The Anmeldung: the two-week clock the whole of Germany hangs on
Within two weeks of moving in you must register at the Bürgeramt — with a confirmation from your landlord that he is legally obliged to issue. Without the Anmeldung no tax number, no easy banking, no subscriptions. Being late costs up to € 1,000, a sham address up to € 50,000. And watch the religion field: that one box costs 8 to 9 percent church tax.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Anyone who moves into a home in Germany must register with the municipality within two weeks. That registration is called the Anmeldung, and almost everything you arrange in Germany afterwards waits for it.
As an EU citizen you need neither a visa nor a residence permit for Germany. Since 2013 the immigration office has even disappeared from the list entirely. What stands in its place is that one appointment. Germany has a population register like the Netherlands, but is stricter about it.
The essentials:
- You register with the Meldebehörde: the Bürgeramt, the municipal citizens' office.
- Anyone who registers late or not at all risks a fine that can run to € 1,000.
- The registration itself is free and done on the spot.
- The time goes into booking the appointment (the Termin) and into the one paper you need from your landlord.
What you bring: the confirmation from your landlord
Besides your passport or ID card you need one document Dutch people don't know: the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, the confirmation from your landlord. He is legally obliged to confirm in writing, within the same two weeks, that you have moved in. The confirmation contains:
- his name and address, and the owner's name if that is someone else
- the move-in date
- the address of the home
- the names of everyone moving in
A rental contract does not replace that confirmation, Berlin says expressly. Does the landlord refuse, or don't you get the confirmation in time? Then report that to the Meldebehörde without delay. The law puts the duty on him, and not confirming costs him up to € 1,000. Whoever "lends" you an address without you living there risks up to € 50,000. Germany takes sham addresses seriously.
| Deadline or amount | Who | |
|---|---|---|
| Registering after moving in | within 2 weeks | you |
| Issuing the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung | within the same 2 weeks | the landlord |
| Fine for not or late registering | up to € 1,000 | you |
| Fine for offering a sham address | up to € 50,000 | whoever lends the address |
| The registration itself | free, handled on the spot | the Bürgeramt |
| Meldebescheinigung, requested separately | a fee at the counter (Berlin € 10); free online, but only with an eID card | the Bürgeramt |
| Kirchenaustritt (Berlin) | € 30, at the Amtsgericht | you |
In many cities registration is by appointment only. Book the Termin as soon as your rental contract is signed, because in big cities the waiting times are weeks. Berlin now has an online registration, but only with a German Personalausweis (the German identity card) or an eID card with the online function activated. With a Dutch passport you go to the counter. At a first registration in Germany, bring your marriage and birth certificates too; the Bürgeramt may ask for them.
You get the Meldebestätigung straight away and free of charge, the proof of your registration. Almost everything that comes afterwards wants to see it. If a counter asks for a Meldebescheinigung, that is a separate document. You request it at the Bürgeramt. In Berlin it costs € 10 at the counter. Online it is free, but again only with an eID card.
The box that costs money: religion
On the registration form there is a field for your religious community, and this is no administrative detail. Whoever registers as a member of a recognised church pays Kirchensteuer, church tax: 8% (Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg) or 9% (all other states) on top of your income tax. It is withheld automatically through payroll. The Bürgeramt passes it straight to the tax office. So fill in the field deliberately.
If you are registered and want out, you have to formally leave: the Kirchenaustritt. In Berlin that is possible exclusively at the Amtsgericht (the local court) of your place of residence, in person or with a notarially certified signature. It cannot be done online, and it costs € 30. The exemption starts at the end of the month in which your declaration reaches the Amtsgericht, so not retroactively.
What follows automatically
The Anmeldung sets two automatic trains in motion.
Within a few weeks your steuerliche Identifikationsnummer lands on the mat. It is the German counterpart of your Dutch BSN, and it is valid for life. You only get it by letter, for privacy reasons in no other way, so keep that letter safe. Nothing received after three months? Only then do you chase the BZSt, the federal tax office.
The letter about the Rundfunkbeitrag comes by itself too. That is the broadcasting fee of € 18.36 a month. It applies per home, not per person. The Beitragsservice, which collects the fee, gets your details automatically from the Bürgeramt. Ignoring it doesn't help: whoever doesn't respond is registered retroactively from the move-in date. If you live together, only one resident needs to register.
What does not come by itself: the Kindergeld and the Steuerklasse. The Kindergeld you apply for yourself at the Familienkasse and it goes back at most six months; a married couple's Steuerklasse is a request to the Finanzamt. Both are in the first weeks.
Why this step has to come first
Almost every other German step wants to see the Anmeldung first: health insurance, the employer (who needs your Steuer-ID), re-registering your car, the school. Even a bank account opens more easily with the Meldebestätigung. As an EU citizen you have a legal right to a Basiskonto, a basic payment account, anyway, even without German history.
The Anmeldung is also the place where Germany, if it wants to, tests your right of residence after three months. The Ausländerbehörde (the immigration office) may have the details for that collected at the Anmeldung.
So the order is always: home → Wohnungsgeberbestätigung → Anmeldung. Only then comes the rest. It is the first domino of your entire German administration.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Germany or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Bundesmeldegesetz §17 — the duty to register within two weeks — gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesmeldegesetz §19 — the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, and what you do if the landlord refuses — gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesmeldegesetz §54 — the fines, up to € 1,000 and up to € 50,000 for a sham address — gesetze-im-internet.de
- Service Berlin — Anmeldung einer Wohnung, at the counter or online — service.berlin.de
- Service Berlin — Kirchenaustritt erklären, at the Amtsgericht for € 30 — service.berlin.de
- BZSt — the steuerliche Identifikationsnummer — bzst.de
- Rundfunkbeitrag — information and Meldedatenabgleich — rundfunkbeitrag.de
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