# British moving to Germany to be with spouse help!



## Kyle939

Hello,

I have a very quick question and I am unsure where to find some information. 
I recently got married to a German lady and I am a British citizen... We would love to live together instead of travelling back and for and spending very little time together, which is heart breaking but I want to move to Germany for the mean time and the sad thing is I do not work at the moment so what are the chances? I do not work but I want to join my spouse in her country.

Sadly I do not speak German as I have tried and it's so hard for me to learn but I am trying. 

Does anyone have any information about this and if it is possible, I am reading a lot and everything I see is that if I am not working then I highly doubt it. 

Kind regards,

Kyle939


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## HatakeSage

Hey, this will do probably do better on the German forum.
I imagine something to do with EEA visas, but being as you're British, I'm not sure.

Hope someone can help you.


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## Bevdeforges

Have moved you over to the German forum to see if we can attract a bit more attention for you.

If you're British, there is nothing stopping you from moving to Germany to be with your wife. If she's working, her health coverage should include you while you're getting yourself installed and learning the language and all. (And learning any language usually goes much faster when you are on site and "forced" to use it on a daily basis.)

Finding a job ultimately is going to depend on what trade or profession you're in, and where in Germany you're located. (Like, if you're near a British military post or embassy/consulate, there may be some possibilities there - though they do generally prefer bi-lingual folks. Or if there is an English language or "international" school in the area, ditto.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## Kyle939

My wife is full time employed and has everything covered her side obviously, insurance etc etc. 

I am currently here in Germany and we are in Düsseldorf if that helps. 

I just read everything saying about money and stuff and that's a problem you know.


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## Bevdeforges

As a UK citizen, you have your own rights of movement and can live anywhere you want within the EU. No reason you can't just move in with your wife (and register at the Rathaus/town hall as resident there). 

Yeah, living together on one salary can be tough. But start working on the German, and get creative in looking for work in the meantime. Can you tutor English? Find an online gig somehow? You'll have to register to be fully legal, but it's a foot in the door and will help you get settled in Düsseldorf.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Kyle939

Thank you Bev for the speedy replies.

Yeah, we cannot cope on one salary and I do not want that, I want a life and a future to be happy with so I am trying to learn but it's very hard to understand I find. 

I am wondering if I come here because I have a spouse what can I do? Claim? Sort etc. 
Trying to get it all sorted. 

Right now we want to live in the UK, because it's kinda better than here but we need the finances to do that and if we are both working then it's far easier and it's a pointless marriage to work in separate counties and only spend time on Skype or once a week a few times a month, so we want to be together. 

I think my partner earns too much too so even if I was able to claim something, which I doubt then I think that would say no. 

Also, can I learn German here free because I choose to reside here for a while? How do I teach English to people and sort the taxes and stuff... Is there a website I can put out there or something. 

I am seriously clueless and googling all day makes me confused. 

Thanks a lot


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## Bevdeforges

Basically, no you can't claim - unless you were eligible for unemployment in the UK and you elect to transfer your unemployment benefits to Germany. It only works for three months, but it's a way to get yourself started.

Then, it sort of depends on what line of work you're in. Germany (like some other European countries) really likes to see you have a "qualification" in whatever your line of work is. The joke used to be that it's a three year training program for almost any type of work there, though that's something of an exaggeration, plus you can usually transfer whatever training or qualification you have from the UK. Google English speaking jobs in Dusseldorf. There are a surprising number of sites, for example:
Jobs in Dusseldorf - Germany - for English Speaking Professionals
English speaking Jobs in Düsseldorf | Glassdoor

Free language lessons may be hard to come by. I suspect the available facilities are going to be strained by the current influx of refugees. However, check to see if there is a Volkshochschule nearby. These are night classes that, while not quite free, are very low cost and they probably would have something like German for foreigners. (And, if you could score an English language job, your employer might offer German lessons in the bargain.)

Just don't give up. It will take a while. And it may take a bit of creativity on your part. But you and your bride should be able to work something out in order to live together.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Kyle939

Yeah that is what I thought too, 3months is not that long at all and I really do not want to be on benefits. It's a majorly stubborn last resort. 

I love English and it is a passion so I would love to teach it but I highly suspect I have to go back to the UK to obtain the CETL certificate thing. 

I am Googling left right and centre for English jobs and applied for a few but with my limited experience because I was raising two small children, nothing is coming back


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## miaux

Hi, honestly I think you are putting the situation too dramatically... 

