Remote Work Options in Germany for EU Blue Card from France

Despite the name "EU Blue Card", your visa needs to be changed if you move to another country. This is possible, but not free of buerocratic effort. Read related threads to find out more!

And if you work in Germany without a local employer, you are classified as self-employed - which creates more buerocratic effort for business registration, accountancy and taxation. It also costs, because you have to not only pay income tax, but also contribute to (compulsory) health and social insurances here (without having an employer who normally pays half of the dues). Again, there are many related threads to read!

If you are less than fluent in (formalistic) German, you'll need to engage professionals for all this (at a cost).

I would not go through all that for just a few months stay!

To add to what Beppi wrote. If one is self-employed in Germany, which one would have to get specific permission, they cannot be on a blue card. That is only possible as an employee and with a minimum salary.

But as I understand it, this "remote work" would NOT be self-employment but what is called an inter-company transfer. Different status with different rules; the regulations for which I don't really know the details. If a company in France has an office in Germany as well then one would expect that they have some experience and know what the Germany officials will require - unless this would be the first time they would try to transfer a non-EU employee.

Tom is correct: If you are employed by your company's Germany office (instead of the headquarter in France), then things are much easier!

Thank you both for your reply. Unfortunately, that’s not my case.

I wanted to work there because my partner is doing a 9 months course in Berlin and I wanted to stay with her. My company has no office there.

We are not married but we will soon register a civil union in France (PACS as we call it here).

Do you think there is an easy way out for me in that case?

Many thanks !

I think we described the situation and all possible solutions above.

The easiest (and not mentioned yet) is of course not working.

Thank you both for your reply. Unfortunately, that’s not my case.
I wanted to work there because my partner is doing a 9 months course in Berlin and I wanted to stay with her. My company has no office there.

We are not married but we will soon register a civil union in France (PACS as we call it here).

Do you think there is an easy way out for me in that case?

Many thanks !
-@Lucas Rodrigues dos St

The question is if you are leaving your job then you will invalidate your blue card and your basis for legal residency. If you would get German permission for remote work, you would have a temporary residency in Germany but your blue card situation might be cancelled. And to just stay with a spouse, married or in a legal recognized equivalent partnership, if you would not be legally working, then you would have to get a family reunion visa. If your girlfriend is doing a degree at university then the spouse can accompany them if they put enough money for living expenses for both in a blocked German bank account.

For education like vocational training, language schools or other non-university programs or courses in Germany however a spouse is NOT eligible for a FRV! The mentioned 9 month stay suggests it is not a university degree. I can understand one wanting to stay with a girlfriend/spouse but one should take the opportunity to immigrate and have a blue card seriously. Maybe helpful officials can suggest a legal way but from the sounds of it you would have an unconventional situation to maintain the blue card and to stay in Germany for that long. We can only mention the rules but not always know where the limits to exceptions are. I would strongly suggest you talk to French and then German officials to clarify as I doubt anyone here can give a definitive answer.

Will it be possible for the OP to legally maintain his job in France and get a job in Germany and subsequently a German blue card? Simply put, can you have two blue cards from two EU countries provided you are able to maintain jobs in both.

    Will it be possible for the OP to legally maintain his job in France and get a job in Germany and subsequently a German blue card? Simply put, can you have two blue cards from two EU countries provided you are able to maintain jobs in both.
   

    -@MASod

Such a scenario is wishful thinking. Even if one lived by the border, maintaining 2 full time jobs is virtually impossible. No blue card for part time.

@TominStuttgart Speaking about a situation were both jobs are remote e.g as a software engineer. Either way if this is possible can two blue cards issued from two EU states be allowed. Or the application of one nullifes the other

@MASod In legal and taxation terms, it matters where the work is performed, not where the employer sits (or the salary is paid). Doing two jobs in Germany (one of them remotely for a French company) would not help upkeeping a work visa for France - and vise versa.

And two full-time-jobs in parallel (by definition min. 35 h/week per job) is beyond the legal maximum of regular work duration (which is 50 h/week in Germany).

So again: What you are asking for is not legally possible!