How to move to Europe without a relocation package from an employer?

Moving to Europe is definitely possible with minimal support from your employer! My experience of moving to Berlin and obtaining a Blue Card visa.

How to move to Germany without a relocation package from your employer?

You might be surprised to know that moving to Germany is quite possible even with minimal support from your employer! I’ll share how I managed to do this based on my own experience.

Last year, we decided to move to Germany after my fiancée received a job offer in Berlin. At the time, I had been working for 3 years in Israel in an IT company as a software engineer, and my company had sales offices in various countries. One of the sales offices was in Munich, which got me thinking about trying to move there. Despite the company having no relocation department, R&D team, or other engineers in Germany, and no specialists for relocation, I was able to obtain a Blue Card visa for Germany (a work visa that grants the right to permanent residency in Germany in less than 2 years!).

So, how did I manage to do this?

🔹 Declare your intention: Determination is key
Knowing that I was a valuable employee, I wasn’t afraid of losing my job. I decided to approach my direct manager and inform him directly that my fiancée and I had decided to change our lives and move to Germany in 3 months. I emphasized that I highly valued the company and team, and I asked if it would be possible to discuss the relocation with HR and the department head. We talked for about an hour, discussing possible options and other details. At the end of the conversation, I highlighted 3 key points.

🔹 3 key points in the conversation with the employer
🔸 "I would like to continue working with your team, and I see my future in this company."
🔸 "I know that our HR department does not have relocation specialists for Germany, and I am willing to find experts on my own and cover all relocation costs myself. The only thing I need from the German office is a German contract."
🔸 "I think it would be better if the initiative comes from me, so I would also like to present my proposal directly to the department head."

📌 Note: I clearly set deadlines for the move, demonstrated my motivation, and proposed a concrete technical solution for organizational matters.

🔹 Waiting for contract confirmation
After my discussions with the department head and HR, my request was forwarded to the legal department to clarify the possibility of getting a German contract. About two weeks later, I received a positive response (thanks to the support of my managers and the fact that the company already had sales managers working on contract in Germany).

🔹 The visa process
After my employer approved the process of preparing my contract, I started looking for a company that could assist with the visa application process.
I quickly found a good company called Visa Right via Google, emailed them, and arranged a call to explain my situation. They agreed to help with the application, and we began preparing the documents as soon as I received the contract.