence for a specific purpose: work, job search, study, your own business or family reunification. There is no golden visa for buying property or investing in a fund, and in practice there is no residence permit for people living on passive income either. So the first question is not "how much does German residency cost" but "on what basis am I moving".

Almost every route works the same way. You first get a national long-stay visa at a German embassy, enter on it, register your address and collect a plastic residence card from the local immigration office. The card's term depends on the route: from one year for study to four years on an EU Blue Card.

Below are all the routes in one table, with amounts in dollars at the Central Bank of Russia rate on 7 October 2026, followed by each route in turn: conditions, documents and where applications most often go wrong. At the end: fees, refusals, rules for certain nationalities and the path to permanent residence and a passport.

Every way to get residency in Germany: comparison

"From" is the legal minimum or income threshold per applicant. Processing time runs from a complete application to the visa; in some countries the wait for an embassy appointment is longer than the check itself.

Work: the EU Blue Card and the skilled worker permit

The most common route. An EU Blue Card requires a university degree that is recognised in Germany or comparable to a German one, and a contract of at least six months with a salary above the threshold. In 2026 the threshold is about $57,000 a year. For shortage occupations (engineers, doctors, teachers, care staff and others) and for graduates of the last three years it is lower, about $52,000. IT specialists can get the card without a degree if they have three years of experience in the last seven and a salary above the same reduced threshold.

The card is issued for the length of the contract plus three months, up to four years. Family members move with the holder; the spouse needs no German for the visa and may work in Germany without restriction.

If the salary falls short of the threshold, the standard skilled worker permit remains. It requires a recognised qualification - a university degree or at least two years of vocational training - and a job offer that uses it. There is no salary threshold, but a first permit of this kind after the age of 45 needs a salary of about $63,000 a year or proof of pension provision. There is also an experience route: two years of experience in the last five, a state-recognised qualification at home and a salary of about $52,000 a year.

• passport and national visa application form
• diploma with transcript, sworn translation and a printout from the database of foreign qualifications, or an evaluation by the Central Office for Foreign Education
• employment contract or offer and the employer's declaration on the employment relationship
• CV and proof of experience
• health insurance for the first days until you join a public fund

The employer can start the fast-track procedure at the local immigration office for about $470. The embassy must then offer an appointment within three weeks and decide on the visa within three weeks of a complete application.

Opportunity Card: residence to look for work without an offer

Without an employer yet, you can come to look for work for a year. The Opportunity Card is for people with at least two years of education recognised in their home country, German at A1 or English at B2, who score at least 6 points. Points are given for partial recognition of the qualification in Germany, work experience, German and English, being under 35 or under 40, previous legal stays in Germany and a spouse who also qualifies.

The main money condition is about $1,300 a month to live on, or about $15,000 for the year. Usually the money goes into a blocked account from which the bank releases no more than the monthly amount. A formal commitment by someone living in Germany to cover your costs, or a contract for part-time work, also counts.

With the card you may work up to 20 hours a week and do trial work of up to two weeks with each employer. Once you find a suitable job, you switch to a Blue Card or skilled worker permit without leaving the country. People whose qualification is already fully recognised in Germany need no points: they get the card straight away as skilled workers.

Your own business and freelancing

Germany grants residence to entrepreneurs and freelancers, but there is no fixed investment amount. A business must show an economic interest or regional demand, a positive effect on the economy and secured financing: your own funds or a confirmed loan. The chamber of commerce assesses the business plan and the immigration office decides.

For freelancers - translators, self-employed programmers, designers, teachers, journalists - letters of intent from clients in Germany, a financial plan and, for many professions, a licence usually replace the business plan. Applicants over 45 must show pension provision.

The first permit is issued for up to three years. If the business works and covers living costs, you can apply for permanent residence after three years, which is faster than the general rule.

Study and language courses

A student permit requires admission to a university or a preparatory course. In 2026 you must show about $14,000 a year to live on, or about $1,200 a month. Most students use a blocked account; a scholarship or a sponsor's commitment in Germany also works.

