What to Pack for Construction Work in Germany: A Full Checklist

The main packing rule: your documents and money need to be in complete order, and your bags lighter than you think you need. Everyday items can all be bought in Germany in a single shopping trip, while a forgotten document can cost you extra money and a week without work.

Below is a list built from workers' real experience: what to bring from home, what the employer provides, what's cheaper to buy locally, and what's better left at home. At the end there's a short checklist you can save to your phone and run through before you leave.

Documents

You won't be allowed to work without these, so they must stay with you throughout the journey — ideally in a zipped inside pocket. Don't leave them in a backpack, and never pack them in checked luggage.

This sounds obvious, but it happens all the time. A common scenario: at a stop on the Warsaw–Frankfurt am Main bus, someone leaves a jacket with their documents in the pocket on the bus and steps out, not knowing exactly how long the stop will last. Drivers don't always count passengers, and the bus pulls away. By the time you track it down, your things may already be gone — an abandoned jacket is easy for a fellow passenger to simply take.

• A passport that won't expire in the coming months.
• A document giving you the right to work: a residence card, a Polish work visa, or PESEL UKR — depending on your basis for staying.
• An invitation from the employer (oświadczenie) — a printed copy. You don't need the employment contract to cross the border.
• A driving licence — even if you're not planning to drive, it won't hurt to have.
• Trade certificates and qualifications, if the job requires them: welding, electrical work, work at height, forklift operation. A copy of your diploma if relevant.

What to do before you leave.

Photograph all your documents and save the photos to the cloud (Google Drive, iCloud) and in a messaging app — for example, send them to yourself. Shoot them in good quality, with no fingers in the frame and all the edges of the document visible. If the original is lost, a copy like this will speed up getting it replaced considerably. Keep paper copies of your passport and residence card separate from the originals.

Take screenshots of your route in advance in case you don't have internet access. Also install a translation app on your phone and download the language packs you need so it works offline.

Money and phone

Your first pay usually arrives a few weeks after you start, so you need your own cash reserve for the first stretch. Typically an advance is paid first, with pay for a full month worked following by the 10th–15th of the next month.

• Cash for the first 2–3 weeks. Mostly for food and small purchases. A rough guide is €200–350 per person; the exact amount depends on whether the crew cooks together.
• A bank card that works in the EU. A Polish bank card or Revolut work best. Cards from many Belarusian banks don't work in the EU, so don't rely on them alone.
• An unlocked phone and a Polish SIM card. A convenient option is an eSIM in the Orange app: a package for 35 złoty gives you 10 GB of roaming data, which is plenty if your housing has Wi-Fi. If you're travelling through Poland, which is likely for most readers of this article, you can buy a SIM card at a Żabka shop and register it right at the till. It costs around 35–50 złoty, and you'll need your passport to register it.
• A charger, cables and a power bank. Bring a USB-C-to-USB adapter (or the reverse, depending on your cable) so you can charge on the bus. A 5,000 mAh power bank is enough; if buying a new one, get a 10,000 mAh model. You won't need a plug adapter: Germany uses the same sockets as Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.

Before you leave, save your coordinator's and employer's numbers, plus the site and housing addresses, on your phone — you may not have internet on the road. Write them down on paper too, just in case: if your phone is lost or breaks, you can still reach your coordinator from another device.

Work clothes and boots

Employers often provide protective workwear, but you usually need your own work boots. Always confirm exactly what's provided with your employer before you leave.

Boots matter most. German building sites won't let you on without protective footwear: boots with a steel (or composite) toe cap and puncture-resistant soles, class S3. Be sure to break new boots in at home — ten hours a day on your feet in stiff new boots during your first week guarantees blisters.

Everyday clothes

Pack for a week, not for the whole assignment — housing almost always has a washing machine. The working week is long and you'll rarely need "going out" clothes; whatever you travelled in will do for days off.

• 5–7 sets of underwear and socks
• 2–3 T-shirts and one or two comfortable pairs of trousers for evenings and days off
• a warm jumper or fleece
• thermal underwear and warm socks if travelling between October and March
• shower sandals or house slippers
• one pair of regular shoes for errands and days off

Add a hat, scarf and gloves in winter. In summer, a cap and sunscreen if you're working outdoors, for example on a roof or facade.

