Berlin Tech Companies Offering €80K + Visa Sponsorship — Applications Close November 30

If Berlin is on the list for early 2026, the useful deadline is not a vibe. Submit by November 30 so hiring teams can finish interviews before holidays and open Blue Card files while HR and relocation vendors are still staffed. The roles exist, the salaries clear €80K base at senior IC level, and the sponsorship line is printed on real job pages when you know where to look.

What “€80K plus sponsorship” means in Berlin hiring right now

Across established Berlin tech, senior software engineers and solid mid levels see €80K to €110K base as a normal band, with staff tiers often crossing €120K. That is base, not total. Many teams add a 5 to 10 percent annual bonus and equity or virtual shares. The practical meaning is simple. €80K easily clears the German Blue Card threshold, so immigration is not the bottleneck once you have a signed offer. The bottleneck is calendar friction in December.

Expect salary bands in public postings for some companies and “competitive” language for others. Ask for the band on the first recruiter call. If the posting hides the band but prints relocation and visa support in benefits, you are still in the right lane.

The November 30 line is about operations, not hype

Recruiters push to lock shortlists before mid December, managers travel, and relocation vendors throttle new files once holiday office closures begin. If an application lands on or before November 30, you often get a screen in the first week of December and a panel before people vanish. Files that enter after that date can still win, but start dates slide into spring.

This is not artificial urgency. Berlin HR calendars go quiet for two weeks and housing viewings slow as well. Submitting by the line means January to March starts are realistic rather than hopeful.

Companies that consistently print visa and relocation in writing

You do not need a thousand names. You need a short list of brands that hire internationals every cycle and write sponsorship in benefits.

• N26 prints relocation and visa support across many Berlin roles. Engineering and data postings regularly name relocation packages and visa help in the benefits block. Look for the sentence, do not assume.
• HelloFresh recruits into Berlin across platform and data. Senior IC and staff tracks mention relocation and sponsorship in public materials. Hiring is steady, not seasonal only.
• GetYourGuide hires backend, data, and platform and publishes candidate relocation guidance. Sponsorship is routine when the role calls for it.
• Zalando is a large platform org where eligible roles include visa assistance and relocation. New grads may not see sponsorship, senior ICs usually do. Confirm by requisition, not by rumor.
• Secondary wave options include fintechs and B2B SaaS teams around Mitte and Friedrichshain that state sponsorship for specific teams. Trust the benefits paragraph more than a Glassdoor comment.

Inside each brand there are teams that sponsor and teams that do not. Choose the req with sponsorship spelled out. That one sentence saves a week.

Job families that clear €80K base the fastest

Not every track moves at the same pace in November. The most sponsor friendly right now:

• Backend and platform in Java, Kotlin, Go, Scala, or modern JVM stacks.
• Data platform and ML infrastructure, including orchestration, feature stores, and observability.
• Security engineering with application security and cloud security depth.
• Site reliability and production engineering where on call maturity is clear.
• Staff IC roles that own cross team platform pieces.

Frontend can clear €80K at senior, but many teams prefer mixed stacks or want German for stakeholder heavy pods. If the posting is English first and names sponsorship, you are fine.

Blue Card basics without the bureaucracy tone

The Blue Card is the default. The 2025 thresholds sit well under €80K, with a lower “shortage occupation” line for IT roles. What matters in practice is three things. Signed offer that meets the threshold, degree or qualifying experience per the rule set, and a contract length of at least six months. Once HR confirms Blue Card, relocation vendors handle appointments, registrations, and health insurance onboarding.

The city is used to this. What kills momentum is missing scans and slow responses. Keep degree, passport, offer, and insurance letter in one folder the day you accept. Answer vendor emails quickly so they can book the first available slot. Speed lives in paperwork, not in the interview story.

A single email that gets recruiters to move you forward

Keep it short and clocked.

“Thanks for the posting. Senior backend with Go and Kotlin, eight years, platform background. Berlin based or ready to relocate. Target base €95K to €105K, Blue Card eligible. I can interview Wed 27 Nov 14:00 to 18:00 CET or Thu 28 Nov 09:30 to 12:30 CET. Noted the benefits mention visa and relocation support. Please confirm the band for this level.”

The line that matters is visa and relocation support repeated back to them. Make them say yes in writing.

