# Considering move - US to Germany



## AFGirl (Jul 16, 2014)

Hello,

My husband and I are considering a temporary/permanent move to Germany and would sincerely appreciate some advice. It's a bit of a story and I'll thank anyone in advance that bears with me, reads through this all and can offer some guidance or ideas.

At age 35 & 30, respectively, we find ourselves in a somewhat unique situation. I was born & raised in Germany and held a dual US/German citizenship from birth. At age 18, I moved to the US with my parents and joined the military a few years later (thus giving up my German citizenship). 

I was recently medically retired and receive about $2250 a month in retirement & disability benefits. My husband is a disabled veteran himself and receives about the same. 

After my retirement, we moved to Florida but are now seriously considering a more significant move. At first we thought about staying in Germany for 6 months and then traveling through Europe for another 6 months or so. 

We are now considering a sort-of home-base in Germany (basically living there) for a year and from there just traveling to other countries on regular short trips. We do not plan on working there (although I may begin teaching online at a US college). I speak fluent German; my husband does not speak German at all. We do not have kids. We have a cat.

During our time there, we would like to decide if staying there permanently is something we'd desire. 

Now to my questions:

1) What type of visa would we need for this? Would we need separate visas for the countries we hope to visit, or would the German visa suffice? Is it hard to obtain?

2) We would like to live somewhere near basic amenities and public transportation and do not plan on having a car. One of the areas we'd consider is Kaiserslautern. With no kids, would our income of $4500 a month sustain us with a reasonable quality of life? 

3) Would the income allow us to do (low cost) travel while maintaining a residence in Germany?

4) I read that visas require health insurance. Both my husband and I have VA and Tricare coverage. Can we use this in Germany? Does anyone know if these are accepted coverage for the visa? 

5) Is there anything else you would consider pertinent for us?

Thank you!


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

1) The short answer is that there really isn't a visa that fits your needs. What you're basically looking for is a retirement or long-stay visa, and it doesn't exist for Germany. Without a visa, you're limited to 90 days within every 180 days, like the other Schengen countries. 

You have a couple of options, though. You could go to the German consulate (or even risk it a bit and go to the local Ausländerbehörde within 90 days of arrival in Germany) and ask for a one-year residence permit (Aufenhaltserlaubnis) based on your pension/disability income. Maybe they'll say yes, maybe they won't; renewal is possible. US citizens typically receive decent treatment, and your speaking fluently would be a bonus.

Another option to consider is possibly reclaiming your German citizenship? I have no idea if this is possible, but it might be worth exploring, as it would let you settle permanently within the EU. The other common routes are study or work - you could look into signing your husband up for a language course.

For travel, other countries within Schengen don't require visas, but the same 90-in-180 rule applies, even if you have a German residence permit. Though without border controls it's not too strictly regulated.

2-3) $4500 is a reasonable sum for two people to live pleasantly with a small rented apartment outside of the major (expensive) urban areas, and still leave a budget for modest travel. If you were to settle "permanently" in Germany you would need to explore the tax implications of this - might be taxable, might not.

4) You will need to ask your health insurance directly if it is valid outside the country, and for how long. If not, you'd be required to buy some type of acceptable private insurance in order to stay more than 90 days in Germany.

5) Importing a cat is relatively easy. Contact your local consulate for details.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Mostly concur with what Nononymous has said, with perhaps a couple clarifications.

I'm not so sure that you can reclaim your German citizenship at this point. (I know someone in somewhat similar circumstances who was "stuck" with her Austrian citizenship after marrying an Austrian, even though she was born and raised in Frankfurt.) But you can always ask.

And as has already been said, if you can get a residence permit, you can visit other Schengen countries for up to 90 days out of any 180 day period (in total - all visits outside of Germany). Many non-Schengen countries grant Americans "free entry" for 90 days, and you can visit the UK for up to 6 months on just your passport.

Tricare coverage should be good in Germany - though you may have to get your care on base. VA insurance probably won't be honored. You could look into a group policy through an American expat organization (like AARO) to see what that would run you. Insurance - AARO - Association of Americans Resident Overseas 

And I have imported two cats to Germany - it's easy, and Frankfurt airport has one of the best animal handling set ups in the world.
Cheers,
Bev


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## AFGirl (Jul 16, 2014)

Thank you both for the detailed replies! I sincerely appreciate it. 

I am intrigued by the visa for study in Germany, since I intend to complete my masters degree in the near future. I was planning on finishing it online and didn't even consider perhaps finishing it at a German university. Another point I'll look into is whether my GI Bill would cover study abroad.

Without kids, our cat has sort of filled that void & being able to bring him along is pretty important to us. Since I have family near the Kaiserslautern area, we'd have people willing to cat sit for us, making it super easy for us to get some travel in, sans cat. Great to know that bringing him is not a huge headache.

I also took a peek at the AARO insurance. I'll look into Tricare & the VA a bit more but it's great to have this alternative! 

Again, thank you so much for the information.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Since you're fluent, going to grad school might be a good option. Costs are potentially quite low, depending on the program (the no-tuition thing still exists, sort of) and you'd have an easy time getting a visa, and potentially staying on after.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Nononymous said:


> Since you're fluent, going to grad school might be a good option. Costs are potentially quite low, depending on the program (the no-tuition thing still exists, sort of) and you'd have an easy time getting a visa, and potentially staying on after.


Indeed 

There is often an administrative fee of something between € 100 and 500 per semester but that usually includes a semester ticket for public transport and is actually worth more than it costs.

You could get a post study work permit afterwards and if you find a qualified job that can be turned into a long term permit.


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## AFGirl (Jul 16, 2014)

Well, once again thank you for the replies. What a great resource this forum is! 

I decided to call the German consulate today, to inquire about the status of my citizenship. While the gentleman that called me back (surprisingly fast I might add) couldn't provide me with any definitive answers then and there, he did seem to think that I still maintain dual citizenship. He'll be calling me back this week with confirmation, once he looks into it further. Crossing my fingers!


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