Entering Germany prior to receiving permits

Hi everyone,

I'll be moving to Germany to begin a job in a week's time. Unfortunately, there is a delay with my work permit (as well as residence permit, both of which are being handled by my company), and therefore I'll be arriving in Frankfurt without that documentation.

Is this going to be a problem with German immigration? Is there anything I should bring with me specifically to prove that it's being organized? I already have accomodations set up, and I have a contract that I could show...

Does anyone have any thoughts or comments on this? I really appreciate it!

(I apologize if this has been discussed at length, but I can't seem to find any answers after scanning the most recent posts or using the search engine.)

Derek

You don't need a residence permit prior to entering the country. You can enter/stay as a tourist for 90 days. If your paperwork takes than longer than 90 days, your company will just have to ship you out and back in again and your 90 day clock restarts. If you are on a German contract and will be paid locally then I bet you do need a work permit to start working/collecting a paycheck.

Oh and if you plan to open a local bank account be sure to do your homework on which bank is best for your needs. Many expats are concerned with the international wiretransfer fees and ATM fees. Some stores/businesses don't take credit cards - cash and EC card only. It can take a while to get the EC card so be sure to have cash when you hit the basic stores until you figure out who takes what and/or you get your card.

It's a rolling 90 days - so out for one day means you can be back in Germany for one more day.

I guess what I'm really asking is, is German immigration going to have a ton of questions for me that I should be prepared for? I could say that I'm traveling as a tourist, but I purchased a one-way ticket, and I'm fairly certain that they will see that information on their little computers.

Also, can anyone tell me: as soon as I open a bank account, will I be able to make bank transfers to pay for things...as is common in Germany (ie, for phone, TV, housing)?

My guess is that German immigration is not particularly tough on US passport holders...

Once you have a bank account, you can use it for whatever a bank account is normally used for. Not sure if you have to officially register as a resident before you are allowed to open one, though...

I wouldn't worry about immigration. If you are not flying directly into Frankfurt from the U.S., then they won't even be there to stamp your passport. They have no idea if you are staying for 1 day, 1 week or 1 month. It was not an issue for me and I flew in without a work permit or residence permit. I got all that when I got here.

Don't worry.
And, I also started 'working' before I had my work permit. My company gave me money until I got my first paycheck and then the rolled the hours that I actually worked before my permit was official into the two months after my permit was official.

This is basically what I did. I was worried I should have had a lot of paperwork and such, but it was surprisingly easy:

Guard: Why are you visiting Germany?
Me: I'm moving here
Guard: What for?
Me: I'm working here, and will live here
Guard: Ok