Frankfurt 
Expat Law
Legal Services for Expats in Germany
ZELLER & SEYFERT specializes in advising expatriates who are currently residing in Germany. We define the term expatriate (or expat for short) as a person who is temporarily or permanently residing in Germany but was born and brought up in another country (as you are aware the word comes from the Latin terms for “out of fatherland”). This is quite a general definition and one which covers a wide range of those in the expat community, ranging from those who have only recently arrived in Germany to those who have been living here for many years. Regardless of the tenure of one’s residence, a common issue in the expat community is coming to terms with the different legal systems between their mother country and the German legal system. With our proud record of successfully helping many clients hailing from around the world, we at ZELLER & SEYFERT are here to help as your English-speaking expat lawyer.
Employment Law for Expats in Germany
As Employment Law specialists, we provide unparalleled legal representation for our expatriate clients with various issues they may face when working in Germany. This includes unfair termination disputes, executive payment claims, non-compete disputes, and separation or settlement negotiations. Further details about the full breadth of topics we handle on behalf of expats employed in Germany can be seen on our Employment Law for Expats in Germany page.
German Business Immigration Visa Law
Nationals from any of the 62 Schengen visa-exempt countries who come to Germany for business purposes receive a visa-on-arrival that is valid for 90 days and allows movement throughout the Schengen area. A list of the countries that are exempt and those who must apply for the Schengen visa can be found here.
However, professionals seeking long-term stays to work, start a business, or invest in the robust German economy can take advantage of the wide range of long-term visas and residence permits available to qualified applicants.
The long-term visa cases for business purposes that we specialize in include:
- Employees of German companies and posted employees of foreign companies
- Entrepreneurs establishing their business
- Companies
- Real Estate Owners and Investors
- EU Blue Card
For more information about visas for long-term business reasons, see the German Business Immigration Visa Law page.
Where do our clients come from?
Although expats working in Germany come from a variety of countries, they usually run into similar legal problems once living and working in “Deutschland”. As a result, we have successfully represented clients from around the world, from countries such as:
- United States of America (USA)
- United Kingdom (UK)
- Australia
- South Africa (RSA)
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Russia
- China
- Turkey
- India
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Portugal
- Spain
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Poland
- Italy
- Greece
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- The Netherlands
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
- Finland
- France
- Israel
- Mexico
- Hungary
Even if your country is not on this list, we are pretty confident that we will be able to assist you with our breadth of international employment law experience and global professional network.
Additional services covered by our global network
We have a strong and international professional network and are in constant contact with law firms from the countries listed above. As noted previously, we have successfully handled several cases for clients from a multitude of countries and, therefore, we see ourselves as experts in the legal differences between these countries and Germany, especially regarding Labor Law or Employment Law. Having such a strong international network is a massive advantage as we can liaise with our partnered advisors for assistance in their domestic country whilst concentrating on enforcing our client’s rights under German Law.
Furthermore, we can help our clients to identify advisors for assistance regarding various other legal and tax services wherever you may be located in Germany. Additionally, we frequently work together with other service providers that expats usually require, such as Relocation Agencies, Recruiters, Translation Agencies, and more. Our wide professional network allows us to assist our trusted clients on a wide range of issues that are directly applicable to the international community in Germany.