Moving to Germany as an Indian professional means juggling Anmeldung, Steuer-ID, Krankenversicherung, and BaFin/SCHUFA within your first month — while your Indian accounts still need converting to NRE/NRO. NRIWallah brings together the tools and country-specific facts you need.
First 30 days in Germany — practical priority list
- Anmeldung — register your address at the Bürgeramt within 14 days of arrival. Without it you can’t open a bank account or get health insurance.
- Steuer-ID — arrives by post 2-3 weeks after Anmeldung. Every employer needs it.
- Krankenversicherung — pick statutory (gesetzliche, ~14.6% + ~1.7% income) or private (PKV). Mandatory; no salary without it.
- Bank account — N26, Wise, or DKB work without a SCHUFA history. Sparkasse and Volksbank usually want SCHUFA first.
- Convert Indian accounts to NRO — FEMA requirement once you become a non-resident. See our
NRI banking guide
.
- Religion tax (Kirchensteuer) — if you register as Hindu/Christian on Anmeldung, you pay 8-9% of income tax as church tax. Most NRIs declare “konfessionslos” (no faith) — fully legal, saves €500-€2,000/year.
Tax & DTAA — the high-impact bits
- Tax year runs January to December (different from India’s April-March).
- Residency: ≥183 days OR permanent residence (Lebensmittelpunkt) → German tax on worldwide income.
- Income tax: 0-45% progressive + 5.5% Solidaritätszuschlag (largely abolished for most earners since 2021).
- India-Germany DTAA is in force — declare Indian rental income, FD interest, MF capital gains on your German return; claim relief via foreign tax credit. Use our
DTAA estimator
.
- NRE FD interest is tax-free in India but fully taxable in Germany — common surprise for new arrivals.
- Indian mutual fund capital gains are taxed in Germany on the redemption value, even if you’ve already paid Indian LTCG/STCG. DTAA credit applies.
EU Blue Card pathway
- Skilled workers earning above the threshold (~€48,300 in 2026, lower for IT/STEM) qualify for the EU Blue Card.
- Permanent residence in 21 months with B1 German, 33 months with A1 — much faster than the standard 5-year route.
- After 3-5 years you can apply for German citizenship — but India does not allow dual citizenship, so you’d need to surrender your Indian passport and apply for OCI.
Returning to India?
- File Form RC with Deutsche Rentenversicherung — non-EU residents can usually claim back contributions 24 months after permanent departure (you forfeit the matching employer portion).
- German tax residency ends on your departure date — file a partial-year return.
- Use our
RNOR tracker
— RNOR status in India can keep your German income tax-free in India for up to 3 financial years.
Major NRI clusters: Frankfurt (banking, IT), Munich (engineering, automotive), Berlin (startups, research), Hamburg (shipping, trade). Indian Embassy is in Berlin; Consulates General in Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg.
