- Au pairs from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, do not need a visa or work permit, in accordance with European Union Regulations.
- Au pairs from the new EU countries, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria also do not need a visa but must have some knowledge of Germany and younger than 25.
- Citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and the USA can enter Germany and apply for residence within 3 months. Under the age of 25 and some German language is required.
- All other nationalities must be under 24, with some knowledge of German and obtain their visa prior to travel, they must have an invitation letter from the family that contains the following:
- Full address of the au pair and host family.
- The duration and description of the placement.
- The pocket money and maximum hours of work.
- The accommodation offered to the au pair.
- An assurance from the hist family that they will insure the au pair.
Holiday Work Visa
Citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan aged between 18 and 30 may apply for a Working Holiday Visa. Citizens of Canada between 18 and 35 years of age may apply as well. There is no limit on the duration of employment, during the stay of up to 12 months. Evidence of sufficient funds for the first three months are required (i.e. 250 euro per month).
Anyone wishing to take part in the Working Holiday Visa scheme should be well aware of the extremely high unemployment rates in the country especially in Berlin. Anyone with little or no German language skills will find it difficult to find adequate employment. Among other nationalities Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders can remain in the country indefinitely if they find long-term work they are uniquely qualified to. This is subject to approval by the government employment office - Bundesagentur für Arbeit.
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