Anmeldung Checklist Germany

The Anmeldung (address registration) is one of the first bureaucratic steps you must complete when moving to Germany. Under §17 BMG (Bundesmeldegesetz), you must register your residence within 14 days of moving in, counted from the actual move-in date, not your rental contract date. Weekends and public holidays count toward the deadline.

Why it matters: Your Anmeldung registration is the foundation for nearly everything else in Germany. Without the Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate) you receive, you cannot open a bank account, sign a phone contract, register a car, or access many government services. The tax office also uses this registration to automatically issue your Steueridentifikationsnummer (tax ID number), which arrives by post 2-4 weeks later.

Step by step: from move-in to Meldebescheinigung

• Get your Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. Ask your landlord for the signed confirmation form before you book anything; you cannot register without it.
• Book your Bürgeramt appointment. Do this the moment you have a fixed move-in date; new slots are often released between 7:30 and 8:30am as earlier bookings get cancelled, so check that window rather than only once. Booking a slot inside your 14-day window satisfies the legal deadline even if the appointment date itself falls weeks later. If you also need to register a name change or a second address, most cities let you combine several services into the same appointment.
• Attend with original documents. Copies are not accepted for identity documents. The appointment itself usually takes about 15 minutes.
• Receive your Meldebescheinigung on the spot. Ask for two or three certified copies; banks, employers, and phone providers often each want an original.
• Wait for your Steuer-ID. It is posted automatically to your new address within 2-4 weeks; no separate application needed.

Booking a Bürgeramt appointment

Demand for appointments is high in every large city. In Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne, a 2 to 6 week wait for a slot is normal, so book as early as possible. You can also call the nationwide administration hotline, 115, to book or ask about walk-in hours.

• Berlin: service.berlin.de. Any of the 60+ Bürgerämter citywide can process your Anmeldung, not just the one nearest you.
• Munich: stadt.muenchen.de. Some slots for the same day open roughly 30 minutes before offices open.
• Hamburg: hamburg.de. Confirmation includes a QR code; bring it printed or on your phone.
• Frankfurt: frankfurt.de. Walk-ins without an appointment are accepted Mondays and Wednesdays, subject to queue capacity.
• Cologne: stadt-koeln.de. Walk-ins are accepted Mondays and Wednesdays; Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays require a booked slot.

When you can skip the Bürgeramt entirely

Since 2024, a growing number of cities, including Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Cologne, let you complete a main-residence Anmeldung fully online through the federal portal wohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de, with no office visit at all. It only applies if you already hold a German ID card or residence permit with the eID function activated, you already have a registered address somewhere in Germany, and you are moving your main residence, not a second home. If you are arriving from abroad for the first time, you do not yet have an eID-enabled document, so the in-person appointment is your only route.

The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, your most commonly missing document

The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is a landlord confirmation form. Since 2015, §19 BMG has required landlords to provide it, confirming your address and move-in date with their signature. If your landlord refuses, a written or handwritten version is equally valid, and you can remind them that refusing can carry a fine of up to €1,000 under §54 BMG.

For non-EU citizens: you will also need to show your valid visa or residence permit. If you entered on a job-seeker visa or another temporary visa, you may need to apply for your work residence permit separately at the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners authority). That is a different process from the Anmeldung, and typically comes after it.