US citizens applying for German residence permit

Well, I did a search on this, and it looked like everybody just sniped at each other about the topic in the threads I read. I really would like to know if anyone has useful information about this.

We will be in Munich for 6 months. We are from the U.S. and the pay will orginate from the U.S., deposited to a bank in the U.S. in dollars. Anybody know what we need to do to get a residence permit for the 6 months? Do we need physical exams with x-rays and AIDS tests (as it was 10 years ago in Munich)? Anything else?

Thanks!

Hi there,

I believe the only problem with the residence permit is the long queues in the "Kreisverwaltungsreferat" i.e. the agency where you apply to to get the visa. I am Turkish and it is a lot more difficult for us to get a permit, due to the agreements (or the lack thereof) between the two countries. Even then, I did not go through any medical exam, fingerprinting or body cavity search.

As for the specifics of getting a permit for an American citizen, I believe there are people with first-hand experience on the forum who can provide you with more information.

Cheers
Memo
"Pick a nose, any nose"

no sorry, there isn't any useful information about this here. but as you wrote yourself, there was already information about this on the forum. i guess sometimes you just gotta wad through the bullsh*t to get to the truth. keep on diggin.

To Memo:

I went to Munich to work in 1992 as a computer science researcher and at that time it was required that we submit a medical report from a doctor in Munich, an X-ray result as part of the report, and an AIDS test result along with our "aufenthaltserlauebnis" application. As far as I know, the AIDS test was only a Bavarian requirement at the time. I don't know. Things have probably changed in the last 12 years. But it would be nice to know if they have.

And, yes, I do have first hand experience at the KVR. I used to go early in the morning and wait at one of the side doors which they would open before the front doors. Also, that door was closer to the offices that served my last name at the time (starts with T). Often times I would be either first, second, or third in line. But even then it would take forever for me to get called because (my luck) the one german burocrat who was a slacker and came in late was the one taking care of 'T's.

I'm here as a graduate student, and I didn't have to do any medical exams or anything. The people at the institute where I work did all the paperwork for me, save a visit to the rathaus to show my passport and get a signature, and then they submitted it all to the appropriate place in town. What you should probably be most concerned about is obtaining some kind of proof of income while you're here. I'd suggest contacting the local consulate.

Thanks everyone! Very helpful!

@Mihran:

@VC the other threads vary as each person's experience seems to differ depending on lots of different factors, including alphabetical order. It can really suck if your last name begins with a popular alphabet letter. Anyway, for what its worth heres my situation: I was recruited from the US by a German firm for a short term post. The firm did all the leg work for me both on the work permit and the residence permit. All I had to do was show up.

I was advised to bring with me to the residence office: copies of my work contract, cv, work permit (the residence permit was dependent on gainful employment), passport, and local contact information (work and private) and 2 passport photos. I double checked everything with the consulate, their checklist was different. For example, although the work contract specified my salary and insurance benefits, the consulate advised me to bring proof of US income (last bank statement) and health insurance. However, the most significant recommendations were a recent clean bill of health statement AND proof of good LEGAL citizenship. If you want to do this, you can go down to your local precint, get a background check and get them to write a statement saying you are citizen in good standing etc. etc. I thought this was absolute BS but I did it anyway. BTW: the police new EXACTLY what I needed, apparently this is standard for visa and/or immigration purposes into many countries. (This makes no sense as you could've committed mass crimes in another state but whatever, they didn't recommend a Federal check;-)

I got a great guy, only major complaint was that he and his office mate were both chain smoking with the windows closed (winter time). They had one puny little oscillating fan to help "circulate" the air but that just made it worse. Anyhoo, I'm positive that starting off on the offensive, i.e. plunking down my big fat organized binder AND being accompanied by a bonafide Bavarian ensured that I got very politely rubber stamped, no questions asked. He was very cordial, efficient and sincerely (no kidding) welcomed me to Germany.

If you want to pick between any of those, I'd say bring the passport and the Bavarian

Coming to Munich on a business purpose. what r the required documents to apply for resident permit. Are there any medical tests to be done in advance. Where to apply for resident permit. Would anybody please walk me through this. thanks in advance

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Worried, have a look at the Handbook for Deutschland:

http://www.handbuch-deutschland.de/book_en.html

What you have to do to live and work in Germany depends a lot on where you are from (EU, non-EU/third-party national, etc.)

I think you will find that as much as you may wish to know your chances of getting a residence permit in advance, Germany reserves the right to look at cases individually. Therefore, others' stories are not necessarily going to be relevant to you.

That said, I think you can take the advice of many and get to the KVR (office that issues these permits) early in the morning, with all the documents you need, already photocopied and in order. I have reserved two mornings to go to the KVR, in case something doesn't work out the first time and I have to go back.

If you are not working in Germany, then you are allowed a 90day visa and can get this extended another 90 as long as you have money in the bank and insurance. In this you wouldn´t need a residence permit.
take care,
space