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Under certain circumstances it is beneficial for foreign people to become voluntary members in one or more of the schemes. This is mainly the case for shareholders of foreign companies or partners of foreign partnerships who are not employed in Germany and therefore not obligatory members of Germany’s social security system.

The German social security system is incredibly complex and varies fundamentally from systems of other countries. The parts of the system are very fragmented, and the legal structure is complicated. In addition, there are a lot of different players and organizations involved which makes it even harder to keep track with constant changes in legislation and court decisions. Even many Germans find it impossible to understand the system and its details, and for foreigners who relocate to Germany the system can easily become a devious monster. Therefore, we will publish a serious of articles with the aim to bring some light into this darkness.

Living and working in another country requires careful tax planning as there are always many tax issues to be considered. In addition, social security and other legal issues such as immigration law must be observed. This applies for all US citizens who relocate to Germany and it is important to note that there are special issues to be observed. Different tax and social security systems in Germany and the USA may cause problems in addition to those contained in special provisions in the Double Taxation Convention between Germany and the USA (DTC USA).

Germany is one of the biggest consumer markets in the world. Therefore it is of interest for foreign companies who want to sell products or services on the German market. Besides this German business entities are often a target of foreign business investors. In any case foreign companies and investors have to observe German tax regulations in order to avoid unnecessary risks.

In general expatriates moving to Germany are interested in their tax situation. For people with high income this is understandable. However, foreign employees and their employers should not ignore social security obligations in Germany. There are certain issues to be …

Germany’s economy needs well educated specialist in all economic areas. Since there is a substantial shortage of German specialist more and more Germany companies are employing foreign staff. Expatriates who want to work in Germany have good chance to find 

Employed individuals who work in Germany are subject to Germany’s social security systems. Self-employed persons are in general not liable to German social security contributions. There are certain exceptions from this general rule. The most important exception is the assignment of an employee. The …