The Hamburg Welcome Center is an official city authority office for companies, skilled workers and their families from Germany and abroad. It is your service provider for the areas of entry and residence.
Residence permits and registration services
Assisting and counselling qualified foreign workers and management personnel as well as their family members is a high priority at the Hamburg Welcome Center. In particular our service is designed for foreign self-employed persons and researchers as well as freelancers and employees whose minimum income complies with section 2, paragraph 18b, sentence 2 of the Residence Act (currently 44,304 EUR).
This includes assistance concerning:
- Registration and changing of residence
- Issuing, extending and transferring of residence permits
- Acceptance of declarations of commitment in accordance with section 68 of the Residence Act
- Application for certificates of good conduct
Please book an appointment prior to your visit!
You can make an appointment at the Hamburg Welcome Center if you are a foreign employee or freelancer and your anticipated income exceeds the minimum stated in section 2, paragraph 18b, sentence 2 of the Residence Act (currently 44,304 Euro).
ATTENTION: Due to the current risk of infection with Covid-19, you also need to book an appointment for picking up your electronic residence permit (eAT). Please book an appointment using the contact form below.
Alternatively you can visit your Customer Service Centre and District Immigration Authorities for these services.
Faster procedure for skilled workers
In order to meet the demand for skilled workers in Germany, a new and faster procedure for skilled workers was introduced in the form of the Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz (skilled worker immigration law) on March 1, 2020. The main intention of this law is to make the entry and recognition procedure for skilled workers faster and more transparent.
Employers who make a concrete job offer to a skilled worker from abroad can start the faster procedure in Germany with the power of attorney of the skilled worker. The Hamburg Welcome Center for Professionals (HWCP) advises employers in Hamburg on the procedure and acts as their central contact. At the end of the process, the HWCP sends a preliminary approval to the German mission abroad.
This has many advantages for employers:
- The entire entry procedure is coordinated by a single competent authority. This also includes the procedure for the recognition of foreign professional or university degrees.
- The required deadlines, e.g. for the recognition procedures, are significantly shorter than in the regular procedure.
- Only at the end of the procedure does the expert have to go to the responsible German mission abroad and should receive an appointment within three weeks. The waiting time for an appointment, which can sometimes be months or even years, is eliminated.
Entry for training purposes and family reunification with skilled workers who enter Germany with the faster procedure are also possible.
There is a fee of 411 euros for the faster procedure. Further fees may be incurred within the scope of the recognition procedure and for the procurement of certified copies or translations. In principle, the foreign expert is the debtor of the costs.
Please note, that you currently need to book an appointment for a consultation due to Covid-19.
Entry matters with visa
The visa office of the Hamburg Welcome Center for Professionals issues statements on visa applications submitted to the relevant German missions abroad. General information on the visa procedure can be found at the website of the central office for residents.
The respective German mission abroad is always responsible for the decision on the granting of a visa. A visa itsself cannot be applied for at the Hamburg Welcome Center for Professionals!