CV and portfolio edits that matter more than fancy design

Berlin reviewers scan for impact, stack, and proof. Keep a single page if possible, two if truly needed.

• Place stack keywords in the first three lines so the ATS behaves.
• Show one metric per bullet. Throughput, error rate, latency, cost, user impact.
• Place production ownership up front. Fire you avoided, migration you led, on call you improved.
• Link to concise repos or technical notes. Even private work can be described in public with specific outcomes.
• Dates in YYYY MM format reduce confusion across borders, and no multi column layouts for ATS.

Interview rhythm and how to compress it before holidays

A common flow is recruiter screen, technical interview or take home, panel with system design and values, plus a final with hiring manager. You can shorten it without being pushy.

• Offer two back to back windows so they can stack rounds on one day.
• Ask whether they prefer live coding or a take home. If take home, time box to four hours and ask for a review slot when you submit.
• Request panel availability before the first screen ends. This makes scheduling painless when they decide to proceed.
• Send a short note with a timestamp after each stage. “Thanks for the call. I can take the next round Thu 14:00 CET.”

Polite speed signals that you understand end of year reality. Teams lean toward candidates who make scheduling easy.

The Berlin cost picture you actually care about

Gross of €90K produces a net around €3,300 to €3,700 per month depending on tax class, insurance selections, and church tax. With €80K you are a little lower, with €110K you are comfortably higher. Focus the budget the first six months on housing, transport, and food and do not try to optimize everything on day one.

• Room in shared flat well located is €700 to €1,000 cold rent.
• Small studio inside the Ring is €1,100 to €1,500 warm if you are fast and patient.
• Pass Navigo is Paris. In Berlin the Deutschlandticket is €49 and covers unlimited local transit.
• Groceries for a single adult with sane cooking are €220 to €320 per month. Add €80 to €120 for eating out.

The first month will feel busy. Visa and address registration come first, then settle the budget.

Housing in thirty days without losing afternoons

Housing slows people more than visas. The target is a 30 day bridge, then a six to twelve month lease.

1. Temporary housing for 30 to 45 days that can be registered. Vendors often have partner stock. If not, use platforms that allow Anmeldung. Address registration is the keystone for everything else.
2. Gather the Berlin rental packet. Passport copy, salary offer or payslips, SCHUFA equivalent if you have any German history, and a short note in German that says who you are and when you can move.
3. Viewings on weekday late afternoons. Landlords notice full calendars. Reply fast. Bring printed packets. Polite speed wins apartments.
4. Move to a longer lease once Blue Card and bank are in hand. Keep pay slips clean and stack two to three viewing days per week.

One rule is that you never arrive to a viewing empty handed. Packet in hand changes conversations.

Taxes and payroll without a headache

German payroll with a Blue Card is boring by design. Your employer withholds wage tax, health insurance, pension, and solidarity pieces. You choose public or private health insurance. Many expats choose public for simplicity at entry, then reassess in year two.

Set up a dedicated savings subaccount for a cushion and for tax surprises if you freelance on the side. If you receive equity, ask HR for the taxation model the company uses and whether you need to file anything in April. Clarity here saves evenings.

Avoid the three mistakes that cost people months

Applying to postings that do not write sponsorship. If “visa support” is missing, skip or ask for confirmation in writing before investing hours.

Waiting for bands to be offered. Ask early. It is not rude to say “Can you confirm the salary band for Senior IC” and save both sides time.

Letting December drift kill momentum. Offer stacked availability windows, accept a Saturday panel if offered, and get vendor intros the same day you sign. Momentum is a skill.

Scripts that get answers without sounding pushy

Band request after screen
“Thanks for the call earlier. To calibrate expectations, could you confirm the salary band for Senior IC in Berlin. My target is €95K to €105K base with standard bonus and equity. If that aligns, I can hold Thu 5 Dec 14:00 for the next round.”

Sponsorship confirmation
“I noticed the benefits list relocation and visa support. To align timelines, can you confirm this role includes company sponsored Blue Card and a relocation vendor for appointments and registration. I can prepare documents this week.”

Holiday timeline nudge
“Given December schedules, would it help to run the panel on Mon 9 Dec. I can hold 10:00 to 13:00 CET for a batch of interviews if convenient.”

These are short and polite. They reduce email back and forth.

