Moving from Russia to Germany: Visas, Flights, and Money

Around 284,000 Russian citizens live in Germany. People who come for highly qualified work are one of the larger groups on the EU Blue Card, about 10,000 of the 113,000 cards at the end of 2023, after India. A smaller number do not use a job or a student visa at all, because they qualify for late resettlement or Jewish immigration instead.

If you are moving from Russia yourself, a lot of the process is still the same as for any other non-EU citizen. What you apply for depends on why you are coming: study, a job you already have, looking for work after you arrive, or joining family. The guides below have the rules for each of those. This page then further covers what is different when the application starts in Russia, and where people from Russia often move.

Which visa matches your situation

The table below shows which guide matches your situation. If you are still choosing a route, start with Which Visa Do You Need in Germany.

A tourist visa is not a way to switch into work or study after you land. Changing Your Residence Purpose in Germany explains when a switch inside the country is even possible.

After the visa, the first weeks are also the same for every passport. Register your address within 14 days. Address Registration in Germany walks through the appointment. Health insurance has to be sorted for the visa and again once you are living here, which Health Insurance in Germany covers. A German current account is covered in Opening a Bank Account in Germany, and how hiring actually filters CVs is in Finding Jobs in Germany as a Foreigner. Later settlement and citizenship questions are in Permanent Residence vs Citizenship.

If the job needs a formal ruling on your degree, start with How to Get Foreign Qualifications Recognized in Germany.

What is different when you apply from Russia

The German embassy in Moscow still accepts long-stay applications for the ordinary visas. Plan on several months once your documents are complete, longer if the mission has to check them again.

When you want to study

The student visa itself is not different. Use the table above. What usually holds the application up is paying the living-cost deposit. The embassy’s blocked-account note says that no bank in Russia currently offers an account that meets the visa rules, so you use a provider outside Russia. EU sanctions have also cut major Russian banks off from normal euro transfers, and a payment from a sanctioned bank often fails even when a foreign provider will open the account.

Some German banks want a signature certified by a German mission before they open the account. Inside Russia that certification is not available, because of an old consular treaty. The mission can issue a consular certificate instead. The embassy lists the fee (about 34 euros) and the appointment steps. Read that page before you book, and do not hand cash to an intermediary who promises to place the deposit for you. The amount Germany wants is the same as for other nationalities. Student Visa for Germany has the current figure.

When you want to work

The work visas themselves are not different. Use the table above. A qualifying salary usually means you do not open a blocked account the way students do. The Opportunity Card still needs proof of funds, so the same transfer problem applies, and Opportunity Card in Germany has that figure. Opening a German current account after you arrive can also take longer if your only accounts are at sanctioned banks. Ask the bank which foreign papers it accepts.

Two routes that are not a normal visa

Late resettlers (Spätaussiedler) are people of German ancestry who meet the Federal Expellees Act, including German language. The application goes to the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt), not through a job offer. Family members can be included under that procedure’s own rules. Start with the Federal Office of Administration page on Spätaussiedler.

Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union is a separate admission under Section 23 (2) of the Residence Act. It is not a work visa, and it is not open to every Russian citizen. From Russia, you apply at the German embassy in Moscow. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees handles these applications there, and you can only book the appointment by phone. You need at least A1 German. The embassy asks for a Goethe-Institut certificate; its waiting-list note also accepts telc. Financial reasons are not accepted as a reason to skip the language certificate.

Getting there

There is no direct flight between Russia and Germany. People connect in a third country. Istanbul, Yerevan, and Belgrade are common. Leave enough time on the connection that a delay does not kill the second ticket, especially if the two flights are on separate bookings.

Where you can find a Russian-speaking community

A community large enough to meet other Russian speakers is normal in many German cities, not only where the foreigner count is highest. You can expect one in Berlin, including Charlottenburg and Marzahn, and in Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Hanover, Bremen, Leipzig, Dresden, and across the Ruhr. Many of those people already have a German passport, including late resettlers, so the community is wider than the Russian-citizen figures. A small town tied to one job may not have that. Best Cities in Germany if You Already Have a Degree compares places for work. Housing works the same way for every passport, so start with Finding an Apartment in Germany, or with Finding an Apartment in Berlin if that is the city.

Common questions

Can I open a German blocked account from a Russian bank?

The German embassy says no bank in Russia currently offers a blocked account that meets the visa rules. You use a provider outside Russia. A transfer from a major Russian bank often fails because of EU sanctions. The embassy explains the paperwork, including a consular certificate when a German bank will not accept a signature certified inside Russia.

Are there direct flights from Russia to German airports?

No. You need a connection in a third country. Istanbul, Yerevan, and Belgrade are common. Leave enough time that a delay does not wreck the onward flight.

Can I move to Germany if I have German ancestry?

People of German ancestry who meet the Federal Expellees Act, including German language, can apply as late resettlers (Spätaussiedler) through the Federal Office of Administration. The official Spätaussiedler page has the requirements and how to apply.

Who can use Jewish immigration from Russia to Germany?

It is a separate admission for some people from the former Soviet Union, not a work visa, and it is not open to every Russian citizen. From Russia, you apply at the German embassy in Moscow, and you can only book the appointment by phone. You need at least A1 German. The embassy asks for a Goethe-Institut certificate; its waiting-list note also accepts telc.

Useful links

• German Embassy Moscow: long-stay visas
• German Embassy Moscow: blocked accounts
• German Embassy Moscow: Jewish immigration
• Federal Office of Administration: Spätaussiedler
• Make it in Germany: visa quick-check
• Destatis: foreign population by citizenship