Your first weeks in Germany: two weeks, one confirmation, and three letters that come by themselves
The German arrival has one hard clock: within two weeks of moving in, the Anmeldung, with a confirmation from your landlord that he is obliged to issue. After that the rest comes by post — the Steuer-ID, the letter from the Rundfunkbeitrag, and soon the Kindergeld that you apply for yourself and that goes back at most six months. What you do in which week, what it costs, and what the fine is for being late.
The first weeks in Germany revolve around one appointment and your letterbox. The appointment is the Anmeldung: whoever moves into a home registers with the Meldebehörde within two weeks, with a confirmation from the landlord that he is obliged to issue within those same two weeks. Being late is an offence with a fine of up to € 1,000. The letterbox does the rest: the Steuer-ID comes weeks later by post and in no other way, the letter from the Rundfunkbeitrag follows by itself because the Bürgeramt passes on your details, and whoever doesn't reply is registered with retroactive effect. What you set in motion yourself is the bank — compulsory within ten working days — and the Kindergeld, which goes back at most six months.
What do I arrange in the first two weeks?
The keys, and then the confirmation. At the handover of the keys you ask for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung: name and address of the landlord (and of the owner if that is someone else), the move-in date, the address of the home and the names of everyone moving in. A rental contract does not replace that paper, Berlin says expressly. If the landlord refuses or the confirmation doesn't arrive in time, you report that to the Meldebehörde without delay — the law puts the duty on him, not on you.
Then the Anmeldung itself, at a Bürgeramt of your choice in your municipality. Free, handled on the spot, and in Berlin also online — but only with a German Personalausweis or an eID card with the online function activated, so with a Dutch passport you go to the counter. Book the appointment as soon as the rental contract is signed. At a first registration bring your marriage and birth certificates too; the Bürgeramt may ask for them. You get the Meldebescheinigung straight away, and later you fetch a new one free online.
| Counter | Deadline | Costs | What you bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bürgeramt (Anmeldung) | within 2 weeks of moving in | free | passport, Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, certificates if any |
| Meldebescheinigung, extra copy | whenever a counter asks for it | free online, a fee at the counter | BundID or passport |
| Bank (Basiskonto) | offer within 10 working days of the application | reasonable fee | passport, address |
| Familienkasse (Kindergeld) | apply in the first months; at most 6 months retroactive | free | Steuer-ID of you and each child |
| Krankenkasse | before the first working day, or with the S1 from the CAK | premium | Anmeldung, S1 or employment contract |
What comes by itself, and when?
The Steuer-ID. The Bundeszentralamt für Steuern sends your identification number after the Anmeldung by letter to your registered address, and for privacy reasons it may only come by letter — not by phone, not by e-mail, not even when you request it again. Keep the letter; your employer and the Familienkasse ask for the number, and it is for life.
The Rundfunkbeitrag. The Bürgeramt passes name, address and move-in date to the Beitragsservice, which writes to you. Reply: whoever doesn't answer is in principle registered automatically from the move-in date. The fee applies per home, so if a flatmate already pays, you report that and don't pay twice.
The religion box. Whoever states a religious community at the Anmeldung pays Kirchensteuer through the payslip; leaving can be done later at the Amtsgericht, but the tax only stops from the end of that month. So fill in the field deliberately — the Anmeldung article explains what it costs.
What do I set in motion myself?
The bank: an ordinary account with passport and Meldebescheinigung, or on refusal the Basiskonto that every bank must offer within ten working days — the bank article explains how you enforce that. The Krankenkasse: with a job your employer doesn't choose for you, you choose a fund; with a Dutch pension you hand in the S1 from the CAK at a Krankenkasse of your choice, see GKV or PKV. And the Kindergeld: € 259 per child per month, to be applied for at the Familienkasse with the Steuer-IDs of you and each child, and at most six months retroactive — whoever postpones it until the boxes are gone loses months.
A sham address is no solution. Whoever "lends" you an address where you don't really live risks a fine of up to € 50,000; you yourself up to € 1,000 for not, incorrectly or late registering. Without a home no Anmeldung, and without Anmeldung nothing starts — that is the reason a furnished temporary rental with a landlord's confirmation is the wisest first address.
How much time does this take?
Little, if the order is right: home, confirmation, Anmeldung, and then wait for the post. The Anmeldung itself is a quarter of an hour; the waiting time is in booking the Termin in a big city. The Steuer-ID and the Rundfunk letter follow in the weeks after, the Kindergeld and the bank you arrange alongside. What comes after that — the car on German plates, the school, the Steuerklasse — belongs to the first year, not to the first weeks.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: 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 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change — when in doubt the source is leading, not this article.
- Bundesmeldegesetz §17 — the duty to register within two weeks of moving in — 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, online or at the counter, free — service.berlin.de
- Service Berlin — requesting a Meldebescheinigung, free online — service.berlin.de
- Bundeszentralamt für Steuern — the steuerliche Identifikationsnummer comes by letter only — bzst.de
- Rundfunkbeitrag — the data exchange with the Bürgeramt and registration with retroactive effect — rundfunkbeitrag.de
- Zahlungskontengesetz §31 — the Basiskonto within ten working days — gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Kindergeld, at most six months retroactively — arbeitsagentur.de
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