A two week plan that lands applications before the line

Week one

• Pick eight requisitions that print sponsorship.
• Tailor CV bullets to show impact in numbers and production ownership.
• Send four applications per day with two interview windows in each note.
• Track replies in a simple sheet with one column for band confirmed and one for sponsorship confirmed.

Week two

• Stack screens early in the week and panels late.
• Finish any take home within 72 hours and propose a review slot at submission.
• Request vendor intro as soon as an offer is verbal.
• Prepare rental packet and book two viewing windows before you fly.

If you slip to December first or second, push to complete first rounds that same week and hold panel windows the next Monday.

What to say when you are switching stacks

Many teams hire for fundamentals when the stack is adjacent. If you are moving from Node to Kotlin or from Python to Go, say so plainly and frame the migration as a project you already started.

“Current stack is Node and Python, with production services at scale. I have shipped two internal tools in Go in the past quarter and I am ready to move primary work into JVM or Go in 2026. The system design skills transfer cleanly and I learn stacks quickly under mentoring.”

Show one repo or a concise note that proves you are already moving. Motivated switchers get hired when the fundamentals are clear.

If you need German, how much and where

Many senior IC roles are English first because the code and platform work is global. Product pods that face legal or policy heavy stakeholders often prefer German. If a posting says German helpful, assume your English is enough. If it says German required, ask for level expectation and on the job learning tolerance. B1 with growth to B2 in six months is a common pattern. For now, do not self reject if the rest of the posting fits and you are willing to learn.

Relocation vendor reality and how to use them well

Vendors can be excellent when you give them what they need. They typically handle appointments for Blue Card, Anmeldung address registration, health insurance onboarding, and sometimes bank and tax ID. Reply fast, send scans in the format they ask for, and ask for a checklist at the start.

Ask for two or three housing leads that allow Anmeldung if you do not have temporary housing booked. Vendors often have stock or relationships that are faster than consumer platforms. Say thank you often. It smooths every task.

If you have a partner or family moving with you

Ask early about partner visa support and whether the vendor handles family appointments. Clarify whether school or childcare search is included. If not, ask for a local list of municipal contacts and timelines. Berlin has capacity swings in childcare. Starting early matters more than being eloquent.

For partner careers, ask People Ops about spousal job support or internal mobility for non engineering roles. Some companies provide career coaching as part of relocation. If they do not, you can still ask for two networking intros once you land.

What hiring managers look for in late season panels

Late season panels bias toward signals of reliability. They listen for candidates who make teams calmer. Show that you can own on call, respect quiet hours, and ship on time. In system design, choose the simplest design that scales rather than the heroic architecture. In values interviews, give stories where you de escalated scope and held quality.

A surprising number of offers go to the person who keeps the calendar intact during the interview week. Make interviews easy to schedule and you will feel momentum.

Offer negotiation with a clean anchor

Anchor on public medians, not on a wish. “From market data for Berlin seniors, base sits €90K to €100K. Given scope and impact, I am targeting €100K to €110K base with standard bonus and equity. I can accept at €105K and sign this week. Start March 1 works well.”

Then stop talking. A clear anchor with a real signing time moves approvals faster in December.

Small things that show up as big to Berlin teams

• Time zones written in every scheduling email so no one misses a call.
• Materials sent one day before a discussion so meetings are decisive.
• File names with version and time so reviewers never hunt.
• Calm tone in email even when something slips, and a new time proposed in the same message.
• Two crisp references who can speak to production incidents you handled.

These signals map to low management overhead, which teams value more than any adjective.

A compact checklist for the last week of November

• Apply to 8 roles that print sponsorship on the page.
• Ask for the salary band on the first call.
• Put two interview windows in every message.
• Prepare degree, passport, offer, insurance letter in one folder.
• Keep a rental packet printed for viewings.
• Request vendor intro as soon as a verbal offer appears.
• Hold panel slots the week after your first screen.
• Confirm Blue Card path in writing before you order boxes.

If you do those steps, January or March becomes real instead of theoretical.

Where this lands

Berlin has senior roles that pay €80K and above, and a well worn path for visa sponsorship and relocation. The trap is letting the calendar drain your file of momentum. Submit by November 30, favor requisitions that print sponsorship, use polite speed, and keep your documents in one folder that you can send at any moment. Momentum wins the city as much as skill does.

Say the word if you want this converted into a one page application kit with a recruiter email template, a Berlin ready CV skeleton, and a timestamped interview schedule you can paste into your calendar.