My Boyfriend is in the Army and just got stationed in Germany, I want to move there to be with him...?

Question

I don't believe there are any accomadations to Army girlfriends. I want to move to Germany to be with my boyfriend and understand I will have to find a job and housing near his base. I want to move there in April 2007 and neither one of us want to rush getting married. I don't even know where to begin to start preparing. I'm looking for somewhere to start. Do I need a work visa? Is my plan even feesable? I'm willing to do anything to make this work and to be there with him. He currently lives in the barracks but I believe he can obtain permission to live off base just without the financial support from the Army. If anyone has any information I would really appreciate it! Even a website or someone to contact would help!

Just to add a few more details, I am trying to get a job working on the base he will be stationed at in April 2008 in Kaiserslautern, Germany aka K-Town. We've both been told there's a chance I could get employed by the govt and work on the base. I have a Bachelor's Degree and have 3 years of experience in the corporate world. If anyone can give me any information about base jobs and cilvillians working on the base I would really appreciate contacts or websites. We are both trying to do lots of research before I even go there. Getting married is out of the question! We want to take our time and not get married for the sake of making this easier. I don't mind a really good challenge and I'm up for it all, even him getting assigned elsewhere! Also, does anyone know if you work on the base if you can live on the base? I'm fully aware of how expensive it is over there and how hard this is going to be, like I said, I'm up for the challenge and willing to do what it takes to be with him.

Answer 1

He can be transferred at any time can't he? What happens if you do all this and then he is sent back stateside or Middle East?

Answer 2

Feel free to visit him for a few weeks. **You will not be issued a military ID card-you will have to have a special pass, renewed every 8-10 days, and you must be escorted around base by your boyfriend. You wont even be allowed to shop in the base exchange, shoppettes, or even at the commissary unless your boyfriend is there to buy for you.** But....on the other hand, if you have no business at all to be within the country-- that means you cannot stay with him. If you're just a girlfriend, you don't mean anything to the Army. Since your boyfriend is living in Army Baracks, he cannot move off base depending on his rank and he must recieve permission from both Commander and Housing. If you were to live with him off base, you would have to be listed on his housing contract, and if you're not a military dependent-you cannot stay with him that way either.

If you still plan on living over here in Germany, a work visa could work....but finding a job where English is spoken fluently, is very hard thing to do. And since most Germans don't really speak it straight out when they walk into a store or a shop, you need to know the local language...otherwise you're going to look and feel stupid. Most companies require you to speak both English AND German for job positions on the economy.

Housing in Germany (with the given exchange rate right now) is very pricey. You're probably not going to be able to afford a decent apartment without it looking like crap and also not coming with the essential phone, tv cable *you will have German channels only without an military AFN decoder*, and internet hook-up. Most apartment complexes are decades old, and some still do not come with those necessities. Supporting yourself with food, paying bills, GAS (which is costly on the economy), a car, and renting a small house (which you probably couldn't do withput some sort of financial help) or an apartment, will be very VERY difficult for you.

I think your plan is not feesable, and will not work...but you never know. All that I know is that your ambitions will be hard to complete without help from another. Just take into consideration the possible chance of him getting restationed elsewhere, and you went through all this trouble to be with him. Not everything will work out as easy as you'd hope it to be.

I wish you all the best of luck though.

Answer 3

It is sweet you want to be with him, but you do need to understand a few things first.

1) Most countries do not have open immigration policie like the US. You will need to contact the State Department and the German Consulate to get the information you want. In all likelihood you will need to have a job ready and waiting to apply for a long term visa and have a certain amount of cash in the bank to prove you can cover initial living exspenses.
2) While English is spoken throughout Europe, you will need to have a passing ability to speak and understand German, Living near a base may make it easier, but for a good job knowing the language will be essential.
3) You will have to use the German economy for everything..including medical care. You will have no access to the base, military commisaries or medical facilities. Medical care in a country where English is not the primary language is tough. You may need to provide your own insurance and many companies are not accepted overseas.
4) Your boyfriend could be deployed at any time. He will not be given permission to move off base if he is not eligable for housing allowance for the military..period. He will need permission to live off base and that will depend largely on his rank and his job within the unit. You will need to figure that you will not see him every night or even every weekend.

I really encourage you to do all your homework (and contact the right people for answers) before making a decision. Military wives, who have the benefit of unit sponsorship, access to services and housing, will tell you that moving half way across the world is tough.