Students may work 140 full or 280 half days a year, and up to 20 hours a week during term. After graduating you get up to 18 months to find a job, and with a German degree the path to permanent residence is shorter: two years of work instead of five years of residence.

There is also a permit for language courses, for people who first learn German and then apply to university or look for work. The course must be intensive, usually at least 18 hours a week.

Family: spouse, children, parents

A spouse and minor children can join a German citizen or a foreigner with a residence permit. The spouse usually needs German at A1, but spouses of Blue Card holders and skilled workers are exempt. If the sponsor is a foreigner, they must show income for the family and housing of adequate size; German citizens usually do not need to show income.

Children under 16 move without any language requirement. Between 16 and 18 they can join if they move with their parents or speak German fluently and integrate well. Parents and parents-in-law of skilled workers who received their first work permit after 1 March 2024 may also come if their support and insurance are covered.

There is also a visa to marry in Germany: the fiancé or fiancée enters on it and switches to a family permit after the wedding.

Without a job or investment: what Germany does not offer

Buying a flat or a house does not give residence, whatever it costs. There is no dedicated digital nomad visa either: remote work for a foreign employer is only possible on a permit that allows it, for example as a freelancer.

The law does allow a permit for financially independent people, but it is issued rarely and at the office's discretion. Without a job offer, the Opportunity Card, study or your own business are simpler, and for living on passive income it is worth looking at countries with dedicated programmes.

Health insurance for a residence permit

Every German residence permit requires health insurance. Employees join a public health fund: in 2026 the contribution is 14.6% of salary plus the fund's additional rate, 2.9% on average, and the employer pays half.

Entrepreneurs and freelancers choose between public and private insurance, but a private policy must cover what the public one does. For a visa before work or study starts, an incoming travel policy for the first months is accepted. Students under 30 usually insure with a public fund at the student rate.

Fees and timelines: what residency in Germany costs

Fees are per adult and lower for children. Translations, apostilles, insurance and housing for the first months come on top. Our consultant will work out the total for your family in the chat.

Common reasons for refusal

• the diploma is not recognised or is rated as not equivalent to a German one
• the salary is below the threshold or the job does not require the qualification
• the Federal Employment Agency refuses consent because the terms are worse than for local workers
• for the Opportunity Card, fewer than 6 points or living funds not proven
• a business plan without figures or unproven financing
• for family, no A1 German, housing or income, or the marriage is judged a sham
• translations not by a sworn translator, a missing apostille or an incomplete file

A refusal can be appealed, but reapplying with a corrected file is usually faster. That is why we check documents before the embassy appointment.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

Applications are made at the German mission in the country where you legally live. Russian citizens living in Russia apply at the German embassy in Moscow, where appointments run through a waiting list and visa centres accept documents. For the Opportunity Card, statements from Russian banks are not accepted, so the funds usually go into a blocked account with a German bank. EU sanctions do not bar residence permits for Russian citizens.

Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the UK have a simplified route: they can enter without a visa and apply for the residence permit inside Germany.

Path to permanent residence and citizenship in Germany

The permanent settlement permit comes at different points depending on the route. With a Blue Card - after 27 months with A1 German or 21 months with B1. A skilled worker - after 3 years with B1 German and 36 months of pension contributions, or 2 years after studying in Germany. The spouse of a German citizen - after 3 years, an entrepreneur - after 3 years of a successful business. Under the general rule - after 5 years, 60 months of contributions, B1 German and the Life in Germany test.

Citizenship is granted after 5 years of legal residence with B1 German, income without benefits and a passed naturalisation test. The fast track after three years was abolished on 30 October 2025. Since 27 June 2024 you can keep your previous citizenship.

More on timelines and documents is on our page about permanent residence in Germany, and on the passport in our German citizenship guide.

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More on this country:

• Germany: all programmes and moving
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• Taxes in Germany
• Cost of living in Germany
• Berlin: districts and prices
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