Moving to Germany from the USA in 2026: Official Guide

A US passport holder can fly to Germany without a visa and apply for a residence permit there. That shortcut has conditions, and it changes when you may start work. This guide explains both paths, then covers what follows a move: registration, health insurance, customs for your household goods and the US tax filing that continues after you leave. Sources are the German Missions in the United States, the Federal Foreign Office, German Customs, the US Department of State and the IRS, read on 13 October 2026.

Two ways in for US citizens

The German missions strongly recommend contacting the local immigration office as soon as possible after arrival to secure a timely appointment. The same privilege is extended to citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea.

Before you fly: passport and money rules

• Passport: the State Department says it must have 3 months validity beyond your date of departure and 2 blank pages. It recommends 6 months of validity.
• Short stays: no visa is required for stays of less than 90 days.
• Cash: amounts over 10,000 euros or the equivalent must be declared on entry and on exit.
• Medication: the US embassy advises checking with the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices that your medication is legal.

Pick your residence route

The German missions in the United States publish a checklist for each visa type, including the EU Blue Card, skilled workers with a university degree or vocational training, study, research and family reunion.

If you apply in the United States

1. Compile the documents on the checklist for your visa type. The missions warn that an application with missing documents may be rejected.
2. Submit through the Consular Services Portal so the mission can check the application in advance. Paper applications by appointment are only for ICT cards, researchers and au pairs.
3. Attend the interview in person at the competent mission. Germany has an embassy in Washington and consulates general in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.
4. Wait for approval. The application is forwarded to the immigration office for your intended place of residence in Germany and, if applicable, to the Federal Employment Agency.
5. Receive the visa, which includes the authorisation to work. National visas may be issued for up to a year; the final residence permit is granted in Germany after arrival.

Your first weeks in Germany

1. Register your address (Anmeldung) with the registration authority within 2 weeks of moving in. Bring your passport and your tenancy agreement or a confirmation from your landlord.
2. Take out health insurance. Every person in Germany must have it.
3. Apply for the residence permit at the immigration office. The Residence Ordinance sets a fee of 100 euros for a residence permit or EU Blue Card.
4. Expect a letter about the broadcasting licence fee. It is 18.36 euros per month for each dwelling.

Shipping your household goods

The United States is outside the EU customs territory, so German Customs treats your shipment as property moved in connection with a transfer of residence. It is free of import duty if:

• your normal place of residence was outside the EU for at least twelve months;
• you possessed and, for non-consumable goods, used the items for at least six months before the move;
• the goods are cleared within twelve months after you transfer your residence to Germany;
• you apply in writing on form 0350.

Goods can be sent ahead if you undertake to establish your residence within six months and provide a security. For twelve months after clearance you may not lend, pledge, hire out or transfer them. A car qualifies if a certificate shows it was registered in your name, but a vehicle registered in a third country becomes subject to German vehicle tax, payable at the border customs office.

US taxes do not stop

The IRS is clear that the rules for filing income tax returns are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. As a US citizen you are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources.

• Foreign earned income exclusion and foreign tax credit: many Americans abroad qualify, but only by filing a US return.
• FBAR: if your foreign financial accounts exceed the reporting threshold, you must file FinCEN Form 114 electronically, generally by April 15, even if the accounts produce no taxable income.
• Form 3520: the IRS cautions that a foreign pension or retirement plan may be treated as a foreign trust, which can trigger this form.

The IRS points to Publication 54, its tax guide for US citizens and resident aliens abroad, for the detail.

Family

Spouses and minor children can join you through family reunification. One rule helps American families in particular: children aged 16 or over who arrive later than their parents normally need German at level C1, but the BAMF lists growing up in the United States among the circumstances in which easy integration can be assumed instead.

Long term: permanent residence and citizenship

• Settlement permit: five years on the standard route; 27 months for EU Blue Card holders, or 21 months with German at level B1.
• Citizenship: five years of lawful, habitual residence, German at level B1 and the naturalisation test. The fee is 255 euros. The current Section 10 of the German Nationality Act does not list giving up your previous nationality among its conditions.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• German Missions in the United States — Residence visa / extended stay visa
• Federal Foreign Office — Visas for Germany
• US Department of State — Germany travel information
• Internal Revenue Service — US citizens and resident aliens abroad
• German Customs (Zoll) — Transferring residence
• Make it in Germany (Federal Government) — Financial security for living expenses, as of January 2026
• Federal Office for Migration and Refugees — Subsequent immigration to join foreign family members
• ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio contribution service — The licence fee
• German Nationality Act, Section 10

All figures verified against the official pages above on 13 October 2026. This is not tax or legal advice; confirm your own case with the German mission, the immigration office and a tax professional.