Answer 4

Considering that you want to move in April 2007 (typo?), you are a little late.

To start with, you will need a passport and a visa to enter Germany. Then you will have to register on the German economy, obtain a work visa, and find a job. I hope that you speak German, because you may not be eligible to work on base, and he will not receive any additional funding to support you.

You don't say where he is stationed, so we can't post any links to the community, nor for local accomodations/jobs.

Personally, I don't think that this is a smart idea, but that's just my opinion.

Answer 5

Okay, here goes. Yes, you can go there and live off-post if you obtain a work visa. BUT off-base housing in Germany aways cost more than BAH. You will be looking at spending anywhere from $1200 to $1800 a month in rent on the german economy. You will have to have a car since the cheaper housing (in the $1200 range) is located for the most part at least 45 minutes from the base. You might be able to get a job working for AAFES and that pays minimum wage. Gasoline prices are through the roof at about $5.00+ a gallon off-base. He may receive permission to lie off-base (depends on his rank, if he is under E-5 than the answer is NO). Too many young Airman go out drinking and get busted for DUI's so they do no allow single Airman to live off-base. There are tons of dorms there. The plane ticket alone will cost over $1000. We wre stationed there from 1997-1999 and the prices have just gotten worse! Also, I can gaurantee that he will deploy from Gemany so he won't even be there half the time.

Just because you work on bae does not mean you can live on base. You still have to be military to live on base. Civilians are only allowed to live on bse as dependants of active duty members PERIOD.

Answer 6

You are correct regarding the financial support from the Army. The military will not help with any of your moving expenses or housing costs unless you are legally married. Even then his tour in Germany would have to qualify as an accompanied tour. He'd have to find out from his command.

He will be responsible for maintaining the barracks assigned to him even if he lives in town with you.

I'd recommend starting to learn German as soon as possible to help obtain a job in Germany.

The site listed will help you start the visa process.

Good luck,

Answer 7

basically, you will have to abide by the German regulations for moving over there. this could involve a lot of expense in obtaining a visa(getting a work one will be darn near impossible unless you get somebody to hire you before hand and agree to sponsor you).

If he is a first termer, chances are he will NOT get permission to live off base, and his chances of deploying are very high. so what will you do three months after getting there.. ALL on your own dime, mind you.. and he deploys for a year?

Frankly, your idea is shortsighted, reckless and just plain not feasible.

Answer 8

i would strongly suggest that you step back and regroup -- you two will have so many things going against you that the best advise i can give would be to save up and plan a vacation a long vacation over there. k-town is very central located in europe and you can visit many places within a days drive. by the time you get a passport (you will need that for the vacation also) several months will all ready have went by and if you split his time over there with a vacation by the time you turn around twice he will be back home.

Answer 9

If you feel that strongly for each other the only feasible way is to get married. Keep in mind the US Army is redeploying several soldiers from Europe. Also what if gets deployed to Iraq or comes down on orders for Drill SGT School or recruiting. I dont see him coming down on orders for another post that quick. Then what you pay out of your pocket even more.

Answer 10

i live in germany i am an army spouse i want to tell you that it wouldnt be wise just moving over here with out getting married the german economy is wayy difrent than america is..

it will be really hard for you to find a job on post with out an id card and with no relation to the military what so ever other than your boyfreind....

you will be living in the german economy because the army cannot and will not accodimate you because you are not married to him and not considered a depent of his the exchange rate sucks one german dollar(euro) = 1.30 american and can get really expensive living off the german economy plus tax rate is 20% to get a german drivers licence with out being related to the army or military will cost you 2000$ gas here is 4euros a liter that is about 12$ a gallon

and you need a german visa to live here you cant just hop an plane and come over to live plus depending on your boyfreinds rank he may not be able to live off post unless he is married the army wont allow it you have to be e-5 ( segerant) and above to be allowed to live off post at all and because of the german econmy here many dont want too

he wont be making extra money to help you out or anything like that and on single solider pay it would be a struggle

my point is you cant there is just too may things that are stoping you due to legal reasons and your finicial reasons along with too many others

you two would actually have to be married for you to be here

Answer 11

There are no provisions for "girlfriends" in the military. What if you go through all that trouble and then he gets transferred again. I assume you mean you want to move there in April 2008 (not 2007) By then he will have already hooked up with a hot German chick and you will be history.