So, you’re thinking about moving to Berlin to live as a digital nomad in one of the best cities in Europe (I’m not biased at all…). Honestly, Berlin is a city that’s full of creatives, history, inspiration, and expats from all around the world.
However, Germany doesn’t technically have a digital nomad visa yet, which is a pretty big issue. Luckily, I’ve created the complete guide to being a digital nomad in Berlin. So, let’s dive in and find out how to make your Berlin digital nomad dreams a reality.
Working in Berlin as a Digital Nomad
First things first, let’s talk about working as a digital nomad in Berlin. Technically, without a digital nomad visa, you either need a legitimate working visa or be from a Schengen block or EU nation to work in Berlin.
Neither of these things really helps with the flexibility of being a digital nomad. While you can visit Berlin on a Schengen visa for 90 days out of a 180-day period without restriction, you should not be working during this time. However, it can be difficult to detect if you’re a digital nomad as answering emails and things on your vacation is a fairly common thing to do.
With that being said, let’s look at the legal ways to work in Berlin as a digital nomad.
Schengen Rules
Okay, so the most popular way for many people to visit Berlin is by using the Schengen Visa or visa-free entry, depending on your country of origin. This is where you can travel throughout the various Schengen block countries for up to 90 days out of a 180-day period.
However, this is a tourist visa. This is not a digital nomad or working visa. Legally, you cannot work on this visa, even if you work remotely. While it is difficult to track, especially if you work through VPNs or are paid through foreign bank accounts, it’s not impossible for the German government to catch you out.
Especially if you want to rent an apartment in Berlin for three months, your landlord will expect work contracts and proof of eligibility to work in Germany during your stay. Of course, not every landlord does this, but it’s worth thinking about if you’re going to try to work remotely under the radar in Berlin.
If you get caught working without a visa, you can be deported. As Germany is part of the EU and shares immigration rules with 26 other countries, it can also mean that you’re banned from the EU as a whole. It’s just not worth it for a prolonged amount of time. Checking your email on your vacation is fine, but posting up for 40-hour work weeks is risky.
The Freelance Visa
When we talk about working abroad, we have to talk about visas. As we’ve mentioned, Germany doesn’t have a digital nomad visa at the moment. However, it does have a freelancer visa.
This freelancer visa applies to most creatives, including artists, and lasts for three months. Once you’re in Berlin, you can turn this into a resident’s permit which can be extended for up to three years in total.
In order to get this visa, you’ll need to prove that you can support yourself while you’re here. This can be done through:
- Your portfolio
- Signed freelance contracts
- Your bank accounts
- Savings
- Upcoming agreed projects.
It’s likely that you’ll have to present all of those items when you submit your freelance visa application at the German Embassy or Consulate in the country you’re from. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time as it’s advised that you complete your application at least three months before you’re due to travel.
What to do when you get to Berlin
When you get to Berlin, your visa process is not complete yet. Before you can start working legally as a freelancer, you need to complete the following steps.
- Register your new address at the Bürgeramt (Resident’s Registration Office)
- This should be done as soon as you have permanent accommodation and you’ll receive a Meldebescheinigung (living address registration certificate) in return.
- Open a German bank account
- This can be tricky to do after you’ve found a place to live as it’s a chicken and egg situation. You need a bank account to pay your rent, but you need a local address to open a German bank account.
- Register with the Tax Registration Office or Finanzamt
- You need to submit your Tax Number Registration Form or Fragebogen zur steuerliche Erfassung. Once it’s complete, you’ll get your Tax ID or Steuernummer.
- Sort your German health insurance
- Apply for a Residence permit for freelancing at the Foreigner’s Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde)
- This needs to be done within the first three months and you need to bring your completed application form, the Meldebescheinigung, a rental agreement, and a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, which is a letter from your landlord confirming that you live there.
As you can see, it’s not a simple process to become a long-term freelancer or digital nomad in Berlin. There’s a lot of red tape, but once it’s all set up you can start earning and working legally in Germany for up to three years.
I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!
EU Nationals
If you’re lucky enough to be a citizen or resident of an EU country, you can live and work in Germany without a visa. This extends to digital nomads and freelancers as well as more traditional employees.
One thing you can look into if you’re not an EU national but have ties through family to an EU country is a dual-nationality passport. For example, if you have an Irish grandparent or Italian mother, you can apply for dual nationality and gain access to the perks of the EU. So, you don’t need to have specific links to Germany to live and work there without a visa.
Co-working Spaces
As with any major city, Berlin has its fair share of amazing co-working spaces where you can take advantage of the desks, printers, meeting rooms, and more for a small daily fee.
The three main ones are:
These co-working spaces all have amazing reputations for being the starting point for many huge businesses and are stacked with facilities. Many of them also include unlimited tea and coffee as standard, as well as ergonomic desks and chairs, plenty of outlets, and a place to meet other freelancers and digital nomads.
