Mechanical Engineer Moving to Germany from India

Obtain a police clearance certificate from the local police station in your city; have it notarised and later apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Get your engineering degree and professional registration certificates attested by the Institution of Engineers (India) [IEI] if applicable, and apostilled by the MEA for use in Germany.

Request a certified copy of your PAN card and a copy of your latest income tax return; these are needed for opening a German bank account.

Secure a medical fitness certificate from a recognised Indian hospital; have it translated into German and apostilled.

Collect your EPF statement and a copy of your employment contract; these documents help prove your pension eligibility abroad.

Open a NRE account at a bank that offers online banking in German language; transfer your savings from your existing savings account to the NRE to keep them tax‑free abroad.

Keep a small NRO account for any rental income or dividends from Indian companies; remember that NRO interest is subject to Indian tax at 30% plus surcharge.

Leave your EPF balance in India to earn interest (currently 8.25%); withdrawal is tax-free if you completed 5 years of continuous service in India before departure — the 5-year rule is about Indian service, not time spent abroad.

Update your PAN card details with the Indian Income Tax Department to avoid withholding tax on overseas earnings; use the PAN for filing foreign tax credit under the DTAA.

File an annual Indian tax return if you have any Indian source income; claim foreign tax credit for taxes paid in Germany under the DTAA.

Keep your NRE account open to hold tax‑free foreign earnings; close any regular savings account that you will no longer use.

Maintain a small NRO account only if you expect to receive rental income or dividends; otherwise close it to avoid unnecessary tax.

Leave your EPF balance in India earning interest rather than trying to continue contributions — once you move abroad your Indian employer contributions stop and NRIs cannot make voluntary EPF deposits; the balance grows until you choose to withdraw.

Keep your health insurance policy with an Indian insurer if it covers overseas travel; otherwise switch to a German health plan and cancel the Indian policy.

India is not on Germany's driving licence exchange list — you cannot directly convert your licence and must pass the full German theory (Theorieprüfung) and practical (Fahrprüfung) tests; your Indian licence is valid for driving only during the first 6 months after entry.

Use a NRE account to send remittances via banks that support SWIFT; the transfer fee is usually lower than online money‑transfer services.

Register with the Indian Embassy in Berlin for consular assistance and updates on visa regulations.

Subscribe to an Indian mobile operator’s international roaming plan or buy a local German SIM with a data bundle that supports Indian apps like WhatsApp and Zomato.

Set up a virtual private network (VPN) to access Indian streaming services and corporate intranets securely.

Keep a backup of all important documents in a cloud storage service that is compliant with Indian data protection laws.