How to get a job in Germany from the UK (2026)

Do British citizens need a visa to work in Germany?

Not to enter, but you do need permission to work. GOV.UK puts it plainly: to work in Germany you need a work visa or residence permit, and while you can enter as a jobseeker without one, you cannot start work until you have it. The exception is anyone who has lived in Germany legally since before 1 January 2021, whose right to work is protected by the Withdrawal Agreement.

German law gives British citizens a useful exception. Section 41 of the Residence Ordinance lets UK nationals enter without a visa even for a long stay and apply for the residence permit inside Germany, within 90 days of entry, and the Federal Foreign Office's visa list confirms it. You can also apply at the German Embassy in London before you travel. The exception does not cover the ICT Card used for intra-company transfers.

Glo is not a migration adviser. The table summarises the main routes from the law itself. Check your eligibility with the German Embassy, your local Ausländerbehörde (foreigners' authority) or the government's Make it in Germany portal before you rely on any of them.

Which German work route fits you?

Most British graduates with a decent offer should look at the EU Blue Card first. The salary floors are set each year as a share of the pension insurance contribution ceiling, which is €8,450 a month from 1 January 2026. That puts the Blue Card at €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 for the shortage occupation groups named in the law and for anyone who graduated in the last three years. These are our calculations from the law. The Federal Interior Ministry publishes the official figures each year in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger), so confirm them with Make it in Germany or the German Embassy before you negotiate.

Below that salary, the skilled worker permits under sections 18a and 18b cover any qualified job if your qualification is recognised or your degree comparable. Without German recognition, the experience route may fit. And because the UK is listed in the Employment Ordinance, British citizens can be approved for any job after a priority check.

The Opportunity Card is the route for moving first. It is a residence permit to look for work for up to a year. You qualify outright with a recognised qualification, or through points: at least six, plus a state-recognised degree or two-year vocational qualification and A1 German or B2 English. The law restricts granting it to people already in Germany unless they hold certain residence permits, so ask the German Embassy in London whether to apply before you travel. Points are awarded like this:

• Partial recognition of your qualification by a German authority: 4 points.
• German at B2: 3 points; at B1: 2 points; at A2: 1 point.
• English at C1: 1 point.
• Five years' relevant experience in the last seven: 3 points; two years in the last five: 2 points.
• A qualification in one of the legal shortage occupation groups: 1 point.
• Aged 35 or under: 2 points; over 35 and up to 40: 1 point.
• Six months' lawful stay in Germany in the last five years: 1 point.
• A spouse or registered partner who also qualifies and applies with you: 1 point.

How does hiring work in Germany?

The advert tells you what to send. German employers state which documents they want, and you apply directly by email or through the company's website. A complete application is a cover letter, a tabular CV and certificates, including Arbeitszeugnisse, the written references German employees receive when they leave a job.

Selection usually starts with an interview, which may be online at first. Some employers use assessment centres with group tasks and presentations. There is no set timetable: the Federal Employment Agency says it depends partly on the size of the company, and advises applying for several jobs at once.

Expect checks. GOV.UK says you may be asked for a UK police certificate or a German criminal record certificate (Führungszeugnis). The agency also warns against offers where you are asked to pay, or where you are offered a contract without an interview. Treat both as red flags.

Where are jobs in Germany advertised?

The Federal Employment Agency points applicants from abroad to three official job exchanges. Commercial boards carry many private sector roles too.

• Make it in Germany: the federal government's official portal for skilled workers from abroad, with its own job listings.
• Jobsuche: the Federal Employment Agency's own job search, in German.
• EURES: the European Union's job exchange.
• StepStone, Indeed and LinkedIn: large commercial boards.
• XING: a German-language professional network with its own job listings.
• Company career pages and specialist recruitment agencies, which matter most for senior and niche roles.

How do you apply for German jobs from the UK?

Language first. The agency says many companies expect at least basic German and that English alone is often not enough. Apply in the language of the advert and state your German level honestly. Start learning before you move: a recognised certificate helps with applications and also earns Opportunity Card points.

Interviews often start online, and Germany is an hour ahead of the UK, so check the time on every invitation. Be ready to travel for a final round or an assessment centre.

Tell employers how you will get permission to work. One line does it, for example: as a British citizen I can enter Germany without a visa and will apply for an EU Blue Card once I have an offer. Employers can speed things up. The agency offers free pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung) once you have a job commitment, and there is a fee-based fast-track procedure for skilled workers.

Give a start date that allows for the permit as well as your UK notice period.

Do you need your UK qualifications recognised in Germany?

It depends whether your profession is regulated. Germany has more than 400 regulated professions, including doctors, nurses and educators. For these, recognition is essential before you can work, and some also have German language requirements set by law. For non-regulated professions you do not need recognition, though it can help.

Start with the Recognition Finder on the government's Anerkennung in Deutschland portal. It names the German reference occupation and the authority that decides. The result can be full recognition, substantial differences you can make up with training or a test, or refusal.

For routes that need a comparable degree, such as the Blue Card, the ZAB's Statement of Comparability is the official proof. Check how your university and degree appear in anabin first. If an employer wants you before recognition is finished, ask about a recognition partnership: you and the employer agree to carry out the procedure in Germany, and you can enter and start work straight away.

What is a realistic timeline for moving to Germany for work?

Permits and recognition take time, so do the slow steps first. This is the order we would follow.

• Before you apply: check in the Recognition Finder whether your profession is regulated, and start recognition if it is.
• Before you apply: check your degree in anabin and apply for a ZAB Statement of Comparability.
• Before you apply: rebuild your CV as a Lebenslauf, gather certificates and UK reference letters, and book a German course or exam.
• While you apply: search Make it in Germany, Jobsuche and the commercial boards, and interview online.
• After the offer: agree the route with your employer, who can ask for pre-approval or use the fast-track procedure.
• Before or after you travel: apply at the German Embassy in London, or enter visa-free and apply at your Ausländerbehörde within 90 days.
• First two weeks: register your address and join a German health insurer.
• Start work only once your residence permit allows it.

What do you need to do when you arrive in Germany?

Register your address at the local registration office (Bürgeramt) within 14 days. This is the Anmeldung, and you repeat it within 14 days whenever you move.

If you entered without a visa, book an appointment at your local Ausländerbehörde and apply within 90 days of arriving. Take your passport, contract and the documents your route requires.

Health insurance is compulsory for residents: join a German health insurer (Krankenkasse), often through your employer.

Which sectors have documented demand in Germany?

German law has its own shortage list. The lower Blue Card salary applies to the occupation groups named in section 18g of the Residence Act, defined by the international ISCO-08 classification and listed below. The Federal Employment Agency also runs an annual shortage analysis (Engpassanalyse) across all occupations, and in its 2024 employer survey more than 160 professions were named as particularly sought after. Make it in Germany keeps a page of professions in demand.

• Science and engineering professionals.
• ICT professionals and ICT service managers.
• Medical doctors, nursing and midwifery professionals, veterinarians and other health professionals.
• Teaching professionals.
• Manufacturing, mining, construction and distribution managers, and professional services managers.