If you want to get things started:
- Tell your wife to put you in her insurance and wait until you receive a card/number
- Go to your Rathaus to make your anmeldung, at least being British, you dont need to go to the Auslanbehorde. 
- Go to the finanzamt and request your tax number
- Once having your Anmeldung, Steuernummer, and Insurance number, you are ready for work. 
- You havent mentioned your profession, or what qualifications you have. 
- Best sites for job searching are Stepstone.de and monster.de. 
- Dusseldorf being a big city, I am sure you wont find it hard to find something, there are a lot of international companies there and you will see posts that require English as a work language ( Henkel, EON, Bayer, Deutsche Telekom, etc.)
- Go to the volkschuke and sign up for German classes, this will be the CRUCIAL part of getting a job. Complaining that german is difficult will get you nowhere
-If nothing comes through, get a german certificate/ qualification and this will help as germans loooove certifications. 

Look at it this way, you are in a better position ( being British) than a Non EU... I went to Germany with no German, no job offers, etc.. and after getting a Masters there and speaking B2 level, I had 4 job offers... so if I can make it, sure you can. 

All the best!


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## Kyle939

Hello,

I am not really making anything sound dramatic or anything at all... Just stating my concerns and I have not made a huge dramatic fuss, so I m unsure what you mean with that. 

I only know one of those websites but I will take a look at the other.

Also I do not see it as a good idea getting a tax number when I am not working as I would be expected to pay tax I feel, the same as going on my wife's insurance not being a good idea because of having to pay more. 

When I secure a work placement I would apply for that stuff then, that is what I have been informed by numerous people because it is better to do and quick.


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## Bevdeforges

Maybe stuff in Germany has changed, but putting a spouse onto your health coverage didn't used to result in a higher charge (unless your wife has private health insurance, and if she does it means she is probably making enough to support you while you get yourself settled).

And getting a tax number doesn't necessarily mean you'll be paying tax - just that when you do find a job, your employer can file the necessary paperwork to withhold what needs to be withheld. You want to make things easy for the employer to take you on, and having the tax card already does that.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ALKB

Kyle939 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am not really making anything sound dramatic or anything at all... Just stating my concerns and I have not made a huge dramatic fuss, so I m unsure what you mean with that.
> 
> I only know one of those websites but I will take a look at the other.
> 
> Also I do not see it as a good idea getting a tax number when I am not working as I would be expected to pay tax I feel, the same as going on my wife's insurance not being a good idea because of having to pay more.
> 
> When I secure a work placement I would apply for that stuff then, that is what I have been informed by numerous people because it is better to do and quick.


The first thing you need to do is to register your residence with the local authority (Rathaus, Meldeamt, Bürgeramt - check with your spouse what it's called in Düsseldorf).

Once registered you will automatically get a tax ID number in the post, no need to go to the tax office anymore and no need to panic about that, even children get that number allocated when they register in Germany for the first time. 

Your Anmeldebestätigung (registration certificate) is your proof of address in lieu of a German national ID card, so keep it safe! You might want to invest a few Euro in an A4 version of the registration certificate, as it is much sturdier than the flimsy carbon copy. It's also a good idea to get a second registration certificate with both your and your spouse's name on it to show since when you have been living together.

Your spouse can put you on her health insurance once you are registered. As long as you are not working, this is free of charge (Familienversicherung) and you will get your health card pretty quickly (do you have your UK EHIC card in case of emergency?). You might have to send in a copy of your marriage certificate and you might have to register with the job center just to get processed and then get a paper saying that you are registered as a jobseeker without getting monetary benefits. My husband had to do that as the health insurance wanted to make sure that he could not be insured on his own through jobseeker benefits.

I think you can apply for a place in an integration course but unlike non-EEA immigrants it would neither be an obligation for you to complete this course nor would you have the right to a place if courses are full. In general they are very good quality, though, so it could be a good idea to just ask.

Your local Volkshochschule (community college) will have lots of German as a foreign language courses and a big city like Düsseldorf should also have daytime intensive courses. The Berlin Volkshochschule also offers all sorts of help with getting into work or interning to gain German job experience, so ask about that, too.

As an EEA citizen and the spouse of a German national you can apply for non-contribution based benefits depending on your household's income. Even if your spouse earns too much for you to get social security, you might be able to apply for Wohngeld (sort of housing benefit) or similar until you find a job. You can go to the Bürgeramt/CAB and get things looked at/calculated.


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## Kyle939

Thank you all for your time.

I will have to secure employment first because as soon as I register to living with my wife, she will have to pay for two people instead of single, and that is way to expensive aswell as all the other things we have to do, so we have to secure employment first really.


