Arbeiten in der EU

If you are an EU citizen, you have the right to enter, reside and settle in the territory of another EU member state. For stays of up to three months, you only need to be in possession of a valid passport or identity card. If your stay exceeds three months, you must register with the competent authority of the member state. The authority will certify that you have fulfilled your obligation to register. It may require you to provide evidence of your entitlement to freedom of movement. Which evidence may be required depends on the status of the EU citizen (e.g. self-employed or employed).

In principle, as an EU citizen you can also carry out an economic activity in another EU member state, whether as a self-employed person or as an employee.

Work permit

EU citizens do not require a work permit to work in another EU member state as an employee or self-employed person.

Note: An exception applies to citizens of the new EU member states Bulgaria and Romania. For them, access to the labor markets of some of the original EU member states will be restricted until full freedom of movement is established on December 31, 2013. Conversely, a work permit may also be required for EU citizens from the old EU member states in these new EU member states during the transition period. Information on the national regulations on the free movement of workers in the individual accession countries can be obtained from the embassies of the respective accession countries.

Tip: Further information can be found on the website of the European Service of the Federal Employment Agency (ES-BA). In addition to general information on the subject of "Working abroad", you will also find specific country information there. Information on living and working conditions in the EU is provided by the European Commission's Citizens' Information Service "Dialogue with Citizens".

The career information centers have European folders available which you can use to get an initial overview of training, living and working conditions in another EU country. Among other things, they contain country-specific information on labor law regulations and social security.

The Federal Office of Administration provides information on other European countries and many other countries in the form of brochures and supplements. In addition, it publishes information leaflets with general tips for your stay abroad. You can also obtain information from the advice centers of the Federal Office of Administration.

Social benefits and social insurance

Anyone who signs an employment contract with an employer in another European country is generally subject to the local social security system and the associated legislation. The national social security systems are structured very differently within the European Union. In order to compensate for the disadvantages associated with a change of social security system, the national systems within the EU as well as with certain countries (e.g. Switzerland) have been linked together by so-called coordination regulations.

For pension insurance, for example, this coordination means that entitlements once acquired are not lost when domestic and foreign insurance periods are added together. You should find out in advance how much pension you will receive abroad.

There are also a few things to consider when it comes to health insurance. For legally binding information, you should contact your health insurance fund and the pension insurance provider responsible for you.

Tip: You can find further information on the websites of the German Liaison Office for Health Insurance Abroad (DVKA) and the German Pension Insurance Association. Information on the social security systems of individual countries can be found on the website of the European Service of the Federal Employment Agency (ES-BA) under "Country information/Social security".

Foreign EU citizens who wish to work in Germany can find further information under "EU work permit".