Anmeldung: residence registration – simply explained.

Who knew that one of your first encounters with German bureaucracy could be so terrifying? Doing your Anmeldung in Berlin is however essential to your new life here.

This small guide is explaining how to do the Anmeldung in English in Berlin (and all other cities in Germany). It also aims at giving you tips to save time & stress. And if everything fails, you can always ask a question in the comments.

What is the Anmeldung in Germany?

In English: Anmeldung is Germany is registering your current address with the local authorities. This is one of the most important administrative steps for anybody moving to Germany. Anmeldung comes from “An/melden“, to register in German. This needs to be done in person.

When doing so, you will be given the “Meldebescheinigung“, a residence registration certificate. This innocent piece of paper will be necessary in many aspects of your life in this country. You will be asked for this if you want to sign-up for health insurance, open a bank account, set up an internet connection or simply obtain a tax ID number.

How to do the Anmeldung in Berlin (& any city):

1- Secure an appointment

In larger cities, it is strongly recommended to book an appointment to avoid long waiting times. In some cities like Berlin, it is even compulsory to book an appointment before-hand. You will find the link below to book to do your Anmeldung in Berlin, and other cities too.

• Book an appointment in Berlin here.
• Book an appointment in Munich here
• Book an appointment in Frankfurt here.
• Book an appointment in Hamburg here.
• Book an appointment in Stuttgart here.
• Book an appointment in Dortmund here.
• Book an appointment Düsseldorf here.
• For any other city try to Google, “Meldebehörde Anmeldung City Termin”

You will be given an appointment number, unique to you. Make sure to store it safely. Without it, you won’t be able to attend. I have also made a detailed post on get an appointment fast at the Bürgeramt in Berlin.

2- Bring the right documents with you

As you could expect, Germany loves a long list of documents. Bring these to the appointment with you:

• The form called “Anmeldung bei einer Meldebehörde“. You will find it on your city website or use Appmeldung instead to fill it in easily in English 100% digitally. This form lists your personal details, addresses, document details, etc.
  Here is a small guide on filling in the Anmeldung form in English.
• The form called “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung“. This document is a statement from your landlord that you have moved in at the address. The main tenant can also fill this in, in case of sublet or flatshare.
  You can use this guide to fill in the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung in English.
• An ID card or passport.
• Your tenancy or sublet contract for good measure. If you are simply temporarily staying at a friend’s or a relative’s while looking for something more permanent, have them write and sign a letter stating that you are staying with them. Here is a draft you can use.
• A birth certificate (optional).

You may also need the following documents:

• If you are in Germany on a visa, bring your residence permit with you.
• If you are married/in a partnership, they will also want see a relevant marriage certificate, translated in German by a certified translator.
• If you are divorced/separated with children, you will need a letter of consent from the other parent stating that they agree the child/children should live with you.

3- Attend the appointment

Armed with your trusty stack and your appointment number, show up on time. A few elements to remember and/or consider:

• Most city workers won’t be speaking English to you. It’s not because they can’t, it’s simply because they are liable if they mistranslate or misrepresent something to you. You can bring someone with you, if you need assistance registering your address with the language.
• Registration includes giving away your religion. It’s completely normal as there is a church tax in Germany.
• If you come here to work, it’s best to mention it during the appointement. The worker will then request a German tax ID for you.
• You can usually request 1-2 extra copies of your registration certificate for free. Extra copies will cost you 5-10 euros. Cash only usually.
• If everything is in order, the city worker will give you your registration certificate, complete with stamp. Make sure that all details are accurate before leaving the office.
• Store your Meldebescheinigung safely.

Things you should know

Who needs to register their address in Germany?

Everyone who becomes a German resident must register their address with the local authorities, as stated by law (§17 of the Bundesmeldegesetz). The reason of your stay in the country or your nationality makes no exception to this rule.

This is also a requirement if you simply change addresses, it is then called the Ummeldung.

