I did it, and so can you! I just read the other day that it’s possible for many foreigners to have their driver’s license transferred, which is a much more sensible (and cheaper) alternative to getting one done in Germany. A couple of catches:

a) You have to prove that you lived in the country where your license is from for at least six months after it was provided to ou,

b) You have to apply before three years is up after you started to live in Germany.

I never had to prove the six months condition, and sinc I’m Canadian, I didn’t have to bother with any other fuss like getting it translated, etc. I recommend looking into it… I’ll provide the link as soon as I find it again.

I have finally developed my translation business to the point where I am completely self-sufficient, i.e. I’m moving out of my Wohngemeinschaft (can’t stand my roommate any longer), and into a much larger, prettier apartment in Wedding. Wedding itself is an interesting place, and I’m looking forward to the independence and freedom. As a good friend of mine put it, you just can’t put a price on being able to walk around naked in your own place!

The details: 70 square meters at 427 euros per month, large bedroom, large living room, bathroom, kitchen, and ample storage (large Abstellkammer, etc.), central heating via radiators, cable TV, and more. I had to install my own kitchen cabinets and provide my own fridge, but that’s fairly normal. Plus, I inherited the kitchen stuff from my girlfriend’s mom’s boyfriend, so it was free of charge! Not bad…

I also rented a small moving van from Robben & Wientjes, and they are by far the cheapest rental moving vehicle outfit in Berlin. I paid a total of around 20 euros for three hours.

Well, it went off without a hitch. I went in, showed them my documents, explained my situation, and I got my residency and work permits extended two years!

Time to celebrate!

Part of what I need to renew my visa is a Bescheinigung (document) which certifies that I am not receiving any social services… I found this page

It has information for every Kiez in the city and a handy map which you can click on to locate the local office which is responsible for your PLZ (Postleitzahl - post code).

Okay, so I got through to my friendly neighbourhood Ausländeramt, and this is what they want from me:

30 euros,

2 Lichtbilder (pass photos),

Krankenversicherung (private health insurance),

Arbeitsvertrag (employment contract),

Anmeldebescheinigung (residency registration certificate),

Mietvertrag (apartment rental contract),

Valid passport,

and a “proof” from the Arbeitsamt that I am not using any social services, i.e. I am supporting myself (not like 10% of the German population, which is drinking on my tax dime).

Well, the time has finally come. After being in Germany for almost 20 months, I have to go to the Ausländeramt / Ausländerbehörde to get my work and residency visa renewed. In case you need to go and get your Aufenthaltstitel (residency permit) or Arbeitsgenehmigung (work permit) renewed or you are applying for the first time, take a look at the following links to the Berliner Ausländerbehörde (LABO):

Visa FAQ (German)

Fixing an appointment (German)

More info about the LABO (German)

Happy new year, and all the best for 2008! I am very excited about what the coming year holds for my business, and I’ll tell you why:

First, globalization continues to march on, the Internet continues to grow, and English is still the world’s choice for a lingua franca. Even though the North American economy is in the dumps right now, I’m not too worried, since the bulk of my business actually comes from foreign (non-native English speaking) companies who are trying to reach other foreign companies in the world…

Second, the German economy may not be growing, but it is stable, and since Germany is the world’s largest exporter of goods, many of its companies require English translations.

Third, my network is continuing to expand because of great sites like proz.com, translatorsbase.com, etc. I have contacts all over the world and they are sending me work regularly!

Last of all, I have a special surprise planned for 2008 which I think will be a valuable resource for translators, agencies, and clients all over the world! Stay tuned….

Man, the EU is rough. Or at least Germany is, anyway. As a freelancer, I am required to demand 19% VAT (value added tax) from all of my clients within Germany. I think that is outrageous, but whatever - they have to pay it, and then I just hand it over to the man. Speaking of which, if you are working as a freelancer or are thinking about starting a business, I recommend just talking to a tax consultant (Steuerberater). The tax law in Germany is extremely abstruse, and if you are working (and let’s hope you are), then you won’t have time to inform yourself about it and do it right. Just hire someone to help you until you are successful enough to get educated to the level where you can do it alone. I missed out on paying my VAT back to the gov for the last three months, and now they want 4xx.xx euros from me. Actually, I don’t even think the amount is that bad (it’s not my money).

I still have yet to do my personal income tax, but apparently while everyone else is doing it next May, I’ll be able to put it off until September. That’s one thing my tax consultant an do which I think is pretty snazzy…

Moral: Use a tax consultant while you are getting started out. Give them power of attorney to communicate with the Finanzamt and focus on your work.

Hello dear readers,

Much has happened since my last entry. We all know that I’ve been working as a freelancer in this big, bad world of ours, and in the past few days I have had a rude awakening: Not all of my clients are truthful and honorable. A client tried to stiff me for about 500 euros, and I reacted by publishing a complaint on a well-known outsourcing page online. Well, you can imagine that the response came quick and that it was a real victimised sort of tirade, but that’s what you get when you don’t pay me on time. Rebuke. I know, I’m vindictive and all that, but I don’t work for free, and only suckers get ripped off. In the future, I will demand at least 20% upon delivery of jobs over 150 euros. I think this fair, and I will make sure my clients know this up front, too. I mean, who wants to work all weekend on a project, write an invoice for 500 euros and then never hear from the client again? At least this way I can cover my basic investment.  Maybe it’s good advice for you, too…

I hate tax. I hate the concept. But it’s a necessary evil, and I’d rather do it than get deported, so here I go…

Since I started working part-time at this great company downtown, things have been picking up. I work part-time for them, and then I bid on jobs on the web or get work through my website. In the last month I’ve worked fairly hard and earned some great revenue. The next step, when working as a freelancer, is to do a tax declaration. Tax declarations come in many colours and flavours, and I’ve decided to do mine monthly. This means I send my local Finanzamt here in Pankow a notification outlining what I’ve earned and what tax is due on my revenue. In Germany the current MWST (or VAT, value added tax) is 19%. I think it’s outrageous, but hey, I guess they need to pay for a lot of work-shy people in this country.

I’m happy though in spite of that, because I don’t actually have to pay into a lot of the social programs here. I just hand over the tax and I can go and do whatever I want with my earnings, which is the way I like it.

Tip: Check out this program to get a head start on informing yourself about paying your taxes electronically. If it wasn’t for this crappily-produced-but-still-a-life-saver of a program, I would be up to my neck in tax literature, and I would prefer to be up to my neck in broken glass than that.

Also: Taxation is for suckers; only do as much as you need to do, and send the rest to a tax haven!!