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Register your address (Anmeldung)

Bürgeramt · registration authority

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Registration of residence (Anmeldung) is required by law in Germany. Anyone who moves into a home must register with the competent registration authority – usually the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office) – within two weeks (14 days) of moving in, in accordance with § 17 of the Federal Act on Registration (Bundesmeldegesetz, BMG). The Anmeldung is free of charge.

With the Anmeldung, you receive a Meldebestätigung (official confirmation of registration), which you need for many further steps: opening a bank account, registering with your employer, applying for Kindergeld (child benefit), a place at a Kita (child daycare centre), vehicle registration or the Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcasting licence fee). When you register in Germany for the first time, your tax identification number (Steuer-ID, IdNr.) is also generated automatically and sent to you by post. If you miss the deadline, you risk a regulatory fine of up to €1,000 (§ 54 BMG).

Last updated3 October 2026
Legal basis§ 17, § 19, § 54 BMG
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Bürgeramt, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. Procedures and fees can vary depending on the federal state (Bundesland) and the local authority. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeNo fees
Processing timeImmediatelyMeldebestätigung issued immediately
MethodIn personAppointment required
Deadline14 daysFrom the moving-in date
Required documents

What you need to bring

Identity card or passport (original)

Every person being registered needs a valid identity document in the original – identity card or passport. The children’s passport (Kinderreisepass) was abolished on 1 January 2024, and since the end of 2024 it has also not been accepted as a valid document; children therefore identify themselves with a passport, an identity card or – as long as they do not have their own identity document – the birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde). A copy, a photo on a mobile phone or an expired document is not accepted by the registration authority; the appointment then ends without result. For children without their own identity document, the Geburtsurkunde is usually sufficient. Your new address is changed on your identity document directly at the appointment: the chip is updated and an address sticker is applied – both are free of charge as part of the Anmeldung.

Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation, § 19 BMG)

The written confirmation of moving in from the person providing your accommodation is the most important document: if it is missing, the Anmeldung must nevertheless be accepted, but you must submit the confirmation later. The person providing the accommodation (Wohnungsgeber) – the landlord, the property management company or, in the case of a sublet, the main tenant – is legally obliged to issue it to you in writing or electronically within two weeks of moving in. It must contain the name and address of the person providing the accommodation, the moving-in date, the full address of the residence and the names of all persons moving in. Since the Federal Act on Registration of 2015, it has replaced the former proof by means of the tenancy agreement – the tenancy agreement alone is not sufficient. If you move into a property you own, you confirm the move yourself as the owner.

Completed registration form

Every local authority provides the registration form (“Anmeldung bei der Meldebehörde”, registration with the registration authority) for download on its administrative portal; it is also available on site. Among other things, it asks for your previous address, your marital status, your religious affiliation (relevant for church tax, Kirchensteuer) and which home is your principal residence and which is your secondary residence. If several persons move together from the same previous home, one form for the whole household is usually sufficient. Fill it in at home – this noticeably shortens the appointment at the counter.

Additional proof (depending on your circumstances)

Married persons and registered partners are often asked for the marriage certificate (Eheurkunde) or the civil partnership certificate (Lebenspartnerschaftsurkunde), because marital status is recorded in the population register (Melderegister); for children moving with you, the Geburtsurkunde can be required. If you are moving to Germany from abroad, you also present your passport, and third-country nationals also their visa or residence title. In some places, the registration authority requires foreign civil status documents (Personenstandsurkunde) with a certified translation – ask beforehand which proof your authority accepts.

Power of attorney (only if someone represents you)

If you cannot attend yourself, the authorised person needs four things: an informal power of attorney signed by you, the registration form signed by you, a copy of your identity document and their own valid identity document. If any of these is missing, the Anmeldung will be refused. Adult household members each need their own power of attorney; a parent with custody may register minor children without a separate power of attorney.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Find the competent registration authority and book an appointment

    Only the registration authority at your new place of residence is competent – depending on the city, it is called Bürgeramt, Bürgerbüro, Einwohnermeldeamt (residents’ registration office), Kundenzentrum or Bürgerservice. Almost every local authority allocates appointments online through its appointment portal; in large cities, they are regularly booked up several weeks in advance. You should therefore book before the move – the appointment may take place after you move in, as long as you requested it within the deadline. Smaller municipalities still offer open consultation hours without an appointment, and many portals release appointments that have become available at short notice in the morning. The process at the counter itself usually only takes 10 to 20 minutes.

  2. 2

    Obtain the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung

    Ideally, request the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung when the keys are handed over. Under § 19 BMG, the landlord is obliged to issue it within two weeks of moving in; if they refuse or delay the confirmation, they themselves commit a regulatory offence, and you must notify the registration authority of this without delay under § 19 Abs. 2 BMG. Check the document for completeness straight away: if the moving-in date, the full address of the home or the name of a person moving in is missing, the registration authority will reject it. With property management companies and large landlords, issuing it can take several days – factor this time into the two-week deadline.

