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Visa requirements for visits to Germany of up to 90 days are shown on the Federal Foreign Office webpage. For all visits of longer than 90 days a visa is required for non-EU citizens.

With the exception of Cyprus and Malta, nationals of the new European Union Member States (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia) are currently subject to transition arrangements lasting two years and require a long-stay visa for Germany. However, self-employed persons are exempt from the visa requirement.

EU citizens and the nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are allowed to enter Germany freely to live and work, along with their spouse and children under 21 years of age, without requiring a visa or work permit.

Other foreigners wishing to live and work in Germany are required to apply for an entry visa and work permit. The nationals of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States are allowed to apply for their permit after arrival in Germany, while all others have to apply to the German Embassy in their home countries and obtain their permit before entering Germany. Applications are forwarded to the foreigners' authority in the region of Germany where the person will be employed, and the entry visa is only issued when their approval has been obtained. It usually takes between 6 and 10 weeks for applications to be processed. Details of application procedures and documents required can be found on German overseas mission websites.