Anmeldung: registering your address in Germany – simply explained.

Doing your Anmeldung in Germany is probably the “German bureaucracy 101” lesson of your new life here: essential, unavoidable, frustrating.

This guide is explaining how to do the Anmeldung in English in Berlin (and all other cities in Germany), fast and easy!

You can always ask a question in the comments. I answer each question myself.

Residence registration in Germany – the short version

Here is the gist of it. Feel to use the links to jump up and down the guide.

• Doing the Anmeldung is registering your place of residence with the local authorities.
• It is mandatory for all German residents, but not necessary if you stay only a few months.
• It is very important to start working & do anything in Germany, with public services or private companies.
• Most newcomers cannot do the Anmeldung online, and you’ll need to do it in person with an appointment.
• This guide contains a list of all documents to bring with you and ways to get an appointement faster.
• Still confused? Use the comments section: I answer all questions.

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. For most newcomers, this is done in person; not online.

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.

When doing so, you will be given the “Meldebescheinigung“, a residence registration certificate.

Why do you need to register an address?

Think of Anmeldung as your gateway to German life. You need to do this because it’s required for:

• essential services like setting up internet, getting a bank account (most times), and even health insurance.
• important bureaucratic steps like applying for unemployment benefits, child benefits, get a residence permit or becoming a freelancer.
• getting a German tax ID, start working & getting paid.

Visitors staying in Germany for less than 3 months:

If you don’t really need any of the above, registration might not be needed. 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, you will need to find alternative solutions for mobile phone plans or bank accounts for visitors in Germany.

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

Do the Anmeldung online and skip the line

In eligible cities in Germany (check that here), you may do the whole process online without attending an appointment. This is however not feasible for most newcomers because it’s not possible for the first ever address registration in Germany. For other cases, requirements are hefty:

• Have an EU passport & an eID (Online-Ausweis) connected to that passport via the AusweisApp.
• Have a BundID account
• Move from one German address to another German address.

Full information about this here.

Secure an appointment

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.

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. 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 relevan tmarriage certificate, translated in German by acertified 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.

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

What to do when you can’t register

Not being able to register can be a big blocker to start your German life. If you live in a place that doesn’t enable you to do that, you will need to work around it:

• Find a new place: A Zweck-WG or short-term furnished rentals are a good way to break the circle of “no address -> no registration -> no address”. It’s more expensive, but you can move on with your life and find a cheaper solution later.
• Find a generous soul able to let you register at their place as visitors: it’s not legal, but it’s a common phenomenon to see friends let their friends register at their place “on paper” to get started with your german life.

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.

Detailed guide about the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung.

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 online tools, which lets you fill in the Anmeldung form in English for Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.

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 am subletting a room. Can the main tenant fill in the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung?

The German administration wants landlords to fill in that document to confirm that you moved in. This also makes sure that the landlord is aware of the sublet, which is required by law. It also seems that the Bürgeramt employees don’t care and/or don’t check. It’s up to you to take that risk.

I am subletting a room but the main tenant doesn’t want me to register there. Why?

This probably means that they are not allowed to sub-rent their room. They maybe live in a WBS flat (where rent is subsidized by the city) or they haven’t let the landlord know about it. This is a bad bet if you need to register to start working and stuff.

I am staying at friends’ before finding something permanent, can I register with them?

It’s obvious, to register your flat with the Anmeldung in Berlin, you need to have found one. But for many of us, we haven’t found one yet. A simple letter from a friend letting you stay at their place will be enough to register. Same goes in case of a sublet situation. Bear in mind that in theory, the landlord should always be aware of who is living in the place, providing a written confirmation that you have moved in there.

Do relatives need the landlord’s approval to register with me in Germany?

Spouses, children & parents do not need any additional authorization from your landlord to do the Anmeldung. Boyfriends, girls friends and other life partners do need authorization, but a court decision states that a landlord must need serious reasons to refuse.

Which Bürgeramt accept people without appointments? I need to do the Anmeldung ASAP.

Each Bürgeramt seems to have its own policy regarding appointments. The best is maybe to call one to check with them. If they do accept walk-ins, go queue there 30min before opening time to make sure you have a ticket. You may also want to go to less busy offices. Read onto the next question for more details.

Do I need to register at a Bürgeramt in the Bezirk where I live?

You can register at any Bürgeramt in Berlin but check for other cities. This is especially useful if you need to register fast. You can travel to a less popular Bezirke that has less traffic to get an appointment sooner. You’d need to check about that for other cities than Berlin.

Is there a maximum amount of people that can register in a single home?

It depends on a few factors and on where you live. In Berlin, the law says that for each adult person, there should be at least 9 sqm, and for kids only 6 sqm. In Bavaria, that is 10 sqm per person over 6 years old, 6 sqm per person under 6 years old.

Can I send someone else to do the Anmeldung for me?

Absolutely. Someone can represent you and do all this for you provided this person has all the required documents together with your ID/Passport and a Vollmacht (a power of attorney) for this person. You can find templates for the Vollmacht for the Anmeldung here.

I didn’t intend to stay longer than 3 months so I did not register. Am I in trouble?

No, you will be fine. If your plans have changed and your stay in Germany lasts more than 3 months, If you could have been considered a temporary visitor until now. Simply book an appointment asap.

Is it possible to do the Anmeldung without a tenancy contract?

Most cities do not require a tenancy contract anymore to do the Anmeldung. Check your local city’s policy. It’s still a good idea to bring it with you for good measure.

Is it possible to do the Anmeldung without Wohnungsgeberbestätigung?

This document is required to be able to do the Anmeldung in Germany. However city workers usually don’t have the time or resources to check who filled-in that document during the appointment. Keep in mind that it is illegal to produce a fraudulent version of that document.

Can I register even if my name is not on the mailbox?

If some reason, you cannot have your name on the mailbox, you should insert the name on the mailbox in your address with “bei” like this:

Bei
First Name Last Name
bei [name on mailbox]
Schlesisches Tor 1
10999 Berlin

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

Bastien

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5