From signed contract to first working day.
Relocating a software or IT professional from India to Germany follows the same twelve steps every time — and the same owner on each step. Employers see the plan per hire; professionals live it with a named account manager at their side.
- Before the move · in India
- Before step 1: your notice period (often 30–90 days) runs; plan it backwards from the date you want to start.
Offer & contract signed
CandidateWeek 0Indicative window — individual cases vary
The Arbeitsvertrag goes out for signature through your account manager. From the moment both sides sign, every later step gets a date — and the employer sees the same plan.
Documents that appear
ArbeitsvertragOffer letterDocuments & apostilles
Account ManagerWeeks 1–2Indicative window — individual cases vary
Passport, degree certificates, transcripts and experience letters are collected once, checked and apostilled. You get one checklist — not five emails over three months.
Documents that appear
PassportDegree & transcriptsExperience lettersApostilleAnabin / ZAB recognition
Account ManagerWeeks 2–8Indicative window — individual cases vary
If the university is rated Anabin H+, recognition for a Blue Card is already settled. If not, the ZAB Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung) is filed — forms, fee and follow-up handled together with you.
Documents that appear
ZAB ZeugnisbewertungAnabin printoutBlue Card eligibility check
Account ManagerWeek 2Indicative window — individual cases vary
Salary against the verified 2026 §18g thresholds — €50,700 standard, €45,934.20 reduced for shortage occupations including all IT roles, recent graduates and §18g Abs. 2 IT specialists — plus degree recognition and role fit, checked before anything is filed so the application is complete on the first submission. The same check is public: run it yourself on the Blue Card page.
Documents that appear
Salary check§18g pre-checkVisa application filed
Account ManagerWeeks 3–4Indicative window — individual cases vary
The appointment at the German mission serving your city is booked and the national visa (D) application for §18g is filed — application form, contract and recognition proof, complete on arrival.
Documents that appear
Videx applicationEmployment contractRecognition proofEmbassy appointment & biometrics
CandidateWeeks 4–6Indicative window — individual cases vary
One visit: biometrics, original documents, a short interview. Your account manager preps you with the questions software & IT professionals are actually asked.
Documents that appear
Passport originalsAppointment letterApproval — national visa (D)
AuthorityWeeks 6–9Indicative window — individual cases vary
The mission reviews and approves §18g and issues the national visa. Processing times are set by the German authorities and vary by case and location — your account manager tracks the application and tells you the moment a decision lands.
Documents that appear
National visa (D)Relocation booked
EmployerWeek 9Indicative window — individual cases vary
Flights, temporary housing and airport pickup are booked by the employer, coordinated through the account manager — the professional lands with a roof and a first-week plan.
Documents that appear
Flight bookingHousing confirmation- After arrival · in Germany
Arrival & Anmeldung
CandidateWeek 10Indicative window — individual cases vary
Within 14 days of moving in, the address is registered (Anmeldung). The landlord signs the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; the Bürgeramt slot is booked and, if needed, someone comes along.
Documents that appear
WohnungsgeberbestätigungAnmeldung certificateBlue Card appointment
AuthorityWeeks 11–13Indicative window — individual cases vary
The local Ausländerbehörde issues the physical Blue Card (§18g) — the residence permit for the new role. The application is prepared for you; you show up once.
Documents that appear
Blue CardPractical setup
Account ManagerWeek 10–12Indicative window — individual cases vary
Bank account with IBAN before the first salary, health insurance activation, tax ID, SIM — a checklist walked through item by item.
Documents that appear
Bank accountHealth insuranceTax IDOnboarding at your employer
EmployerWeek 10–11Indicative window — individual cases vary
First working day, probation (Probezeit) starts. The account manager stays reachable for the first 90 days — part of the process, not an upsell.
Documents that appear
Onboarding plan
Who owns which step
Four parties, four roles — printed on the plan every hire sees.
The candidate
Documents once, appointments kept, signatures on time — everything the account manager asks for, asked for once.
The account manager
Everything German-bureaucratic: checklists, recognition filings, visa application, appointment bookings, follow-ups. One named person, reachable by phone and email.
The employer
Contract, salary, relocation bookings and onboarding — the parts that happen in Germany, on your side of the table.
The authorities
The German mission and the Ausländerbehörde decide on visas and permits. We book and prepare; the decision — and its timing — rests with them.
Employers receive this timeline per hire — read-only, always current, no email threads.
The practical questions, answered.
Three things worth planning early, with your account manager at your side.
Family & dependents
Spouse and children can often join through Family Reunification (Familiennachzug). Plan early: it affects the size of the home you look for, insurance and the documents you gather. Your account manager advises on your specific case — individual cases differ, and nothing here is a promise.
First-month costs
Budget for the housing deposit (often two to three months' cold rent), a blocked-account top-up where one applies, flights and the first weeks before the first salary lands. Your account manager walks through a checklist with you before you commit to anything.
Optional German application pack
For employers who ask for it: a CV in German format (tabellarischer Lebenslauf) and an optional Anschreiben. We help you adapt your CV — the cover letter stays optional, and the rest of the process runs in English.
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Twelve steps, one plan, one human.
Request a review as a software or IT professional, or talk to us about a role. The timeline runs the same disciplined way for everyone.