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## Bevdeforges

Kyle939 said:


> Thank you all for your time.
> 
> I will have to secure employment first because as soon as I register to living with my wife, she will have to pay for two people instead of single, and that is way to expensive aswell as all the other things we have to do, so we have to secure employment first really.


Can you explain what you mean about your wife having "to pay for two people instead of single" please? It's not on the health insurance - and for taxes, until you find a job, it would actually be to her/your advantage for her to be paying taxes based on being married rather than single. (Since she will have a "dependent")

I'm thinking that perhaps you have misunderstood something about how taxes and charges work, or that there is some other factor in there that we don't understand.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Kyle939

Bevdeforges said:


> Can you explain what you mean about your wife having "to pay for two people instead of single" please? It's not on the health insurance - and for taxes, until you find a job, it would actually be to her/your advantage for her to be paying taxes based on being married rather than single. (Since she will have a "dependent")
> 
> I'm thinking that perhaps you have misunderstood something about how taxes and charges work, or that there is some other factor in there that we don't understand.
> Cheers,
> Bev


At the moment my wife is renting a single room and she told me that if she informed me that if I register here as living, they will increase her rent to two people. 

She is unable to get marriage tax because I am not a German citizen and I am not registered here, yet.. We had this discussion with them.


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## ALKB

Kyle939 said:


> At the moment my wife is renting a single room and she told me that if she informed me that if I register here as living, they will increase her rent to two people.
> 
> She is unable to get marriage tax because I am not a German citizen and I am not registered here, yet.. We had this discussion with them.


What kind of room is she renting?

Is it a flatshare or student accommodation or what? You might need permission from her landlord before you can move in at all. Have you thought about moving to a studio or 1-bed flat?

You might want to check income thresholds for social security if money is this tight - you moving in and becoming her dependent might actually make her eligible for benefits.


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## Kyle939

ALKB said:


> What kind of room is she renting?
> 
> Is it a flatshare or student accommodation or what? You might need permission from her landlord before you can move in at all. Have you thought about moving to a studio or 1-bed flat?
> 
> You might want to check income thresholds for social security if money is this tight - you moving in and becoming her dependent might actually make her eligible for benefits.


From what I know, it is just a rented one bedroom apartment from the local council.

I doubt she would be entitle too any benefits with me because she earns too much, one time the Government actually said she earns ALOT, yet it's normal pay and you look at them like THE HELL, you know?

We will make some phone calls and let you know.


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## ALKB

Kyle939 said:


> From what I know, it is just a rented one bedroom apartment from the local council.
> 
> I doubt she would be entitle too any benefits with me because she earns too much, one time the Government actually said she earns ALOT, yet it's normal pay and you look at them like THE HELL, you know?
> 
> We will make some phone calls and let you know.


Unless the rental market in Düsseldorf is wildly different from the rest of Germany, none of this makes sense. 

The number of people staying at a flat does not increase its rent (although there is a maximum of people allowed for health and safety reasons). She should check her rental contract whether she even needs to inform her landlord in case her spouse moves in, often this only applies to non-family, if she rents an entire unit and is not subletting it/sharing it.

Check here (complete as for a married couple):

Hartz IV Rechner 2015 - Arbeitslosengeld II Berechnung

and here:

Willkommen beim Wohngeldrechner

If she earns above all these thresholds, she should be able to support you until you find a job. Health insurance will be free for you under her insurance until you have your own income.


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## bluesaturn

I think, Bev and ALKB, you are both correct. 
Sorry, the key to survive in any country is to learn the language. So please speak with your wife more German.


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## Nononymous

This all seems deeply confused. 

A British citizen is entitled to move to Germany to live with his/her German spouse. If the British spouse is not working, he/she can be added to the German spouse's health insurance at no charge. The German spouse's tax category may also change for the better. Just go through the steps laid out above to make the appropriate bureaucratic registrations.

I have no idea why the rent would change, unless it's some sort of strange WG or Sozialwohnung situation.

I would assume that the British spouse is not entitled to any social welfare benefits if they haven't first worked in Germany and contributed to the system. (I know this makes me sound like Thatcher, but I do find it striking the frequency with which Brits posting on these forums ask whether it's possible to claim benefits in other EU countries.)

To the larger question, if the German spouse does not make enough money to support an unemployed British spouse, and the British spouse does not have either language skills or job qualifications to find employment, then perhaps Germany is not the best option for living together. 

If you're going to make a go of it in Germany you'll need to invest a lot of time and effort in learning the language and determining what you can reasonably do in the job market.


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