Germany or Poland
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Germany | Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 91 040 | $ 63 273 |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 3 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | $ 114 | $ 116 |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 650 · estimate | $ 1 684 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 44,5 | $ 29,3 |
| Life expectancy | 80.79 | 78.41 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.92 | 0.68 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.1 | 2.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Germany — 87, Poland — 40. Types present in both: work, study, family and job seeking. Germany adds: startup, repatriation and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Germany: fees range from 10 to 147 EUR. Routes stating an income threshold: 10; the lowest is 959 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 1; the shortest is 60 days. Poland: fees range from 85 to 640 PLN. Routes with no fee: 1.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Germany after 3 years, Poland after 5 years. Citizenship: Germany after 5 years, Poland after 3 years. Both allow a second citizenship. Bringing your own parents: Poland — yes, Germany — no.
Germany in brief
High salaries and stability. Reuniting with a partner's parents almost never works — only in cases of exceptional dependency. The working language is English at B2+ or German.
Poland in brief
A large EU member with a growing tech sector (Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław) and some of the lowest violent crime figures in Europe. Held back by standard family reunification covering only a spouse and minor children — parents are not on the ordinary list — and by tightened security checks on residence applications and renewals for some applicants.
Other comparisons
More on each: Germany · Poland. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.