Getting a Working Holiday Visa for Germany without an Appointment (What to Expect).

Last year I decided to pack my things and move to Berlin. As an Australian, you’re allowed to stay in Germany for 90 days without a visa, but are not permitted to work in this time. I wanted to work so required a visa, but was overwhelmed by the options and confusing requirements of each of them.

After a bit of research I discovered the Working Holiday Visa (WHV). Germany has agreements with particular countries around the world (Australia being one of them), and introduced this visa to encourage mobility in young people (between 18-30) by allowing them to live and work there for 12 months.

The visa is a relatively uncomplicated option and grants you the freedom to work, travel or even study at language schools (although for university study you should choose a Student Visa). Apparently the WHV is also one of the easiest visas to get, as it is typically granted immediately on the day you apply (it was for me!).

It is possible to apply for and obtain the WHV once you arrive in Germany, OR in Australia before you leave. In Australia, however, you have to submit an application in person at the Consulate General in Sydney. I didn’t want to have to travel there, so opted to apply in Germany.

If you look online about getting the WHV in Germany, you’ll probably find information advising you to simply “make an appointment!” to submit your visa application. For me, this was IMPOSSIBLE! The website to book appointments showed no open slots for years on end, and when I tried to call I got no answer. Apparently some people have been able to snag appointments by constantly hitting the websites’ refresh button and being very patient, but I had no time for that.

I came to realise that the quickest way I was going to get the visa, was by rocking up at the Ausländerbehörde (the place where you get visas) extremely early, and waiting.

First of all though- here’s what to bring.

For the WHV for Germany, a google search led me to a page that lists the documents required for your application. It is very important to have each of the documents as required, filled out and ready to go to avoid being turned away. Here’s what I brought with me:

• a printed copy of the visa application form, that is accessible from the visa website (here’s a link)

• my passport

• a copy of my travel insurance policy (must be valid for one year, and you should highlight the section that says you’re covered for at least 30,000 EUR in medical expenses, as well as repatriation)

• copies of bank statements that proved I had at least $7,000 AUD in accessible funds (statements have to display the past 3 months and I had to contact my bank to send me these particular statements)

• a biometric passport photo (but don’t glue it onto the paperwork yet)

• proof of my residence registration (called an ‘Anmeldung‘- also extremely hard to obtain an appointment for, but that’s another story…)

• between 50 and 100 euros for the cost of the visa

• patience :))

But for proper information check online, as requirements are likely to change. I got my information here.

What to expect at the Ausländerbehörde (with no appointment!)

On the day I went for my visa, I woke up to an alarm at 2am so I could go get in line at the Ausländerbehörde. There are 2 Ausländerbehörde in Berlin, but apparently only one of the two, located on Keplerstraße in Charlottenburg, grants WHV’s. Here’s what the front entry looks like:

Upon arriving at 3am there were already people waiting, seated on the pavement in front of the door in a line. They informed me about a piece of paper on the door they weren’t sure about, but supposed we should add our names to. There were only about 5 or 6 people I could see there, but I was the 13th person to add my name to the list… at 3am!

We had quite the wait ahead of us, so came prepared with deck chairs, food and drinks, blankets, as well as something to entertain ourselves with.

Between 3am and 4am not too many more people appeared, but as the sun begun to rise around 4.30am, many more people began to show up- I would recommend coming around this time, and definitely before 5am.

Around 5am some men who appeared to be security staff came from the door, and in German instructed everyone that was hanging around to form a line, ordered by who had come first according to the list of names on the door. We were asked to have our passports ready for inspection. There were between 50 and 60 people in the line at this point, around 5am.

Next, the line began to move as the men started checking our passports. In German they would ask if you had a visa yet, and what type of visa you were applying for as they inspected your passport. Then they gave you a paper ticket with your number on it which you’d need to hold onto.

After this, around 6am we were finally allowed to enter the building and follow the staircase up to the 3rd floor where the waiting room was. Here there was also a toilet (woohoo finally!) and a vending machine with snacks. The place didn’t actually open for business until 7am, and after a wait of around an hour and a half, my number was called to go see someone.

