Find your route

3 quick steps

Archive

Article Archive

All published notes in reverse chronological order.

12 posts

First steps after moving to Germany for work First steps after moving to Germany for work First Steps After Moving to Germany: Registration, Insurance, Bank Account, Work and Residence Permit What to do in the first weeks after moving to Germany: register your address, arrange health insurance, open a bank account, look for work, prepare residence-permit documents and settle in. First Steps After Moving to Germany: Registration, Residence Permit, Bank, Work, and Insurance A practical checklist for your first weeks in Germany: registering your address, visiting the Foreigners’ Registration Office, opening a bank account, looking for a job, and getting health insurance. Five German castles steeped in legend: Neuschwanstein, Hohenzollern, Elz, Heidelberg, and Wartburg Five German castles steeped in legend: Neuschwanstein, Hohenzollern, Elz, Heidelberg, and Wartburg Flea markets in Germany: How Flohmarkt and Trödelmarkt work Flea markets in Germany: How Flohmarkt and Trödelmarkt work Fraud in Germany: Common Schemes and How to Protect Yourself An overview of common scams in Germany: money transfers, fake rental schemes, investments, insurance, ATMs, remote access, and package scams. Free Education in Germany: What Is Actually Free and What the Student Pays For A breakdown of the cost of studying in Germany: tuition fees, semester contributions, state-specific exceptions, scholarships, duales Studium, and duale Ausbildung. Free German Universities: Where International Students Can Study Without Tuition Fees How tuition-free study at public universities in Germany works, which semester fees students still pay, where exceptions exist for non-EU students, and which universities are worth checking. Free Higher Education in Germany in 2026: What the Student Pays For How nearly free study at public universities in Germany works: semester contributions, exceptions, TUM, Baden-Wuerttemberg, a blocked account, and a declaration of commitment. Freelance Visa for Germany: A Step-by-Step Checklist of Documents and Steps How to Prepare for the Visum zur selbständigen Tätigkeit: Documents, Applying for a National Visa, Anmeldung, Ausländerbehörde, Aufenthaltserlaubnis, and Registration with the Finanzamt. Freelance Visa for Germany: Requirements, Myths, and Document Preparation An overview of the German residence permit for “freiberufliche Tätigkeit”: who is eligible for the freelance visa, how it differs from the digital nomad visa, and what documents and evidence are typically required. Freelance Visa in Germany: Who Can Apply and What Documents Are Typically Required in 2026 Let’s break down who is eligible for a freelance visa in Germany, how it differs from “digital nomad” status, and what documents are typically required when applying.