Short-Term Work

Permitted Work without a Visa

British citizens visiting Germany for a visa-free stay of up to 90 days (in any 180-day period) are generally not allowed pursue any economic activity during this time. However, the following activities aren’t classed as work and are therefore permitted without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, provided you’re employed in the UK:

• Attending meetings and conferences;
• Meeting colleagues, contractors, sellers, suppliers or customers;
• Negotiating deals or contracts;
• Presentations to potential clients or customers;
• Attending trade fairs;
• Team building activities;
• Attending job interviews;
• Visiting your employer headquartered in Germany if you are an employee based outside Germany;
• Establishing, supervising or monitoring the German part of a company headquartered outside Germany.

You’re also exempt from the ban on economic activity while in Germany if you belong to one of the following groups, provided the total duration of your work in Germany doesn’t exceed 90 days in any 12-month period:

• Employees of an international company or group attending training events in Germany provided by the same company or group;
• Academic staff, including scientists, technicians, and engineers, working at research or higher education institutions;
• Language teachers working at higher education institutions;
• Teachers working at state and approved private schools;
• Journalists employed in the UK and living outside Germany;
• After-sales service, such as installing software or machinery, or completing technical maintenance, repairs and training, provided the employer has submitted a notification to the German Federal Employment Agency in advance;
• People speaking, lecturing or performing in science, the arts, entertainment or sports, and those assisting them, provided their regular residence remains outside Germany;
• People working at special cultural or musical events or festivals, or in the film and television industry;
• Travel guides accompanying tourist groups to Germany, provided their regular residence remains outside Germany;
• Interpreters required at meetings and discussions in Germany, provided their regular residence remains outside Germany.

Please note that these lists are not exhaustive and provide only a general overview. You can find details on the websites of the UK Department for Business and Trade and the German Missions in the UK. For advice on specific cases, please contact the German Consulate General in Edinburgh (if you live in Scotland) or the German Embassy in London (if you live in any other part of the UK).