Working in Germany: no permit, but a Steuerklasse, a Versicherungsnummer and sometimes a recognition

Yes, you may work in Germany without anyone allowing you to: Your Europe says that EU citizens generally need no work permit and the self-employed never, and the Berlin immigration office adds that this puts you on an equal footing with German employees. What does have to happen sits in the paperwork around the first payslip: the employer needs your Steuer-ID and puts you in a Steuerklasse, the Rentenversicherung gives you a Versicherungsnummer, and whoever has a regulated profession — nurse, teacher, electrician — first has their Dutch diploma recognised. The statutory minimum wage has been € 13.90 an hour since 1 January 2026. A business of your own you register for € 26 at the Gewerbeamt, unless you practise a liberal profession; then you go straight to the Finanzamt.

What does my employer need from me?

Three numbers, and they come from three counters.

What	Where it comes from	When
Steuer-ID (steuerliche Identifikationsnummer)	by letter from the BZSt, automatically after the Anmeldung	weeks after registering
Steuerklasse	the Finanzamt; by default I for singles, IV/IV for married couples	with the Steuer-ID, or III/V on request
Versicherungsnummer	the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, requested by your first employer	at the first job; the same for life afterwards
Krankenkasse	your choice, see GKV or PKV	before the first working day

The Steuer-ID comes by itself after the Anmeldung, by post only, and the Steuerklasse determines what your employer withholds each month. Section 38b of the Einkommensteuergesetz sorts: class I for the unmarried, II for single parents, IV for married couples who are both liable to tax in Germany, III and V if a couple asks for it together, and VI for a second job alongside the first. A couple with a large income difference chooses deliberately; what was withheld too much only comes back with the tax return.

The Versicherungsnummer you don't have to fetch yourself: since 1 January 2023 the employer retrieves it from the data centre of the Rentenversicherung, and only if that returns nothing does he request it for you. At your first job you receive a Versicherungsnummernachweis; keep it, because every next employer and every benefit asks for it. A photo or a duty to carry it no longer exists, except that in sectors such as construction, catering and cleaning you must have your identity document with you for customs checks.

Does my diploma have to be recognised?

Only if your profession is regulated in Germany — if a specific diploma or membership is required to practise it. If not, you simply start; you don't have to apply for anything. If it is, the European procedure applies:

• Doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, architects and vets receive automatic recognition of their qualification, but do wait for permission before they start; sworn translations of their diplomas may not be demanded.
• Other regulated professions file an application; the authorities acknowledge receipt within a month and decide within three months of receiving the documents.
• A language test or membership of a professional body may be required.

The German entry point is the portal Anerkennung in Deutschland of the BIBB: the Anerkennungs-Finder says per profession which authority is competent, and the hotline "Arbeiten und Leben in Deutschland" can be reached on +49 30 1815 1111. Your Europe warns of the pitfall that a profession turns out to be regulated under a different name — an ambulance nurse falls in Germany under the Notfallsanitäter.

What do I earn at least, and what do I keep?

The statutory minimum wage has been € 13.90 an hour since 1 January 2026, for everyone. What you keep net hangs on the Steuerklasse and on the contributions for Krankenkasse, pension, unemployment and Pflege that the employer withholds. So compare the gross annual wage and not the monthly figure: a thirteenth month or Weihnachtsgeld is a matter of collective agreement, not law. And count in the Kirchensteuer if you stated a religious community at the Anmeldung.

Choose the Steuerklasse in the first months. A married couple is in IV/IV by default; with a large income difference III/V makes a difference net per month, but it is a request to the Finanzamt, not an automatism. What was withheld too much you only see back with the tax return of the following year.

What if I start for myself?

Then the nature of your work determines the counter. A Gewerbe — trade, craft, services with a fixed establishment — you register at the Ordnungsamt or Gewerbeamt, at the same time as the start; in Berlin that costs € 26 per sole proprietorship, online with a BundID. The office itself passes the registration on to the Finanzamt, the Handwerks- or Industrie- und Handelskammer and the Berufsgenossenschaft. Liberal professions — doctors, lawyers, tax advisers, artists, writers and scientific work — are not a Gewerbe and register directly with the Finanzamt. In both cases you are free to start as an EU citizen; there is no permit. What then still plays out in tax terms is in tax and pension in Germany.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Germany or go straight to step 4.3 in the open plan.