# Working remotely on a dependent visa in Germany



## mukundasignup

Hello,

My wife works in Germany on a work permit & National visa. I'm hoping to join her on a dependent visa. 

1. Am I allowed to work in Germany for my Indian company remotely. I will receive my salary 
in India?
2. Also, is the Dependent visa the same as Family Reunion visa?
3. How long is one allowed to stay on a dependent visa?

Answers or pointers about this would be great.


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## Nononymous

I can only answer question 1. Legally, in a strict sense, if your dependent visa does not allow employment then you cannot work remotely.

However, in practical terms, working remotely can't easily be detected. And in ethical terms I would say it's a very good thing to do, because you will be earning money that you will spend in Germany, paying VAT and supporting the local economy (even if you aren't able to pay German income tax). If the alternative is sitting home doing nothing and being poorer, then your working remotely is a net benefit to Germany.

I would take into account how long you plan to stay in Germany. If it's only for a few years, get your dependent visa, work remotely and stay out of the German system. If on the other hand you plan on this being a permanent move, you should at some point try to set it up so that you are working legally and paying German taxes on that income. The simplest way (though probably still a lot of paperwork) is to set yourself up as a freelancer, then bill your Indian employer and have them pay your invoices. You would no longer be an employee and would no longer pay Indian taxes. You may also find that working remotely is very isolating, plus time zone differences, and in the long term you'd be happier working for a Germany company.

I'm not sure whether it would be better to discuss this plan with the consulate now, or to just get the dependent visa then change your status later. The risk of the latter is that you don't want to admit that you've been working "illegally" since you came to the country as a dependent. But the risk of the former is that you won't get the dependent visa if they suspect you'd be working. 

Also take my advice with some caution because these matters are much easier to deal with for American/Canadian citizens than Indians, since we can just show up without a visa and sort things out with the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners' office) rather than dealing with consulates.


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## Bevdeforges

One caveat to what Nononymous has told you. The Germans can be real sticklers for the notion that you should be paying not only local income taxes and VAT, etc. but you also need to be paying into the German benefits system - health cover, retirement and whatever else there may be there. Make sure you're covered on that score if you're looking into working remotely.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Nononymous

If he has set up properly as a freelancer (i.e. used an accountant) then he would be paying for health insurance and other social benefits. (This can be quite expensive, 14 percent of income for health cover alone, up to a certain limit. Germany is not well suited to freelancing.) If however he is working "on the black" while on a dependent visa, he would be covered by his wife's health insurance, and would be paying no German taxes. (It might be possible work freelance legally and stay on a spouse's insurance to save money, but that's a question for the experts.)


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