Au pairs from non EU States:

All au pair applicants from countries that require visas, wishing to enter Germany as an au pair, must apply for an au pair visa at their German Consulate/Embassy.
In order to do this the au pair applicant needs the following documents: A letter of invitation signed by the host family and the accredited agency.    This letter must state that the stay is for the purpose of language study.  Pocket money, working hours, agreed holidays, free accommodation and maintenance, must be guaranteed in accordance with Paragraph 84 of the Immigration Laws.

Besides this, the invitation must include a commitment on the part of the host family to apply and pay for health, accident and public liability insurance.
The au pair will be faxed and sent the letter of invitation, with 3 copies of the au pair contract.
The au pair contract is then countersigned by the au pair and sent back either to the host family or the agency.
The au pair must then go to the Visa Application Office in the German Embassy in their own country,  taking the letter of invitation, the au pair contract, a valid passport, 3 passport photos and a health certificate.
Before completing the application, the applicant is generally tested on their knowledge of German. If applicants have a certificate from a Language School, they are strongly advised to bring this with them. If the applicant passes the language test, the provisional visa can be applied for.
The Embassy will make an au pair visa inquiry with the appropriate Immigration Authority in their area.  In order to do this the Embassy initially sends this inquiry to the Office for Federal Administration in Köln and from there it is forwarded to the appropriate district.
On receipt of the application, the Immigration Authority generally informs the applicant in writing and asks for a signature on the declaration of commitment.  (For this a fee of €20 may be levied, depending on the district.)
Furthermore, many Immigration Authorities may require confirmation or earnings and an accomodation registry. Eg. A rental agreement with a certificate for your flat or house size.
If this file has a positive reception, the Immigration Authority will inform the Employment Office so that a work permit can be made out.  For this the host family will receive from the local Employment Office a questionnaire, which must be completed and signed by the host family, and then returned along with the au pair contract.

After permission has been granted by the Employment Office and the Immigration Authority, the request goes back through the Office for Federal Administration in Köln to the Embassy.
The au pair is then informed by the Embassy and is given a stamp (a provisional visa for 3 months) in their passport.  Some Embassies grant 12 month visas immediately.
Au pairs who come to Germany with the 3 month provisional Visa must, before the end of this time period, apply for a 9 month extension at the appropriate Immigration Authority.  For this a passport, 3 passport photos, a copy of the letter of invitation, a copy of the au pair contract and the Health Certificate are once more required.
The costs of extending the visa are covered by the host family and amount to €40.

Once the au pair has arrived in Germany they must, within 3 days, be registered with the Police  (Residents' Registration Office) by the host family.  When their stay in Germany is ended, the au pair is then deregistered again by the host family with the Police Authorities.

Au pairs from EU states:
(England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Autria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Ireland,  Finland, Sweden)

Au pairs from EU states holding a valid apssport can enter Germany without a visa or work permit. The au pair must, within a week, be registered with the police  (Residents' Registration Office) by the host family and apply for a residence permit for au pair work.  For this application the au pair needs a valid passport, 3 passport photos and an au pair contract from the host family in which all the conditions of their employment are specified.  For EU au pairs the residence permit can be extended indefinitely.

Au pairs from these states can come to Germany with a valid passport and don't need a visa.
The au pair must, within a week, be registered with the police  (Residents' Registration Office) by the host family.

At the same time the au pair must apply for a work permit through the carrying out of a language test.  When the au pair stays for longer than a month then a residence visa for 12 months must also be applied for at the appropriate Immigration Authority.
For further information the agency Aupair worldwide is glad to be of service.

All details are subject to change.  As at March 2004