Finding Accommodation
When you’re roaming the globe as a digital nomad, finding accommodation can be tricky. By and large, rental agreements have a minimum of six months, with the standard in some places being a full year.
That doesn’t leave much room for flexibility. So, here are the different options you can take a look at as a digital nomad in Berlin.
Airbnb
Let’s be honest, we’ve all seen cities go in hard on Airbnb recently. Berlin is no different. Finding an affordable Airbnb in Berlin as a short-term rental is like finding a unicorn. As the government has cracked down on illegal vacation rentals, the prices of Airbnb have skyrocketed, especially in the city center.
While they’re a good option if you’re staying short-term and there’s more than one of you, if you’re solo traveling and have a budget to stick to, look elsewhere.
Sublets
While the legality of sublets is a hazy question and varies from contract to contract, they’re still pretty popular in Berlin. That’s because there are a lot of students who end up going on internships in other cities or countries for a year as part of their studies, and they don’t want to give up their prime apartment.
Some of the sublets are full apartments, but a lot of the time, they’re rooms in a shared house. This means prices often only range from 300-500 euros per month including utilities, which is a great deal for the German capital. To find sublets and spare rooms, check out WG-Gesucht.de.
Hostels
One of the most popular digital nomad solutions around the world has to be hostels. You can either get a bed in a dorm or spring for a private room where you can unpack and unwind to your heart’s content.
They’re affordable, social, and flexible – three important things in the world of digital nomadism. It’s relatively easy to extend your stay in a hostel, and many of them now have co-working spaces on-site for convenience.
The main downside is that you’re either sharing a room with rotating strangers who are in Berlin for the sights, not to live and work. If you’re a light sleeper or value quiet and privacy, this isn’t going to work for you.
Co-living
You might have heard of co-living spaces popping up around major digital nomad locations worldwide.
Essentially, co-living spaces are places that have a mix of dorms and private rooms – like a hostel – but are specifically developed and marketed to remote workers. Each private room has a desk and living area, while there are communal kitchens, co-working spaces, social areas, and events.
It’s as if they kicked all the tourists out of the hostel and left it for the digital nomads to do their thing. These co-living spaces tend to be more expensive than hostels, with minimum stays of 30 days, but are a lot cheaper than Airbnbs and have more facilities.
Some popular Berlin co-living spaces include:
Flatshares
Of course, there’s always the traditional way to live as a short-term digital nomad – the humble flatshare. You can use sites like WG-Gesucht.de, Facebook groups around rooms for rent, SpotAHome, and HousingAnywhere to find rooms for rent in Berlin.
However, it’s worth mentioning that there are quite a lot of housing scams in Berlin. If your landlord is “out of the country” and needs you to wire deposits and holding checks before getting the keys, run for the hills.
Another weird thing that sometimes happens in Berlin is casting sessions for rooms, especially if it’s in a popular area. It’s basically like a group interview for the room so the existing tenants can see who they vibe with in one short session. It makes a lot of sense, rather than scheduling a ton of different viewings, but it can feel odd to pitch yourself against strangers in a group setting.
Meeting People
One of the things that can sometimes suck about being a digital nomad is the isolation. You’re jumping from place to place so meeting people, especially if you’re staying in an Airbnb or private sublet, can be difficult. Add in the language barrier, and it gets even worse.
Luckily, Berlin is a super social city that’s full of expats and digital nomads going through the same thing. Here are some of my favorite ways to meet people as an expat living in Berlin.
Meetup.com
Honestly, you cannot underestimate the power of Meetup.com. There are so many different events and niches on this site, that there’s going to be something that suits your personality and interests. From run clubs to book clubs to knitting sessions to vintage shop crawls, there’s a little bit of everything here.
All the events are uniquely designed to help people connect and find new friends. For this reason, there are a lot of expats at these events, or people who are just new to Berlin.
Classes and Clubs
If you have an interest or hobby that you want to continue in Berlin, classes and clubs are a great place to meet people. For example, if you love rock climbing, head to your local bouldering gym. Maybe you love dance classes or reformer pilates – there are definitely plenty of places in Berlin where you can do this.
Language Learning
Want to meet people and improve your German skills? Language classes are ideal if you’re thinking about applying for a more permanent German visa or you just want to be able to converse and understand locals a little bit more.
If you are thinking of applying for a longer visa, there are language requirements, but this depends on the kind of visa you’re applying for. Most of the time you’re looking at either an A2 or B1 level of German which requires study and lessons.
As this is a rule across most visas in Germany, many people in these language classes will be expats who are going to be staying in Berlin for a while. If you’re looking for friends with shared experiences of German bureaucracy, this is a great place to check out.
Co-working Spaces
As I’ve briefly mentioned, many co-working and co-living spaces run social events after hours. This can range from after-work drinks to day trips around Berlin on the weekends. Again, people who go to these events are also digital nomads, freelancers, or professionals who are trying to live and work flexibly in Berlin.
