Built to make your life in Germany lighter.
We’re building Settle in Germany to help internationals understand the country, navigate everyday life, and feel at home here.
We see Germany from both sides.
Some of us grew up with Germany. Others had to figure it out. Bringing both perspectives together helps us explain not only what works — but why it works that way.
The international perspective
What feels confusing when you didn’t grow up here? What surprises you? What gets lost in translation — culturally or literally?
The German perspective
What do Germans simply take for granted? Which rules, habits and systems make perfect sense once you know the context?
That’s where our content starts: the gap between the two
The people behind Settle in Germany
Different backgrounds, different experiences — brought together by the same goal: helping internationals build a life in Germany they can thrive in and truly love.
Paulo
International perspective, co-founder
Paulo moved from Brazil to Germany in 2022, drawn by the idea of building a different kind of life in Europe. He had already lived in Ireland, Italy, and the United States, so starting over somewhere new wasn’t unfamiliar. Germany still came with its own learning curve—from paperwork and language to direct communication, work culture, and all the little rules nobody bothers to explain.
Berlin felt social long before Germany felt fully like home. Paulo quickly found friends, community and a sense of belonging. The difference came when he found his place in working life, understood the systems around him, and gained the stability that comes with feeling part of the country rather than simply living in it. Later, through onboarding sessions with newcomers, he helped others prepare for that same transition and heard first-hand what they worried about before making the move.
With a background in marketing and design, years of experience in social media and graphic design, and an agency he founded in Brazil, Paulo brings creativity and an international perspective to Settle in Germany. He wants to show that Germany can be much more than a place to settle — it can be a place to enjoy, grow, and build a life you are genuinely proud of.
Christian
German perspective, co-founder
Before moving to Berlin, Christian grew up in a small town in western Germany and later lived in Stuttgart. Years abroad changed how he sees his own country. He studied in Spain and France, worked in the United States, and later spent time in Portugal and Brazil. As someone who didn’t know the language, the unwritten rules, or simply “how things are done,” he learned something important: life in a new country isn’t always difficult because the system itself is complicated. Often, you are simply missing the knowledge everyone else takes for granted.
Back in Germany, he started noticing those invisible gaps everywhere — through international friends, colleagues, and later while helping newcomers in onboarding sessions. Missing context around housing, work, contracts, or bureaucracy can turn a simple problem into stress, unnecessary costs, or the feeling that Germany is harder than it needs to be.
With a background in product management and digital consulting, Christian brings an analytical approach to Settle in Germany: researching how things actually work, adding German context, and turning it into practical answers. His goal is simple — make the difficult parts lighter, so people have more time and energy for the life they actually came here to build.
How we turn questions into useful answers
We start with real questions, dig into how Germany actually works, and turn what we find into practical guidance you can use in everyday life.
We look at the questions, frustrations and everyday situations internationals actually deal with.
We dig into official sources, providers, rules and the details behind the answer — instead of just repeating what everyone else says.
We bring together the international and German perspective, including the unwritten rules and assumptions that can make all the difference.
We turn what we find into practical guides, comparisons, tools and clear next steps you can actually use.
What you can expect from us
Clear answers, honest context and recommendations designed to help you make better decisions — not just click another link.
01 Reliable over rushed
We’d rather take the time to get something right than publish an answer we’re not confident in.
02 Primary sources first
Whenever possible, we go back to official sources, original data, and the people or companies behind the information.
03 Experience matters — but it isn’t evidence
Our own experiences help us ask better questions and spot what others miss. We still separate personal perspective from facts.
04 Your life comes before our business model
If we earn money from a recommendation, that should never decide what we recommend. The useful answer comes first.
How we keep Settle in Germany running
Settle in Germany is a business, and we want to be open about how we make money. Some links may earn us a commission, and we may work with commercial partners or advertisers. That should never decide what we recommend. We want to point you toward what is genuinely useful — including better alternatives, downsides, or the simple answer that you do not need a product at all.
If money is involved, we’ll make it clear.
Some things need an expert
We spend a lot of time researching how things work in Germany, checking sources and turning complicated topics into practical answers. But we also know where our role ends. Settle in Germany is here to help you understand your options and make everyday decisions with more confidence—not to pretend one general answer fits every personal situation.
When a question needs individual legal, tax, financial, or other professional advice, we would rather point you toward the right official source or qualified expert than guess.
Germany should feel like more than paperwork
We want Settle in Germany to help you spend less time figuring out systems, second-guessing everyday decisions or wondering whether you are doing things the “right” way. The point is not to become an expert in German bureaucracy. It is to make the complicated parts lighter so you can focus on the life you actually want to build here.
Whether you have just arrived or have been in Germany for years, we hope our guides, tools and perspectives help you feel more confident, make better decisions and enjoy more of what living here can offer.