Visitors staying in Germany for less than 3 months:

Another piece of law (§27 BMG) states that visitors do not need to register in the following cases:

• You are visiting the country for less than 3 months, typically tourists.
• You are registered somewhere else in Germany, and stay in another city for less than 6 months.

In this case, be aware that you will be deprived of some possibilities. You won’t be able sign up with a mobile phone provider, so make sure you can sort that out through other ways.

About registration deadlines, and possible fines

The German law states that the Anmeldung in Berlin & any other city in Germany must be done within 2 weeks after your move-in date (§54 BMG). Anyone failing to do that exposes themselves to fines up to 1000€.

This can cause some stress because newcomers are sometimes faced with one of those situation:

• They didn’t know registration was compulsory and failed to register.
• They can’t find any appointment to register within the time limit.

However, there is no cause for concern because there is no usually no harsh consequences involved. Fines are very rarely applied when it’s a honest mistake or if there were no appointment slots available. You might get a harsh look but that’s about it.

Also, do know that the deadline is extended further in the future when using short-term accommodations, considered “commercial” as per German law (§29 BMG). It is then 3 months after move-in date.

Who can fill-in the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung

It’s a legal duty to provide the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung to anyone who signs a tenancy contract (§19 BMG). The following people are able to provide/sign this document:

• A landlord: that can be a private person or the estate management company (Hausverwaltung). This is the most common case.
• A main tenant: this is common in flat shares or in sublets. However, do make sure that the landlord is aware of it.
• A friend lending their couch: Even if you don’t pay rent, your friend can also do that. Again, in theory, the landlord must be aware of it. This applies also if you move in with your partner/husband/wife.
• Yourself: when you own your place, you are the landlord. So you do it yourself.

Bürgeramt, Bürgerbüro, Rathaus, or Kundezentrum?

This post was originally meant to explain how to do the Anmeldung in Berlin, thus only the term Bürgeramt was used here. However, since people from everywhere in Germany are reading this, it’s worthwhile to say that it’s called differently in other parts of the country. So check the local lingo. 🙂 Those terms can be used interchangeably in this post.

Filling-in the Anmeldung forms online in English, is that possible?

If you really don’t know any German and don’t know anybody who can help, this simple task can be hard to achieve. There are so many things to think about when moving to Germany, so it’s sometimes nice to take a little shortcut! To make your life easier, you can turn to Appmeldung, which lets you fill in the Anmeldung form in English for Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Disclaimer: Appmeldung was built by the guy behind this blog.

How to get an appointment at the Bürgeramt, fast

The demand for appointements at the Bürgeramt is so high that the first available slot is usually weeks away. This can be a real challenge, especially if you need to get your life in order now. You can use those 2 tips to increase your chances:

• Check the booking system at 8 a.m. This is when the whole system is refreshed and it often shows open slots when it didn’t a few minutes before. Especially on mondays.
• Keep refreshing the page, or else use a browser extension that can detect changes on the page. It can warn you when a new slot is available. Try this for Chrome.
• In larger cities, you can often go to any Bürgeramt in the city. Offices located outside the city center tend to be less busy. Sometimes, you can even get something for the same day!
• Use your phone. Larger cities have setup dedicated hotlines to book appointments. This may help too.
  • Call 030 115 in Berlin.
  • Call 040 115 in Hamburg.
  • Call 069 115 in Frankfurt.
  • Call 089 23396 000 in Munich.
  • Other cities, try googling “Anmeldung hotline [cityname]”

Et voila, you are on the fast track.

Next steps after the Anmeldung

This is usually what whappens when you have registered:

• You receive a German tax ID if you have requested to work.
• You receive a German social security number if relevant.
• You can now open a bank account in Germany.
• You can now sign-up for health insurance in Germany with a local provider.
• You can now register as a freelancer, start your job or enroll at a university.
• You can now sign-up for services like internet service providers, mobile phone service, electricity or gas providers.

FAQ about the Anmeldung in Germany

I hope this guide about the Anmeldung in English for Berlin and other cities helped to answer some of your questions. Feel free to ask more in the comments.

Bastien

Sources: 1, 2, 3