shqiptarëtRegistering your address (Anmeldung) in Germany
Anyone who moves into a home in Germany must register with the registration office (Meldebehörde) within two weeks. For example, to exchange a driving licence in Berlin your main residence must be registered there. The practical example below is Berlin, where you register at a Bürgeramt.
This is general information from German law and the official Berlin page below, not legal advice. In other cities, ask the registration office (Bürgeramt / Einwohnermeldeamt).
- Deadline
- Within two weeks (14 days) of moving in. The rule is in the federal registration law (BMG § 17).
- Cost (Berlin)
- Free.
- Time (Berlin)
- You get the registration certificate (Meldebestätigung) straight away at the appointment.
- Online?
- In Berlin, online registration is only for German or EU citizens with an electronic ID card. Albanian and Kosovo citizens register in person at a Bürgeramt.
Steps
- Get the landlord's confirmation
The landlord or housing provider (Wohnungsgeber) must give you a signed written confirmation that you moved in (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) within two weeks. A rental contract does NOT replace it. - Book an appointment
In Berlin, on service.berlin.de, at any Bürgeramt in the city. - Fill in the form
The registration form (Anmeldung) is on the same page. If someone goes for you, give them a written authorisation and the form signed by you. - Go to the appointment
With your passport (and residence permit, if you have one), the landlord's confirmation and the form. For a first registration in Berlin you may be asked for civil status certificates (such as marriage or birth), so bring the ones you have. - Keep the certificate
You need the Meldebestätigung for many other procedures. If you have an electronic residence permit, the address on the card is updated on the spot.
When you do not need to register (Berlin)
- If you live abroad and stay in Berlin for no more than 3 months.
- If you are already registered elsewhere in Germany and stay in Berlin for no more than 6 months.
Children and family
- Children under 16 are registered by the person whose home they move into.
- If parents live together and share custody but only one comes, bring a simple consent note from the other.
When you leave
- If you leave the home and do not move to another one in Germany, you must deregister (Abmeldung) within two weeks. You can do it at the earliest one week before you move out.
Fines and the tax ID
- Not registering, or registering late, is an administrative offence with a fine of up to €1,000 (BMG § 54). The same applies to deregistering late, and to a landlord who does not give the confirmation.
- The tax identification number (steuerliche Identifikationsnummer, IdNr) has 11 digits and is permanent: it does not change when you move, change your name or marry. The Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) sends it only by letter, to your registered address.
- If you did not receive it or cannot find it, you can ask the BZSt to send it again, with their online form or by letter.
The registration rules are the same for Albanian and Kosovo citizens. For embassies, see the Germany essentials page. Germany: the essentials