Do I need a visa?

Would you like to live and work in Rhineland-Palatinate? If so, it is best to familiarize yourself with the most important information regarding your entry and stay in Germany before you enter the country. You need personal advice on visa issues? The experts of the Welcome Centers in Rhineland-Palatinate are well networked with the foreigners’ authorities responsible in Germany and will be happy to help you and put you in touch with the right person.

In Germany, entry and residence for citizens of EU/EEA countries, Switzerland and other states are regulated in different ways. Please check whether you require a visa. You can use the Quick-Check of "Make it in Germany" for this purpose.

Who needs a visa?

Whether or not you need a visa is determined by your country of origin.

Citizens of EU and EFTA Member States

Are you a citizen of a Member State of the European Union or of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? Then you are eligible to enter Germany without a visa and work here without restriction

Third country nationals (non-EU/non-EFTA states)

Citizens of other countries, so-called third countries, require a residence permit in order to work in Germany. A visa is therefore required to enter Germany. To apply for a visa, you need to submit the application for your visa to the competent German mission abroad. The visa you apply for must correspond to the actual purpose of your stay. For example, a tourist visa does not allow you to take up employment or to permanently reside in Germany. Nationals of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand or the USA are an exception. They may also enter Germany without a visa. In order to be eligible to work here, however, they must apply for a residence permit allowing them to take up employment in Germany.

How do I apply for a visa?

You apply for your entry visa at the German mission abroad in your country of residence. Before you apply for the visa, check first what you may have to consider and which documents you may require. You will find the information on the website of the responsible embassy or consulate. The contacts of the German missions abroad can be found on the world map “Local contacts“ of “Make it in Germany“.

Once you have arrived in Germany, you generally must apply for a corresponding residence permit before the visa expires. To do so, you have to contact the responsible foreigners’ authority immediately after your arrival. 

How the individual steps of the entry and visa process are carried out can be found on “Make it in Germany“.