I was lucky enough to have my German partner with me at the time. If you have any German speaking friends, it could be very helpful to bring them with you, as in my experience, the staff we spoke to didn’t speak English… It wasn’t a problem that my partner accompanied me in the interview and did the speaking for me.

At the first room you’re called to you hand over all of your documents, which the staff check and make scans of. After this, it’s back to the waiting room, but it wasn’t for too much longer this time.

Your number will be called again, and this time you go into a smaller interview room for some more straight-forward questions about your visa/ what you’ll spend your time in Germany doing. It took around 10 minutes.

After the interview, you’ll receive a document that confirms you have obtained a visa- but this is not the actual visa itself yet. I got a form with a very specific date and time when I would be able to return to the Ausländerbehörde to pick up the actual visa, which is card that looks like a drivers license with your photo on it.

I was also given a token that I had to use to pay the the visa fee on a self-service machine on the floor below.

I had been at the Ausländerbehörde since 3am, and finally left around 5 hours later. The process was a pain but it felt great to walk out and know that I had finally secured myself a visa, and was able to stay in the country for the whole year!

Public nudity in Germany.

Okay so as per the title suggests, there’s something you’re going to have to mentally prepare yourself for when you visit Deutschland….

Germany has something called Freikörperkultur (FKK), meaning a free body culture which is particularly noticeable in the summer time!

accessed from
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9bkjnd/naked-people-park-berlin-876

It is totally normal to go naked at pools, lakes and saunas in Germany, in fact Saunas often have strict no-clothing policies!

This concept can be understood by considering the history of nudity in Germany, as the first official FKK club was founded in Essen in 1898.

Nazis put a stop to nudist practices but eventually began to relax nudity bans, first in rural areas.

After the war, the German Association for Free Body Culture (DFK) was established, and the acceptance of nudity was at an all time high. Nudity was rapidly becoming a social norm, as well as a prominent aspect of German culture.

Clearly, nudity at this level is far less accepted as a social or cultural norm in a country like Australia, and at first may take some getting used to.

The attitude Germans have to nudity is wonderful, and has helped form the culture of body positivity so prominent in Germany.

Societal pressures about body standards and beauty ideals don’t seem to impact Germans so much, whom appreciate bodies of all shapes and sizes, and don’t criticise bodies that don’t conform to societal standards.

I personally believe that the free body culture is a wonderful thing that encourages self-love and an appreciation for a diversity of bodies!

How has Germany been essentialised?

So what do we think about when we think Germany? Who is deciding this is a place they want to travel to, and why? These are important questions we must ask ourselves to begin to understand how place’s are essentialised.

accessed from:
http://kidspressmagazine.com/plans/all 7 April 2019

Take the image above. All of the imagery are strongly associated with Germany as a whole.

Perhaps the strongest imagery associated with Germany is the Lederhosen and Dirndl, or even the pretzels. These symbols, as well as at least half of the imagery above are realistically only true of the south of Germany- in the region of Bavaria. Don’t go to Berlin or Hamburg and expect to see people going to events or weddings in what one might have thought to be the ‘traditional German dress‘.

Check out my blog from the other week where I talk about German beer culture, I’ll link it here: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/jessabroad.home.blog/22. I touch on the Oktoberfest celebration as a tourist attraction, and remind that knowledge and respect of the historical and cultural significance of such an event is important to be a good traveller.

It is so important to dive into a country without expectations, and without taking these symbols at face value. One mustn’t enter a place with an essentialist and internalist view of the place and its character.

Escape this problematic view of place by adopting a PROGRESSIVE sense of place. Remind yourself of the place as a process- a place with multiple different identities and ongoing histories. Respect what makes the place unique, and always remember to explore with an open mind.

German Street Art- “The Kiss”, East Side Gallery, Berlin.

