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EU/EEA Citizen — Jobseeker

GermanyFree movement

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

Which citizenship, status or regional agreement creates the person's right to move/reside?

The right derives from EU citizenship. Nationals of other EU member states (not Germans) have the right of entry and residence under the Freedom of Movement Act/EU (FreizügG/EU), which also covers nationals of EEA states that are not EU members. It is a statutory free-movement right, not a visa.

See recorded sources

Under which circumstances can the person reside: worker, self-employed, student, jobseeker, self-funded person or another recognised basis?

Union citizens staying to look for work reside as jobseekers and have free-movement rights for up to six months, and beyond that only as long as they can prove they are still seeking work and have a genuine chance of being hired.

See recorded sources

What entry, registration or residence-document formalities remain?

No visa is needed to enter and no residence title is needed to reside; a valid ID card or passport suffices for stays up to three months. The immigration authority may require credible evidence of the right three months after entry; the evidence can be handed in at the registration office when registering residence (Anmeldung). The authority may ask for the valid ID card or passport.

See recorded sources

Which non-member-country family members can accompany or join, and what broad rights do they receive?

Family members who accompany or join the Union citizen share the right of entry and residence: spouse, registered life partner, descendants of the person or spouse/partner who are under 21 or are maintained, and maintained ascendants. Non-EU family members need an entry visa (issued free of charge) and receive, within six months of providing the required information, a residence card for family members of Union citizens, normally valid for five years. The official source does not state the employment rights of non-EU family members.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Employment rights of non-EU family members are not stated in the cited text.

When do permanent/long-term rights arise and what continuity, absence or retention conditions matter?

Permanent right of residence (Daueraufenthaltsrecht) after five years of continuous lawful residence in Germany, independent of the original residence basis; on application it is certified without delay. Continuity is not affected by absences of up to six months a year in total, absence for military/alternative service, or one absence of up to 12 consecutive months for an important reason (e.g. pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training, posting). Absence for a non-temporary reason of more than two consecutive years causes loss of the permanent right.

See recorded sources
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/freiz_gg_eu_2004/BJNR198600004.html
    (1) Unionsbürger, die sich seit fünf Jahren ständig rechtmäßig im Bundesgebiet aufgehalten haben, haben unabhängig vom weiteren Vorliegen der Voraussetzungen des § 2 Abs. 2 das Recht auf Einreise und Aufenthalt (Daueraufenthaltsrecht).
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/freiz_gg_eu_2004/BJNR198600004.html
    (6) Der ständige Aufenthalt wird nicht berührt durch 1. Abwesenheiten bis zu insgesamt sechs Monaten im Jahr oder 2. Abwesenheit zur Ableistung des Wehrdienstes oder eines Ersatzdienstes sowie 3. eine einmalige Abwesenheit von bis zu zwölf aufeinander folgenden Monaten aus wichtigem Grund, insbesondere auf Grund einer Schwangerschaft und Entbindung, schweren Krankheit, eines Studiums, einer Berufsausbildung oder einer beruflichen Entsendung. (7) Eine Abwesenheit aus einem seiner Natur nach nicht nur vorübergehenden Grund von mehr als zwei aufeinander folgenden Jahren führt zum Verlust des Daueraufenthaltsrechts.
  • https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/freiz_gg_eu_2004/BJNR198600004.html
    (5) Auf Antrag wird Unionsbürgern unverzüglich ihr Daueraufenthaltsrecht bescheinigt.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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