Onboarding foreign employees in Germany: what the first weeks really need

What must you hand over in writing when a new hire from abroad starts work?

The essential terms of the employment relationship have to be recorded and handed over in stages. Part of the information is due at the latest on the first day of the work performance. A further part follows at the latest on the seventh calendar day, the rest at the latest one month after the agreed start (§ 2 NachwG).

The record may be drawn up in text form and transmitted electronically, provided it is accessible and can be stored. The duty falls away insofar as a written employment contract already contains the required details. So a signed contract that a new employee brings along on day one already covers a large part of this step.

Does the information duty on "Faire Integration" apply to your new hire?

Since the beginning of 2026 employers in Germany who employ third-country nationals resident or staying in a third country have an information duty. The employees must be informed in text form, at the latest on the first working day, about the information and advice service "Faire Integration", including the current contact details of the nearest advice centre. The statutory basis is § 45c AufenthG; the BMAS describes the duty and publishes a leaflet for employers.

"Faire Integration" advises third-country nationals free of charge on questions of labour and social law and is represented in all 16 federal states. The service started in 2026. For a new arrival from Albania or Kosovo this is a neutral place to ask questions that they may not want to raise with you first.

The statutory wording also covers an exception. Read § 45c AufenthG and the BMAS leaflet before you decide whether the duty applies to your case. Other duties that come with employing a third-country national are set out in our page on employer obligations when you employ a third-country national.

Which appointments does a new employee from abroad have in the first two weeks?

Two offices matter at the start: the registration authority and the foreigners' authority. Anyone who moves into a dwelling has to register with the registration authority within two weeks of moving in (§ 17 BMG). The housing provider must cooperate in the registration and confirm the move-in in writing or electronically (§ 19 BMG). Where registration is done electronically, the confirmation can be replaced by a code sent to the new address (§ 23a BMG).

If you provide the accommodation yourself, you are the housing provider and issue that confirmation. Our page on accommodation for foreign workers covers the housing side in more detail.

Third-country nationals must report in person to the competent foreigners' authority after arrival and apply there for the residence permit within the validity of the visa, as the BAMF describes. The permit is issued as an electronic residence permit: a card with a chip carrying name, date of birth, nationality, address, photograph and fingerprints. Appointment, processing and outcome are decided by the competent foreigners' authority in the individual case.

Which details do you need before the first payslip of a foreign employee?

Three details decide whether the first payroll run for a new foreign employee is correct.

• Social security number: if no insurance number exists because the person has never been employed in Germany, you as the employer apply for it with the notification to social insurance. The proof of the insurance number is as a rule sent automatically, and no fees arise (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). This is your task, not an office visit for the new employee.
• Health insurance fund: employees are in principle subject to compulsory insurance in statutory health and long-term care insurance (BMAS). Insured persons can choose their fund freely; the choice is declared to the chosen fund, and that fund may not refuse the membership (§ 175 SGB V). You need the name of the fund for the notification.
• Tax identification number: you retrieve the electronic wage tax deduction details (ELStAM) from the Federal Central Tax Office at the start of the employment relationship. For that you need the employee's identification number and date of birth (§ 39e EStG).

If the employee does not provide the identification number, or no wage tax deduction details are available, wage tax has to be determined according to tax class VI (§ 39c EStG). That can make the first net amount lower than the employee expected. Say this in advance, together with the information that the number has to be passed on to you.

How do you instruct a new employee on safety when German is still limited?

Safety instruction comes before the first task. § 12 ArbSchG requires you to instruct employees sufficiently and appropriately on safety and health protection at work, during working hours. The instruction includes directions and explanations aimed specifically at the workplace or field of duties.

It has to take place when a person is hired, when the field of duties changes and when new work equipment or new technology is introduced — in each case before the activity is taken up. It must be adapted to how hazards develop and repeated regularly where necessary. In the case of temporary agency work the duty lies with the hirer, who must take the qualification and experience of the workers concerned into account.

The law measures the instruction by whether it is sufficient and appropriate for the person in front of you. With limited German that means you plan more time, show each step, do it together once and ask the employee to explain it back. What language skills are actually needed on the shop floor is the subject of our page on German language requirements at work.

Can a new hire take holiday in the first months, for example for a home visit?

The full holiday entitlement is acquired for the first time after the employment relationship has existed for six months (§ 4 BUrlG). For months in which no full entitlement arises because that waiting period is not yet met, partial holiday of one twelfth of the annual holiday applies for each full month of employment (§ 5 BUrlG).

Clarify this before the start date, not in week three. Someone who has just moved from Albania or Kosovo may already be planning a visit home, and the waiting period is set by law. Beyond the statutory minimum, what applies is what the employment contract or an applicable collective agreement provides. A clear answer early on prevents a disappointment that people remember long after the first pay day.

Which German courses can run alongside the job, according to the BAMF?

The BAMF offers job-related German courses (Berufssprachkurse) that build on the integration courses and are open to migrants who are job-seeking and to those in employment. Job-BSK are workplace-related, flexible courses of short duration, tailored to the needs of employees and companies. The BAMF also runs its own information pages for employers on German for work and training.

An integration course in part-time form is possible in exceptional cases, for instance where someone is in employment; afternoon and evening courses can then be arranged. For the integration course a cost contribution can apply, and an exemption can be applied for. That application should be filed in good time before the course starts, because a retroactive exemption is only possible for the individually first course module. For job-related courses a cost contribution can apply from certain income levels — the amounts and conditions are published by the BAMF.

If you plan to recruit staff from Albania or Kosovo and want to see how we prepare candidates and paperwork before the first working day, you can register as an employer and talk it through with us.