# Moving to Germany!



## Überling (Mar 18, 2021)

Hello all. Does anyone here have the experience of being a US citizen who married a German citizen and moved to Germany? I ask because I married a German woman a few months ago, we took a trip to Germany as part of our honeymoon, and we fell in love with the place and have decided to move there. While I've found various links detailing the procedure for obtaining residency, I'm hoping to find some sort of agent or advocate who specializes in helping US citizens move to Germany. I'm specifically looking for someone who knows the questions to ask and problems to watch out for, who can help us navigate the bureaucracy, and who ensures what needs doing gets done in a timely manner. Does such a person exist? 

Some help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Überling said:


> Hello all. Does anyone here have the experience of being a US citizen who married a German citizen and moved to Germany? I ask because I married a German woman a few months ago, we took a trip to Germany as part of our honeymoon, and we fell in love with the place and have decided to move there. While I've found various links detailing the procedure for obtaining residency, I'm hoping to find some sort of agent or advocate who specializes in helping US citizens move to Germany. I'm specifically looking for someone who knows the questions to ask and problems to watch out for, who can help us navigate the bureaucracy, and who ensures what needs doing gets done in a timely manner. Does such a person exist?
> 
> Some help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.


Getting a spouse residence permit is comparatively painless in Germany.

You need a place to stay (where you are registered at), adequate means to support yourself and German health insurance - your wife may have an opinion on which provider she prefers.

As a citizen of one of the privileged countries you can arrive in Germany and apply for a residence permit in-country at the local immigration department (Ausländerbehörde). Depending on where you will move, you may need to make an appointment online well beforehand.

There are paid-for relocation consultants you can hire to assist with all of it. Just do a search on 'relocation service' and the region you want to move to. Most agencies deal with the big cities, though.

I hear that opening a bank account can be tricky for Americans because of American reporting laws or whatnot.


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## Überling (Mar 18, 2021)

ALKB said:


> Getting a spouse residence permit is comparatively painless in Germany.
> 
> You need a place to stay (where you are registered at), adequate means to support yourself and German health insurance - your wife may have an opinion on which provider she prefers.
> 
> ...


That’s encouraging and helpful. Thanks!


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