First-aid kit

In Germany, medicine is sold only in pharmacies (Apotheke), costs more, and many common medications require a prescription. It's worth bringing a small first-aid kit with you.

• any medication you take regularly — with enough for the whole stay, plus a prescription or instructions in case of questions at the border
• pain and fever relief
• cold and sore-throat remedies
• something for an upset stomach
• plasters, bandages, antiseptic
• headache tablets
• bruise and sprain ointment — useful on site

Don't bring large quantities of strong medication without a prescription — it can raise questions at the border.

Shared housing essentials

Employer-provided housing is usually already furnished: beds, a kitchen with cookware, a shower, a washing machine. Whether bedding and towels are included depends on the specific housing — ask your coordinator in advance.

Worth bringing:

• your own towel, even if one is promised — it's one less thing to worry about on the first night
• a food container and a thermos — lunch on site is usually your own
• earplugs and a sleep mask if you'll be sharing a room with people on different schedules, or someone snores
• a long charging cable — there are often fewer sockets than phones in a room, and they're not always near the bed
• needle and thread

Two rules worth knowing in advance. Germany is strict about waste sorting: paper, plastic, glass and everything else go in separate bins. And quiet hours run from 22:00 to 6:00 — loud conversations or music during this time can lead to a neighbour complaining to the landlord, which can cause serious housing problems for you.

Tools: bring your own or not

No, you don't need to: tools, consumables and protective equipment — gloves, masks — are always provided. The exception is if you work as self-employed or run your own business: in that case you may need to bring some tools yourself. Worth confirming in advance.

What to buy there vs. what to leave at home

Fine to buy locally. Groceries, household chemicals, shampoo, toothpaste and other small consumables are sold cheaply at chain supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Kaufland and Netto. The same items are usually cheaper at home — saving around €10–15 — so if you have the bag space, a small supply is worth bringing.

Better left at home:

• a large stock of groceries, especially meat, sausage, lard and dairy products — bringing these into the EU from Ukraine or Belarus is banned, and they'll simply be confiscated at the border
• extra clothes "just in case" — in practice they just sit in the bag the whole time
• valuables, watches and jewellery not needed for work

Fine to buy either there or at home. Work boots and cold-weather clothing can be bought in Germany at hardware stores (Hornbach, OBI, Bauhaus) or Engelbert Strauss. But it's usually cheaper at home — and importantly, your boots will already be broken in.

How to pack

The best setup is one bag or suitcase of 15–22 kg plus a backpack — comfortable whether you're on a coach, a minibus, or changing transport along the way.

If you're flying and want to save on checked luggage (€30–60), take only a backpack under 10 kg. All the clothes you need probably won't fit, but a towel, slippers and similar small items can be bought locally at any supermarket. If your backpack is over the weight or size limit, redistribute some items into your jacket pockets or wear them before check-in or boarding.

On you, in an inside pocket: passport, other documents and money (some cash and coins are handy to have).

In your backpack: phone with charger and power bank, any medication you take regularly, water and a snack for the trip.

In checked luggage: clothes, work boots, first-aid kit, everyday items.

Before travelling, check the baggage allowance with your carrier: international coaches almost always charge extra for overweight bags or a second bag (lucky if they don't). Label your bag with your name and phone number in case it gets mixed up — put a note with your details in a pocket of the bag or attach one to the outside.

Pre-departure checklist

• Passport with visa, passport with a residence card (temporary or permanent EU residence), or passport with PESEL UKR
• A printed invitation from the employer (oświadczenie)
• Photos of all documents in the cloud and on your phone (in case of loss)
• A few photocopies of your passport (the details page and the visa page)
• Trade certificates, if needed for the job
• Driving licence
• Cash for the first 2–3 weeks and a card that works in the EU
• Phone, charger, cable adapter, power bank, a Polish SIM card or eSIM
• Your coordinator's and employer's phone numbers (including on paper), plus housing and site addresses
• Broken-in S3 work boots
• A week's worth of clothes (underwear, socks, T-shirts, trousers, house slippers)
• A first-aid kit (including pain relief) and any regular medication
• Towel, food container, thermos
• Documents and money on you, medication in your backpack, nothing important in checked luggage

If you're still choosing a job, have a look at current Next Step listings — each one states exactly what the employer provides: housing, workwear, tools, transfer. Still have questions about packing or paperwork? Write to us, and your coordinator will tell you exactly what you need for your site.