Software Engineer Moving to Germany from India

Get an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs for your degree certificate.

Get a police clearance certificate (PCC) from the local police station.

Get a certificate of good standing from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or your alma mater.

Get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from your employer if you're employed in India.

Your degree certificates need apostille attestation from the MEA in India — not from the Indian Embassy in Germany, which cannot do this. The MEA e-Sewa portal accepts online appointments. Book at least 4 weeks before your intended departure; slot availability has been tight since 2023.

Open a NRE account in India to receive foreign income without tax implications.

Close your NRO account if you're not earning income in India.

Link your Indian PAN card to your German bank account for tax purposes.

Understand the implications of DTAA on your Indian EPF and PF balance.

EPF and PF balances are taxable on withdrawal once you become an NRI — but the rate depends on how many years you contributed. If you contributed for under 5 years, TDS at 10% applies. Get a CA opinion before submitting the withdrawal form from abroad; the rules are less clear-cut than the EPFO website implies.

Close your Indian bank account if you're not earning income in India.

Keep your Indian health insurance policy if it covers you abroad.

Convert your Indian driving license to a German one within 6 months.

Keep your Indian bank account's registered address current and Aadhaar-linked. Banks run FATCA compliance checks periodically, and a mismatch between your Aadhaar address and your account address can trigger a freeze — which is genuinely inconvenient to resolve from abroad. Update both before you leave.

Close your Indian EPF account if you're not contributing to it anymore.

Use remittance services like Western Union or MoneyGram to send money to India.

Register with the Indian Embassy in Germany for any assistance or updates.

Choose a mobile carrier that offers international roaming with Indian carriers.

Download Indian apps like Paytm or PhonePe for easy transactions in India.

Update your address with the Income Tax Department via the e-filing portal before you leave India. Once you're abroad, your ITR status changes — you'll file as NRI from the financial year in which you become non-resident, even if you were in India for part of that year. Get this right in the first filing or you'll be correcting it for two years.