How to register your address in Germany (Anmeldung)

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Within two weeks of moving in, go to the residents' registration office (Bürgeramt or Einwohnermeldeamt) of your town with your passport, the registration form and the landlord's confirmation of residence (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). You get a registration confirmation that you need for almost everything else.

The Anmeldung is the first piece of paperwork in Germany, and the one everything else hangs on: bank account, tax ID, residence permit, health insurance. Everyone who moves into a flat in Germany has to do it, Germans included.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source linked at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

  1. Book an appointment at once

    Find the registration office of your town. It is called Bürgeramt, Bürgerbüro or Einwohnermeldeamt. In large cities appointments are scarce, so book online on the day you know your address. If you cannot get a date within two weeks, the booked appointment still shows that you tried in time.

  2. Get the landlord's confirmation

    Ask your landlord for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, a short signed form confirming that you have moved in and on which date. Without it the office will not register you. In a sublet, the main tenant fills it in.

  3. Fill in the registration form

    The form is called Anmeldung or Meldeschein and is on the website of your town. One form covers a couple or a family living together.

  4. Bring your documents

    Take your passport with the visa, the form, and the landlord's confirmation. If you register in Germany for the first time, bring marriage and birth certificates too, if you have a spouse or children with you. Every person being registered needs their passport.

  5. Go to the appointment

    The clerk enters your details and prints the official registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung). Check the spelling of your name and the address before you leave. Keep the paper safe and scan it.

  6. Put your name on the letterbox

    Official letters, including your tax ID, come by post. In Germany a letter is only delivered if your surname is on the letterbox.

Good to know

When you move to another flat in Germany, register the new address within two weeks at the office there. The old office is informed automatically.

If you leave Germany for good, deregister (Abmeldung). Otherwise contracts, the broadcasting fee and health insurance can keep running and cost you money.

Registering late can lead to a fine. Some federal states offer online registration for people who already have a German electronic ID.

What comes next: your first week in Germany.

In short: Appointment at the Bürgeramt within two weeks, landlord's confirmation, form, passport. Keep the registration confirmation.

Sources
  • Handbook Germany: Registering your address in Germany
  • Make it in Germany: Tenancy confirmation letter (glossary)
  • Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), section 17

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.