Doctor (General Practitioner) Moving to Germany from India

Get your NMC (National Medical Commission) registration certificate and MBBS degree apostilled by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) — the Medical Council of India was abolished in 2020 and replaced by the NMC.

Obtain a police clearance certificate from the local police station in India

Get your MBBS degree certificate attested by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

Apply for Approbation (permanent medical licence) via the Landesprüfungsamt of the German state where you will work; for IMGs the process requires NMC registration certificate apostilled by MEA, MBBS degree apostilled, and German language proof (C1 level minimum) — processing takes 3–6 months.

Get a no-objection certificate from the Medical Council of India for practicing medicine in Germany

Open a Non-Resident External (NRE) account in India to receive foreign exchange earnings

Maintain your existing PAN card for tax purposes in India

Transfer your Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) balance to a new NRE account

Notify the Income Tax Department about your move to Germany to avoid any tax implications

You can hold an NRO account for Indian-source income (rent, dividends); NRO interest is taxed at 30% in India, but Germany grants a foreign tax credit under DTAA Article 22 — keep Form 16A (TDS certificate) from your Indian bank to claim the credit in your German Steuererklärung.

Consider opening a new NRE account for your German income to avoid tax complications

Close your existing bank account in India if you're not planning to return

Keep your health insurance policy in India to cover any medical emergencies

India is not on Germany's licence-exchange list, so you cannot directly convert; you must pass the German theory test (Theorieprüfung) and practical test (Fahrprüfung) — keep your Indian licence as ID and for driving on International Driving Permit (IDP) during the first 6 months.

Consider keeping your Indian health insurance policy to cover any gaps in German coverage

Close your EPF account if you're not planning to return to India

Use remittance services like Western Union or MoneyGram to send money back to India

Register with the Indian Embassy in Germany for any assistance or updates

Choose a mobile carrier that offers international roaming and affordable rates for India

Airtel's 'World Roaming' packs and Vi's 'International Roaming' packs both cover Germany; activate before departure as in-roaming activation requires Indian network connection — Airtel's iRoam pack (₹3,999 for 30 days) includes 30 days unlimited calls and 3 GB data.

Consider using a VPN to stay connected with Indian streaming services and websites