I am writing this blog mainly to cover the points that I wish someone had told me before moving to Germany. These are bare minimum essentials and it is surprising not much content is written about it. You can thank me later in comments if it ends up helping you in someway.

#1 Learn German

No brainer really. Just like the French, the Germans are very proud and possessive about their language. Here are few reasons why you need to study German to live here. All the government paperwork is in German. The small shops and house owners are typically german speakers. Most jobs require German mandatorily. In fact, some Visas also require basic German language study within first two years. Enough said.

#2 City Registration

Noone will tell you this before moving to Germany. Neither any company, nor any college. But this is the first step to identify yourself for anything in Germany. Within first two weeks of arrival at any address, a city registration is required with local municipal corporation. Most cities have a walk-in system, but be careful about the cities that don’t. It is better to get the appointments at least one month before arrival. Appointments are hard to get in some cities like Ludwigsburg.

#3 Tax Classes

Germany is notorious for heavy taxation. But once you come and live here, you can clearly see where the money is going. The infrastructure like roads, electricity, water, gas and waste management are all well maintained. The tax payers’ money is rightly utilised. After the first city registration, you get a tax ID and tax class assigned automatically. These classes are different based on your income and marriage status. It is advisable to apply for a tax class change if the default assignment is not accurate for your situation.

#4 Bank Account

I wish the banking system in Germany was as good as India. Unfortunately, it is very primitive. Banks have elementary websites that won’t work so well. The bank registration is time consuming. Often taking appointment is the only way to create an account hassle free. City registration is a prerequisite to bank account creation. So, if you don’t want to miss your first salary, here is a strong reason for you to take advance appointment for city registration.

#5 Health Insurance

Apart from free education, free health care is a great perk of living in Germany. Public health insurance is available for a small premium and it covers most of the routine illnesses and procedures. Do get your health card created as soon as you arrive. Also register with the nearest doctors right away. It is not easy to just walk into any clinic and get a consultation without having pre-registered. This means separate registrations for General Physician, Gynaecologist, Dentist, Orthopaedician, etc.

#6 Get Used To Cycling

Monthly passes for trains and buses are close to 90 euros depending on the zones you cover. It is economical to live closer to workplace or get your own transport. For longer distances, trains, flights and buses can be used. They are useful and well maintained. For own transport, cars and bicycles are popular choices. You find motorbikes rarely here. Cars comes with hefty annual insurance premiums. Driving license procurement easily takes an year. So that leaves bikes (bicycles are called bikes here). Get one from Ebay. You get great options as everyone has it and many are selling all the time.

#7 Visa Extension

When you arrive, you are given a Visa for initial months. This needs to be converted to a Resident permit. Before expiration, get an appointment and produce the needed papers for the permit. The dependents are usually given a temporary permit until the main applicant gets his permit. But better not to wait for last minute to apply this.

#8 House Hunt

Most house owners speak german. Immoscout is an app that gives opportunity to search for homes easily. The housing market here is inclined in favor of house owners. They get many tenant applications and they dictate the terms. Especially, close to industrial areas. Apply in advance. Go with someone who speaks German. Preferably apply for homes in German.

#8 Avoid Shipment

India has a culture of abundance. Big house, big cars and big furniture are all statements. The Germans live a simple and understated lifestyle. You won’t feel any pressure to keep up with an extravagant neighbor because there won’t be any such people around. Carry only the essentials when arriving for India. If you don’t get into a furnished home, slowly gather needed furniture in the house you get. EBay classifieds has lot of second hand stuff as give aways. If you are not a second hand kind of person, still the best advise would be to take things slow. Delivery of stuff is not cheap in most places as well. In summary, avoid too much shipment. Not only because its easy to get second hand stuff but the international shipment procedures are expensive and tedious as well.

#9 Eat Local

Most of my fellow Indians carry the whole Indian supermarket to Germany. Shipping several kilos of spices and staples. We cook at home mostly and we have so far not had any difficulty in getting daily utilities from local supermarkets. Lot of arabs and asians live here, so Indian stuff is commonly available. It is expensive to go to specific Indian markets that export from India. Better to eat local vegetables, fruits and spices that the grocery stores here have. It is healthier to have local and seasonal food anyway.

#10 Vaccinations

It is recommended to take 3 doses of Covid vaccinations here. Noone will stop you from travelling anywhere presently. But if lockdowns happen, this may become a requirement. We had 2 doses from India already. Our local doctor made us take a third dose to ensure we stay in the clear from any travel restrictions or lockdowns constraints later. They give you a German covipass as well. This pass is needed for travelling back to India in flight. In addition to Covid vaccination, Tick vaccinations are common practice. Most of South German cities have tall grass and greenary everywhere. This is home to a variety of poisonous tick. Even though only 10% of the tick attacks are fatal, most locals have taken vaccinations against it. It is free wiht registered doctors and needs 2 doses every 3 years. Better to take this to prevent unwelcome illnesses.

What else do you want to know about living in Germany? Let me know in comments. I can’t claim to be an expert having arrived only in June of 2023. But I can share my learnings as I keep coming across them.