German residence permits for Brits: Blue Card, freelancer or Chancenkarte?

If you have a skilled job offer, go for the Blue Card. If you work for yourself, it's the freelancer permit. If you're still job hunting, the Chancenkarte buys you a year to look.

The short version

• British citizens can enter Germany visa-free and apply for a residence permit in Germany, but must apply within 90 days of arriving [3].
• The EU Blue Card needs a gross salary of at least EUR 50,700 in 2026, or EUR 45,934.20 in shortage jobs and for recent graduates [4].
• The freelancer permit needs funded projects and, if you're over 45, adequate pension provision [5].
• The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) lasts up to a year, needs EUR 1,091 a month in a blocked account and lets you work up to 20 hours a week [6].
• A residence permit or Blue Card costs EUR 100 to issue; a settlement permit EUR 113 to EUR 147 [7][8].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

First, the 90-day clock

This is the bit that catches people out. Section 41 of the Residence Ordinance puts the UK on a short list of countries, with Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the US, whose citizens may enter Germany without a visa and apply for a residence permit after arrival [3]. But the application must go in within 90 days of entry [3]. Your normal visa-free time as a visitor is also 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area, so a fortnight in Spain before you arrive eats into it [1].

The FCDO puts it plainly: you can enter as a job seeker without a work permit, but you can't start work until you have one [2]. If you'd rather arrive with everything sorted, you can still apply for a national visa at a German mission in the UK before you go.

The three main permits compared

The EU Blue Card

The Blue Card is the gold standard for skilled workers, and many Brits moving to Berlin for tech, research or finance jobs qualify. You need [4]:

• a German degree or a foreign degree comparable to one, or a tertiary qualification of at least three years at EQF level 6;
• for IT specialists without a degree, at least three of the past seven years working in IT at university level;
• a concrete job offer of at least six months that matches your qualification;
• the salary threshold for 2026.

The lower EUR 45,934.20 threshold applies to shortage occupations, to new entrants whose degree is less than three years old, and to IT professionals without a degree; for these, the Federal Employment Agency must approve the job [4]. Most British university degrees are recognised, but check your university and course on the anabin database before you apply.

The big win is speed to permanent residence. With basic German at A1, you can get a settlement permit after 27 months; with B1, after 21 months [4]. That's quicker than most routes, and a Blue Card also counts towards the five years for German citizenship.

The freelancer permit

Berlin is full of British freelancers, from translators in Neukölln to developers in Friedrichshain. The permit for liberal professions (Freiberufler, under section 21(5) of the Residence Act) asks for [5]:

• proof that you have the money to fund your work;
• any licence your profession needs;
• if you're over 45, proof of adequate old-age provision.

In practice that means a sensible business plan, a CV, and letters of intent or contracts from clients, ideally including some in Germany. The make-it-in-germany page gives no fixed figure for the over-45 pension rule [5], so ask the LEA what they want to see. A UK workplace pension or State Pension forecast may help, but never move a pension just to meet a visa test: pension transfers need regulated financial advice.

Self-employed people setting up a trading business (Gewerbe) use section 21(1) instead, which looks at economic demand for the business and how it's financed [5]. Permits for both are first issued for up to three years and can lead to settlement [5]. Our guide to freelancing in Berlin covers the tax number and the Künstlersozialkasse.

Working remotely for a UK employer is a separate puzzle, with UK and German tax and social security both in play. See working abroad for a UK employer.

The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)

Launched for job seekers, the Chancenkarte lets you live in Berlin for up to a year while you look for skilled work [6]. There are two ways in.

Route 1: recognised qualification. If your qualification is fully recognised in Germany, you qualify without points or language proof [6].

Route 2: points. You need a qualification recognised where you got it (vocational courses must have lasted at least two years), German at A1 or English at B2, and at least six points [6]:

Being a native English speaker is worth a point on its own [6]. A British graduate in their early thirties with a couple of years' experience and a native-speaker point is already at five, so a bit of German usually tips the balance.

While searching you can work part time, up to 20 hours a week, and do trial work of up to two weeks per employer [6]. If you land a qualified job but can't yet get the proper permit, the card can be extended for up to two years [6].

Getting through the LEA

Berlin's immigration office is the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA). It takes online applications for many employment-related residence permits, and for family permits since 23 March 2026 [9]. Appointments are booked online too [9]. Getting one can be a faff, so apply early within your 90 days.

1. Register your address first. You'll need the Meldebescheinigung from the Bürgeramt. See Anmeldung in Berlin.
2. Gather your documents: passport, biometric photo (digital photos are now accepted [9]), registration certificate, contract or business plan, proof of health insurance, degree certificates and, for the Chancenkarte, your blocked account confirmation.
3. Apply online on the LEA's site and keep the confirmation.
4. Attend your appointment and pay the fee: EUR 100 for a residence permit or Blue Card [7].
5. Collect your card. The electronic residence permit (eAT) is produced centrally, so it takes a few weeks.

Later on, a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) costs EUR 147 for highly qualified people, EUR 124 for the self-employed and EUR 113 in other cases (about £94–122) [8].

Questions about which Bürgeramt has slots, or whether the LEA really wants that letter? Our community group for Brits in Germany has been through it.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Germany travel advice – entry requirements
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Germany (last updated 11 December 2025)
3. Gesetze im Internet: § 41 Aufenthaltsverordnung
4. Make it in Germany: EU Blue Card (23 October 2026)
5. Make it in Germany: Self-employment (4 November 2026)
6. Make it in Germany: Opportunity Card (23 October 2026)
7. Gesetze im Internet: § 45 Aufenthaltsverordnung (fees)
8. Gesetze im Internet: § 44 Aufenthaltsverordnung (settlement permit fees)
9. Berlin.de: Landesamt für Einwanderung

Keep reading

• Moving to Berlin as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Freelancing in Berlin: tax numbers and the Künstlersozialkasse
• German citizenship for Brits after the 2024 reform
• Brits in the EU after Brexit: residence rights and the 90/180-day rule