East Side Gallery, Berlin, Germany. Accessed from: https://backpackingman.com/berlin-wall-east-side-gallery-street-art/

“The Kiss” is a famous painting on Berlin East Side Gallery. The East Side Gallery is an open-air art gallery on the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall– a concrete barrier installed by the German Democratic Republic of East Germany that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. The wall stole the freedom of Berliners and prohibited them from crossing. At least 171 people who attempted to cross over were killed.

Depicted in the painting is Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and the East Germany President Erich Honecker kissing- seemingly quite passionately. The image is based on a real photograph taken in 1979 at an event honouring of the 30th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic of East Germany.

‘The Socialist Fraternal Kiss’, 1979. Accessed from: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/socialist-fraternal-kiss-leonid-brezhnev-erich-honecker-1979/

The type of kiss is known as a ‘socialist fraternal kiss’ and is a recognised form of greeting among statesmen of Communist countries; an act that expresses the special connection that exists between Socialist states.

Artist Dmitri Vrubel painted the iconic work when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. In 1990, when erosion required the wall to be renovated, Vrubel was required to redo the painting.

The historical significance of the works’ imagery, as well as the significance of painting on the Berlin Wall itself means the piece is of great cultural significance to Berliner’s.

The piece is perhaps the most famous work featured at the East Side Gallery, with people coming from all over to snap a photo posing (or kissing someone!) in front of it.

Ein Bier bitte!

“Ein Bier Bitte!” (One beer please!) is a phrase you will need to memorise when you come to Germany.

There’s no denying that one of the first symbols to come to mind when we think of Germany is the German beer. Type ‘Germany’ into google images and there’s no doubt a few steins of beer will pop up!

So WHY is Germany so famous for its beer? Let me tell you about the extensive historical and cultural significance of beer in Germany.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is shutterstock_954547302-580x386.jpg — *German Beer, accessed from: https://militaryingermany.com/germany-beer-country*

First of all, Germany has purity laws to ensure the quality of their beer. The history of German beer dates back to 1516 when Duke Wilhem IV of Bavaria ordered the “Purity Law” or “Reinheitsgebot”, stating beer should only contain the purest ingredients: barley, hops and water.

Today the law is still used to regulate the production of German beer, however an additional ingredient- yeast, is also permitted.

Germany has the more breweries than anywhere else in the world. There are more than 1,000 breweries in Germany producing over 4,000 different kinds of beer!

Speaking of breweries, Germany is home to the oldest still-functioning brewery in the whole world! Located in Bavaria, the Weihenstephan monastery started making beer in the eighth century A.D! Now the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan (since 1921), the brewery continues to brew award-winning beer.

Oktoberfest originated from the celebration of the marriage between King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on the 12th of October 1810. A festive celebration marked the close of the royal event, which was celebrated again in subsequent years- marking the beginning of the Oktoberfest tradition.

Oktoberfest celebrations, accessed from: https://www.mrbeeryssrq.com/product/oktoberfest/

German beer is undoubtedly reproduced in many forms, such as today’s version of Oktoberfest, for tourism. It is important for us to respect the history and cultural dimensions that make German beer the national symbol that it is!

Willkommen!

Hey! Welcome to the blog!

My name is Jess and I’m an Australian that will be moving my life over to Germany in the coming months.

Having grown up in rural Australia, I have always been enthusiastic to get out and explore what else might be out there. Since moving to multi-cultural Melbourne and making many friends from all over the world, my desire to experience new places and meet other people living different lives to mine has intensified.

I have found that travelling helps me to gain perspective and grow as a person. Seeing how others live, and doing as they do opens your mind and allows you to understand that there is more to life than what you have seen so far.

“Abroad is the place where we stay up late, follow impulse and find ourselves as wide open as when we are in love“- Pico Iyer

A good traveller must be highly adaptable and open-minded, and these are traits I hope my travels will help me to develop.

Naturally, the destination primarily focused upon in these blogs for the next couple of months will be… Deutschland! (A.K.A Germany). As a young person just beginning to travel, I hope this blog might open the eyes of other young travellers with a passion for experiencing other destinations and cultures, and immersing themselves into other ways of living.