People from third countries are only permitted to work in Germany if their residence permit allows it. Residence permits which allow you to work in Germany are:

• Temporary residence permit for a long stay without intention of settlement for workers, highly-qualified persons, self-employed etc. (Aufenthaltsbewilligung)

• Blue Card
• Settlement permit
• Long-term residence permit (Daueraufenthalt – EU)

• You can apply for appropriate permits at the Foreigners’ Registration Office. Depending on your situation you may receive one of the following work permits:

• Permitted to engage in employment: You may work for an employer and/or become self-employed.

• Permitted to engage in employment, not permitted to become self-employed: You may work for an employer but may not become self-employed.
• Only permitted to engage in employment with a permit from the Foreigners’ Registration Office: Apply for a work permit at the Foreigners’ Registration Office if you have found a job. You may only start working once you have this.In certain cases you also need additional work permits (e.g. posted workers, seasonal workers, rotary work force). The company that hires you has to obtain a work permit (Beschäftigungsbewilligung) before you start working. There’s also a special working permit (Arbeitserlaubnis) for people who would like to take a job in which you can’t earn more than a stipulated amount that the government establishes every year (mini-job).You can find more information about residence permits in the section “Arrival and Stay”.
  In case of posting or hiring out of workers, there are also specific permits that the company needs to obtain before the job starts. You can find information about work permits relating to temporary forms of mobility, such as posting of workers, hiring out of workers and seasonal work, in the section “Arrival and Stay” (1.3).