So, there’s a natural shared experience there, which makes it a cool place to meet people.
Things to Do in Berlin
Let’s be honest, Berlin is a major European capital, so there’s no shortage of things to do here when you’re not working or waiting for your permits to come through. Here are some of my top suggestions.
Spend a Day on Museum Island
As the name suggests, this small island, known as Spreeinsel (Spree Island), in the heart of the city, is home to five different museums. It’s actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that’s how important it is!
The five museums are:
- The Pergamon Museum (closed for renovations until 2027)
- The Bode Museum
- The Neues Museum
- The Alte Nationalgalerie
- The Altes Museum
If you want to get your fill of culture without travelin45g all around the city, this is a great option. With a Museum Pass (which costs 32 euros), you can access all of the Museum Island attractions, plus around 30 other museums and galleries across Berlin.
Wander the Tiergarten
Spanning more than 210 hectares, nearly 519 acres, the Tiergarten is the major green space in Berlin. With tons of tree-lined paths, forest trails, riverfront routes, and cafes within the park, it’s easy to get lost and spend the whole day exploring.
It’s also centrally located near a lot of tourist attractions, like the Brandenburg Gate, so if you want to combine some sightseeing with a natural respite, this is a great place to go. If you’re in Berlin in the summer, there are sounds of carillon bells that ring out across the park every Sunday too.
Check Out the Markthalle Neun
There’s no shortage of great places to eat and drink in Berlin, but if you’re in a group and everyone wants something different, Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg. While the big market is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, this market hall is partially open all week long and has a special Street Food Thursday event with tons of delicious options.
It’s a relaxing vibe where you can grab groceries, enjoy lunch or dinner, or even grab a drink with friends. In fact, in the cellar of Markthall Neun you can find the Heidenpeter Brewery, which also serves its brews on-site.
Explore Prenzlauer Berg
While Kreuzberg has an artsy and studenty reputation, Prenzlauer Berg is a little bit more bohemian and grown up. With tons of history around every corner and a slightly more international vibe, it’s a cool place to explore on the weekend.
You’ll find mini neighborhoods within Prenzlauer Berg, some that are great for al-fresco eating, some that are more cultural hubs, and some are known for their bars. One of the best ways to explore is by bike, and you can also check out the historic Stadtbad Oderberger, which is a swimming pool housed in a giant building from 1899!
How to Stay Longer
Of course, digital nomad stays aren’t forever, but if you find yourself wanting to stay in Germany longer, you need to get a visa. As I’ve mentioned, this is not a short or easy process, so you might have to leave the country and come back again in the meantime.
If you’re already in Berlin on a freelance visa, you can usually stay for up to three years. After this point, if you can demonstrate that you’re successful, you’ve paid into a state pension, and that you meet language requirements, you may be eligible for permanent residency.
However, if you’re committed to the digital nomad lifestyle and want to stay in Berlin longer, you can leave Germany and the Schengen zone as a whole for 91 days to reset your Schengen clock. After this point, you can return to Berlin. However, I’m just going to reiterate that legally you should not be working in Germany without a visa if you’re not an EU national.
Alternatively, you can get a job at a German company and get them to sponsor your visa. This would mean leaving digital nomadism behind for a more permanent Berlin lifestyle, but it’s also a more legal and straightforward way of living and working in Berlin.
Final Thoughts on Being a Digital Nomad in Berlin
So, if you’re considering becoming a digital nomad in Berlin, remember a few things.
Red Tape is Everywhere
As with Germany in general, red tape a bureaucracy are everywhere. Any official process takes twice as long and has three times as many steps as anywhere else. Give yourself plenty of wiggle room when submitting visa and housing applications.
Be prepared to be frustrated by the different foreign offices and the order that things have to be done – it’s just the way it is, and no amount of logic is going to change it.
Berlin is Not a Cheap City
Come with a healthy savings budget. While Berlin can be a lot cheaper than other world capitals, it’s still not a super affordable city.
Accommodation and tax are going to swallow a lot of your budget, so if you love being social, stick to the more student-centric areas rather than the tourist hotspots.
Make Sure to Explore Europe from Berlin
Berlin is amazing in itself, but it’s also an excellent transport hub. Not only can you get trains and buses all over Germany, but you can also get all over Europe. Getting to Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, the Netherlands, and more.
There are also a ton of sleeper trains so you can get to Belgium and Paris overnight on a direct train and save money on accommodation at the same time. With Berlin’s prime position in central Europe, it’s a shame to live and work here and not take advantage of all the great cities and countries within striking distance.
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- Moving to Germany with No Money
Vanessa Wachtmeister is a travel tech professional and the creator of the wealth & wanderlust platform, Wander Onwards. Vanessa is originally from Los Angeles, California, she is a proud Chicana, and she has been living abroad for the last 9 years. Today, she helps people pursue financial and location independence through her ‘Move Abroad’ Master Class, financial literacy digital products, and career workshops.