Transferability of a work visa within the EU

my passport currently says i am alowed to teach and perform freelance in germany. if i move to, say, austria, am i good to go there as well? Do I have to register somewhere? or start the whole process over?

To my knowledge you'll have to go through it all there, but then again I didn't know you could get a freelance visa that is valid for all of germany.

Start over...however once you are in the EU system there, its a bit faster than the first time...at least in my experience.

No
Yes
Yes

The only way around this is to get a Aufenthaltserlaubnis-EG This will let you live/work in any EU country execpt for the UK
But I think your required to have an Unrestricted Living/work permit before you can get it.

is this the Niederlassungserlaubnis?. i know there was a discussion about this recently how the idea was to make it easier for those with one to move around the EU. i'm too lazy to search for it though

Correction: The complete and correct name of the EU permit is a Niederlassungerlaubnis-Daueraufenthalt EG
For more info look here (German)

If you are here teaching ESL, what you have is a regular work permit. This is different from a freelance permit. The freelance permit is for business owners and investors. What you are probably referring to is the second page that says you are here working as an English teacher in a freelance manner and may or may not list a city and company.

This is a special situation. Most people have to have an employer sponsor them for a permit. But, (and this depends on who processed your visa app) there is a German law from the 1920's that groups language teachers in to the same legal class as Artisans (painters, sculptors, musicians, etc). This basically leaves you with some good and bad things:

1. BAD - you and only you, are responsible for all your own taxes, healthcare, pension, etc.

2. BAD - you have to register and reregister everytime you move within Germany.

3. Good - you can work for whomever you want. In fact, a specific company name shouldn't even be on your visa, but sometimes this is done mistakenly (or on purpose by unsavoury schools to retain some leverage over you) and you are thus not legally tied to an employer. This is especially important, as most people with this type of permit have only a few days to pack up and leave if they lose their job.

4. Good - In some states you can get the same social and financial benefits afforded to artists, scholars, etc.

5. Good - that older law from the 1920's sometimes keeps your tax and pension liabilities a little lower than most people (check at your Finanzamt).

Now, if you just got to Germany (in the past few years) you have to maintain a visa for a few years before applying for permanent residence. Until you get that, you're just a transient with permission to work in Germany. Basically you have no EU standing.

Then, after you get a permanent residence card, you can get an EU-wide work permit (as mentioned above). But, until that happens, everytime you go to a new country it will be like starting over from scratch.

The "Niederlassungerlaubnis-Daueraufenthalt EG" as you correctly corrected yourself is also not good for Ireland or Denmark. No need for unrestricted work permit but you must show 5 years of continuous residence, employment, health insurance, pensions payments, and a continuing ability to enjoy these, along with proof of reasonable knowledge of the German language

This is enshrined in European Law - based on Council Directive 203/109/EC which you can download (in English) from here which although published in 2003 only became binding on member states in January 2006. Denmark decided to opt out of the entire treaty and UK and Ireland use a modified "case-by-case" approach