Moving abroad after 40: UK, Germany and EU work rules

Start with what age actually changes

“Too old to emigrate” is not a useful starting point. Rules treat age in different ways: some set a minimum age, some add a financial condition at a certain age, and some do not depend on a visa at all. Write down your age on the date that matters for the route you plan to use. This page covers three things only: the UK Skilled Worker route, German employment permits for skilled workers, and EU free movement. It does not rank countries, and it does not cover Canada or Australia.

United Kingdom: a minimum age, not a maximum

The Skilled Worker rules say the applicant must be aged 18 or over on the date of application (SW 1.3). We found no maximum age in that rule. The route still needs an approved employer, a certificate of sponsorship, a job on the list of eligible occupations and a minimum salary that depends on the type of work and the date of the certificate. GOV.UK says you must have a confirmed job offer before you apply.

UK Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa — overview

Germany: a salary or pension condition from age 45

German law sets conditions for a residence permit for employment (section 18 of the Residence Act): a concrete job offer, the consent of the Federal Employment Agency unless the employment is exempt from that consent, permission to practise a profession where one is required, and recognition or equivalence of the qualification where that is a condition. For a first permit under section 18a or 18b, there is one more condition after the 45th year of life is completed: the salary must be at least 55 per cent of the annual contribution ceiling of the statutory pension insurance, unless the person can show adequate old-age provision. The Federal Foreign Office page says the condition applies if you are 45 or older, so it applies from the 45th birthday. Its table gives 55,770 euros a year. That is 55% of the 2026 ceiling of 101,400 euros set in the Social Insurance Reference Values Ordinance 2026. The law allows the condition to be waived where there is a public, regional, economic or labour-market interest in the job, in particular if the salary threshold is missed only slightly or the age limit is exceeded only slightly. The Ministry of the Interior publishes the minimum salary for each calendar year by 31 December of the year before. Ask the competent authority which evidence of old-age provision it accepts.

Residence Act (AufenthG) section 18 — consolidated text, Federal Ministry of Justice Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office), German Embassy Pristina: Lebensunterhalt in Deutschland Sozialversicherungsrechengrößen-Verordnung 2026 (SVBezGrV 2026), section 4

Your existing citizenship may remove the work-permit question

Begin with the rights you already hold. Your Europe says an EU national generally does not need a work permit to work anywhere in the EU. A Portuguese citizen moving to Spain for work should therefore not start by applying for a third-country work visa. Your Europe also advises finding out the applicable procedures in the country where you want to work. If you want to settle in another EU country without taking up work or education, it says you must prove sufficient resources for you and your family and comprehensive health insurance.

Your Europe: Work permits Your Europe: Economically inactive EU citizens

What this page does not cover

It does not cover Canada's Express Entry points, Australia's skilled and graduate visas, other countries, working-holiday visas, dependants, or how an employer will treat an older applicant. It does not say whether any person will be accepted.