Hi Friends,

One of my friend Sumit is in India now and does not wish to continue working back with his company in Germany. He has following urgent questions and looking forward to your help. I am forwarding on his behalf : ---

I have finally decided to either shift back to India and don’t want to live anymore in Germany. Related to that I need to clear a few points in Germany and I was wondering if you can help me out in that.

1. What all do I need to do when I shift back form Germany to India. I have heard I need to go to the RatHaus to DeRegister. So, do both I and Tanushree(my wife) have to be present in person to do that? Otherwise, I could just bring her passport and Power of Attorney that she authorizes me to sign on behalf of her in deregistering. So, Could you please inquire as to what all documents I would need from her for me to deregister her by coming alone to Germany and not bringing her?

2. Do I need to go to some other authorities like Arbeitsamt, Burgeramt, Auslandersamt etc. I mean one is our passport which contains the green card. Second is the Rathouse Address registration paper. Third is the Work permit we hold, the separate paper. So, what all needs to be done with them?

3. What if I do not deregister? What’s the worst case and average scenario? Will the authorities forbid me from entering Germany or EU in the future if i do not deregister?

4. What about bank, mails and other things? Do I need to close the Bank account? How do I cancel the insurance policy? When do I have to submit papers for getting back the Pension?

5. What’s the best way to get back the luggage? What are the customs regulations related to Transfer of Residence?

Thank you very much in advance for your help in this matter. That’s extremely nice of you. I am going on a South trip next week. So, if you can let me know the formalities before that, it would be really great.

Cheers,

XYZ

Some answers and additional points to your questions.

1. + 2. I'd recommend to contact the authorities one by one either by telephone or mail to enquire the correct procedures, which may be different locally. It may even be sufficient to de-register by just sending a simple letter.

3. Is there any reason why you would not want to de-register?

4. I'd recommend to keep the bank account open for some time and make arrangements for telephone and/or online-banking via Internet. There maybe some payments to be made or credits to be received even after you left Germany.

Which insurance(s) do you want to cancel? Write a letter to each insurer stating when you're going to leave Germany and that you with to terminate the insurance contract.

If you have a car which you want to export, talk to your local "KFZ Zulassungsstelle" for detailed procedures.

Don't forget to contact telephone company (mobile + land line), TV licensing (GEZ), any other institutions you're dealing with on an ongoing basis.

There is likely going to be a notice period for terminating the rental agreement for your house or flat. Same applies to your employment contract. Give in your notice as soon as you know exactly when you're going to move. The landlord may be sympathetic and release you early from the contract. Same applies to the employer.

Deutsche Post offer forwarding mail to your new address. Application forms are available at any post office. I would opt for the longest available period and in addition ask the landlord or someone else living in the house to forward any mail to you which may still arrive later.

5. Usually when moving into the EU there are no import duties or taxes on personal belongings, but for some valueable goods (e.g. cars) one has to provide evidence of ownership for a certain time (1/2 year) to be tax free. Regulations in India may be different.

For shipping belongings there are various options depending on budget and the amount of stuff, e.g. hiring a container, contracting an international removal company or even taking plenty of extra luggage on a flight. Getting a removal company to ship an average size household within Europe will cost thousands of Euros. Selling up while still here may turn out to be cheaper, even if there is a loss on each item of furniture.

6. Due to the massive difference in salary levels in Germany and India it will likely to be benefical to file a tax return in Germany in the year when leaving, providing you worked for less than 12 months during that year in Germany. This is due to the progressive nature of the taxation in Germany.

Thanks a lot Marc. I passed on this valuable info to my friend. I am sure it would be great help to him. I wish you & all Trust7 friends a very happy new year.

Hi all,

I have couple of questions regarding issues to be sorted out at your departure from Germany. If anyone is able to answer them, I would be grateful.
1)How do you de-register from rathaus while you are not living in Germany anymore? Nobody tells you when you register with them, to de-register when you leave. What are the implications of not doing so? In regards with the way of doing it, I think, people that moved house from one city to another should be able to give us some hints about this procedure.
2)Good thing Marc spotted another issue. When you fill for tax return in Germany do you have to include the amount you have made outside Germany in a country with whom Germany has a double taxation avoidance agreement? For example in the 2003 fiscal year, I worked 8 months in Germany and then I left for another country becoming permanent resident and working for the rest 4.

It will be really appreciate if you can help cause, unfortunately, it looks like more and more GCs are leaving Germany and these questions are really bothering us.

Thank you
F

Hi floinux,

1) just send a letter to the local Rathaus, declaring when you permanently left and where you're living now. This may already be sufficient. Just wait for them to reply, I guess you'll either receive a confirmation of your de-registration straight away or they will ask for some further evidence.

2) you would declare all your world income, as well as any tax already paid on your income abroad. The German Finanzamt would then calculate the total amount of tax due and pay out any credit.

Marc