Marco(34)

I had been working in a hospital in Düsseldorf for three years while living in Venlo. Every day 45 minutes there, 45 minutes back. The salary was good — nurses in Germany earn considerably more than in the Netherlands — but the commute was draining me. When my girlfriend also found a job in Düsseldorf, we decided to take the leap and actually move.

The first step was the Anmeldung: your personal registration at the Bürgeramt. Without an Anmeldung you can arrange virtually nothing in Germany. You need a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord — a confirmation that you live there. You must register within two weeks of moving, otherwise you risk a fine. It sounds intimidating, but the Bürgeramt in Düsseldorf even had an English-speaking counter.

After the Anmeldung came the Steuer-ID, my German tax number. I received it by mail, but it took six weeks. My employer needed the number for payroll. In the meantime I was placed in the highest tax bracket — Steuerklasse VI — which meant I barely had any net pay left. When the Steuer-ID finally arrived and I was moved to Klasse I, my net salary went up by €400 per month.

The Krankenkasse was quite a story. In Germany you are required to have health insurance — the gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (GKV). As an employee you are automatically enrolled in a Krankenkasse of your choice. I chose TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) because it had good reviews and English-speaking customer service. The premium is about 14.6% of your gross salary, of which your employer pays half.

The trickiest part of cross-border work is the tax situation. As a cross-border worker I paid tax in the Netherlands on my German income for years, through the tax treaty. Now that I live in Germany, I pay tax there. The Einkommensteuererklärung — the annual tax return — is quite an ordeal. I hired a Steuerberater (tax advisor) who specializes in cross-border workers. Costs €300 per year, but saves me thousands of euros and endless frustration.

Looking back, I should have done it sooner. Düsseldorf is a fantastic city — culture, the Altstadt, the Rheinuferpromenade. And I save two hours per day in travel time. The only thing I miss is the Limburgse vlaai from the bakery in Venlo, but my mother just sends those by post.