karin_brenig

Since your wife is a US citizen, the process will be relatively quick and painless. US is still considered a "priviledged country". Just a few details off of the top of my head - since my husband (US citizen) and I just went through the process recently:   You need what's called "Apostille" for your marriage certificate.   As soon as possible, when you are in Germany, go to Bürgeramt and register your residence (Wohnsitz anmelden).   Your next stop is for health insurance. There you will got to your last gesetzliche Krankenkasse (hope you were a member of one before you moved to the US), register yourself, and then include your wife and child as dependents (in der Familienversicherung).   With proof of insurance, Meldebescheinigung, and marriage certificate plus Apostille, you then go to Ausländeramt (some places you can just show up, some other places you need an appointment) and get Aufenthaltserlaubnis for your wife.   They will tell you that she needs to learn German, of course - and then give you a list of places where she can take a full length "Integrationskurs". All you need is level A1 after 6 months. She can teach herself, or go to VHS or Goethe Institut, to prepare for the test. If she later wants to get a "Niederlassungserlaubnis", that would require a level of B2 or higher - about five years from now.   Good luck!  

well…. back to the original question…. when comparing a job offer in Germany to one in the US you are actually faced with the old "apple or orange" problem. I spent the past ~14 years left of the pond (working pretty much the exact same job as the ~25 years before that), and am now back in Germany - will be starting pretty much the exact same job as before, on October 1st. People on both sides of the Atlantic ask the same question: "where do you prefer working, and why?" That is a very philosophical question! Even looking at the mere numbers, you can't really compare the two countries. It seems that Germany has a slight advantage for people seeking security, stability, dependability, and some long-term life-planning. The US, on the other hand, seems to offer more opportunities for rapid growth, higher earnings, and greater flexibility/mobility. For a single (healthy) middle-aged male, the US may look like the "better fit" - but how long will he stay single, and (healthy) middle-aged? And then, it all boils down to your personal set of values. What is your goal in life, or at your job? Are you working to make as much money as possible quickly, and then retire early to be finally able to go explore the world? Or are you more interested in a culturally rich, safe, and well developed country that can support you (and your personal freedom of choice) for the long term?   If I were in your shoes right now, I'd pick Germany.   BTW - as far as the PTO comparison goes - I realized that workers in the US get just as much time off on those measly 20 days (combined vacation and sick days) as people in Germany do on their 30 days of vacation, plus technically unlimited sick days. US workers take about 15% time off during every single work day.  The pace is so much slower! The productivity is so much lower! Efficient workflow organization seems to be a foreign concept!   OK - lecture over. In the end, you still have to make up your own mind.

well - I don't consider myself "vegetarian", or "vegan", or "carnivore" - I just watch what I eat for purely egoistic motives simple, mostly plant based, and not very much food makes my old chassis feel the best, so I stick to that.   I do like medium-rare filet mignon on occasion, but will get punished for it the day after with a flare-up of arthritis.

maybe it was one of these "CardPoint" machines? https://www.test.de/Geldautomaten-von-Cardpoint-Teure-Gebuehren-Ueberraschung-5486337-0/   There is supposed to be an information about the extra charges - but some operators hide that message on the bottom of a screen after you entered your PIN - which is legal, but still bad.

if you have the "right" kind of Aufenthaltstitel with eID function, according to this FAQ document, it might work via the VideoChat. Even "certain foreign passports" may work. Give it a try, and post your results, please   https://www.deutschepost.de/de/p/postident/faq.html  

totally correct observation - because I spent those years left side of the pond, and found another forum more suitable for that living arrangement.   Now I'm back in Germany, so this TT forum maybe my new home. Haven't decided yet. Not sure if I like the format, or the style, here. We'll see. I didn't start out as somebody from Jamaica, and then came back as somebody from Mexico, though   Anyways - back on topic - I am intrigued to know, what OP actually is trying to get from this Fred? Sympathy? Entertainment? Help? Advice? BTW - just another question - where exactly is he (and his wife and baby) staying now? Can't be Wismar, that place thinks he left for good. Can't be Berlin either, he was just there for a brief medical procedure. Maybe that's the purpose of this story - find housing? 

true, even Mexicans may be called Bob - but explain to me the transition from Jamaican to Mexican over the last six years?

oh.... boy....   So, left Wismar to get a CT scan in Berlin? Like there are no options for that in Wismar, right? Had to take the whole family to Berlin? Why, exactly? Ah, I see, "small stuff and a passport"....yeah, like that's not available anywhere but Berlin either. Got into a bicycle accident in Berlin? How many people were riding the bike? Just you, or the three of you? And where did you get the bicycle from, anyways?   I also find it very strange that in between February 2013 - when you arrived in Rostock, coming from Jamaica (supposedly) - and now 2019, over six years later, you still can't speak enough German to get your act together?   Anyways, I wish you the best of luck, whoever you are :)  

truth can be stranger than fiction ;)

OK - this is fun  more "mistery" between the lines: even if "Bob" was scheduled to travel to a special clinic in Berlin, why would his wife and two month old Baby have to travel with him? the title reads "landlord" stole my stuff - that makes it sound like "Bob" was renting the place from somebody, which he is not (if the family are refugees, the place has been assigned to them, they don't pay rent).   ...and then there is ancient history... from back in 2013, when "Bob" joined TT  oh yes! Back then he was "Robert, visiting Rostock, and from Jamaica" he even published his phone number there (doubt that still works, though) to hook up with some lady.   Looking at his user-name "Jamex", maybe he is a Jamaican-Mexican? Who knows, pure entertainment!   Sorry, "Bob", whereever you're from, it's probably not Mexico, maybe not even Jamaica - maybe sell your "story" to a TV station?

I get a feeling this is turning into a competition - who is biggest know-it-all. I'm really extremely lazy to begin with, not competitive at all. Plus I have absolutely no stake in this thread. I don't need to live in Austria, buy a car in Germany, or find new ways to get my family's health insurance figured out.   So, peace-out - you're on your own here now. :)

  nothing personal - since I am currently personally going through kind of the same procedure with my husband, I can contribute to the knowledge transfer here with very current information. Just in case anybody wants to read (intensive knowledge of German required) $5 Abs. 1, specifically Nr. 13 a and b. It's called "Auffangversicherungspflicht" (no age limit involved) - but who am I to tell you anything. https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_5/__5.html

  well, actually, I do - but OP is not an "ordinary" non-EU national, his wife is German. So, when he applies for his Aufenthaltserlaubnis in Germany, based on family relations (§28 AufenthaltsG), his Aufenthaltstitel will automatically include permission to take up any job (§27 AufenthaltsG). This is a mute point, though, since OP doesn't want to take up employment.

well, that's exactly why I suggested OP find a job. With job he/she would qualify for Aufenthaltserlaubnis - and get into public health care at the same time ;)

ähm?? several odd "misconceptions" going on here....   If you are 62 (like myself) your normal retirement age in Germany would be 67 - you could simply get a job (not a "mini-job") and be automatically accepted/forced into "gesetzliche Krankenversicherung".   If you really don't want to work, and prefer Austria (for that reason) to get into some EU-country's public health care system, then just move to Austria, and be done with it.   Why you would need a car registered in Germany is a mistery to me? They do sell cars in Austria too. Also, Austria (like Germany) has great public transportation - you really don't need to own a car.