  3. 3

    Prepare your documents and the registration form

    Have all identity documents ready in the original and fill in your local authority’s registration form beforehand. In doing so, clarify the question of your principal residence: anyone who has more than one home in Germany must state the predominantly used home as their principal residence – for families, this is the home predominantly used by the family. Also check whether your circumstances require additional proof (Eheurkunde, Geburtsurkunde, residence title if you are moving to Germany from abroad). If you are being represented, sign the form and the power of attorney yourself beforehand.

  4. 4

    Attend in person and have your data recorded

    Arrive on time for your appointment and bring all documents in the original – a copy is not sufficient. The clerk records your data in the population register, asks about your marital status and religious affiliation and changes the address on your identity card by updating the chip and applying an address sticker. Not all household members have to come: one adult can register the others with a power of attorney and their identity documents. Alternatively, fully electronic registration of residence (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung) is offered in more and more local authority areas.

  5. 5

    Receive and check your Meldebestätigung

    The simple Meldebestätigung under § 18 BMG is free of charge and is usually handed over during the appointment. Check it for spelling mistakes in names, date of birth, address and moving-in date while still at the counter – a later correction costs another appointment. You need the confirmation for opening a bank account, your employer, the health insurance fund (Krankenkasse), Kita registration, vehicle registration and a library card, among other things. Also keep a copy or a photo of the confirmation.

  6. 6

    Complete the follow-up steps after the Anmeldung

    Some things happen automatically: the new registration authority informs the previous one, so there is no need for an Abmeldung (deregistration) at your old place of residence, and it transmits your data to the tax authorities and to the Beitragsservice (contribution service) of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, among others. You must arrange everything else yourself: changing the address in the vehicle documents at the Kfz-Zulassungsstelle (vehicle registration office), updating your details with your bank, insurance companies, Krankenkasse, employer and Familienkasse (Family Benefits Office), and a mail forwarding order with Deutsche Post. When you register in Germany for the first time, the tax identification number arrives automatically by post a few weeks later; you should only enquire if you have not received it after three months.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Fees

Registration of your address (Anmeldung)Free of charge
Simple MeldebestätigungFree of charge
Change of address on the identity cardFree of charge with the Anmeldung
Extended Meldebescheinigungelectronic: €0 (§ 18 Abs. 3 BMG), in writing approx. €5–€16
Means of paymentEC card / cash (depending on the office)
Regulatory fine for missing the deadlineup to €1,000 (§ 54 BMG)

The Anmeldung itself is free of charge nationwide – the registration authority must not charge a fee for the procedure, and the simple Meldebestätigung under § 18 BMG and the change of address on the identity card and passport are also free of charge as part of the Anmeldung. Costs arise only for voluntary additional services, above all for the extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung): it shows additional data such as previous addresses, marital status or nationality and is required, for example, for pension applications, certificate of inheritance proceedings, courts or foreign authorities. There is no uniform nationwide amount for it, because each local authority sets the amount in its own fee by-law (Gebührensatzung); in practice, the range extends from €5 in Bavaria through €9 in Cologne and €10 in Berlin to €16 in Hamburg. If the Meldebescheinigung is issued electronically, it is free of charge nationwide under § 18 Abs. 3 BMG. Ask beforehand which means of payment are accepted: many Bürgeramt offices only take EC cards or cash, and credit cards are rarely accepted. A regulatory fine for late Anmeldung is not a fee but a sanction under the law on regulatory offences and is set separately by official notice (Bescheid).

Good to know

Important notes

The deadline starts when you actually move in. The two-week deadline under § 17 BMG runs from the day on which you actually move into the home and make it the centre of your life – neither your signature on the tenancy agreement nor the handover of the keys starts it. The decisive date is the moving-in date, which is also stated in the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; both pieces of information must match.

If you move within Germany, no Abmeldung is needed. The new registration authority automatically informs the previous one, so a second official procedure is not necessary. You only have to deregister if you move abroad or permanently give up a secondary residence; the Abmeldung is possible one week before moving out at the earliest and must take place within two weeks afterwards.

Automatic data transfer after the Anmeldung. Your address is passed on to the tax authorities and to the Beitragsservice of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio without any action on your part – so expect post about the Rundfunkbeitrag, which is charged per home and not per person. When you register in Germany for the first time, the tax identification number is also assigned and sent to you a few weeks later; the tax authorities do not specify a fixed deadline, and after three months you should enquire with the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt).

Determine your principal or secondary residence correctly. Anyone who has more than one home in Germany must state one of them as their principal residence: the predominantly used home or, for families, the home predominantly used by the family. Many cities levy a second home tax (Zweitwohnungssteuer) on secondary residences; each local authority sets its amount and basis of assessment in its own by-law. Students and weekly commuters should check before the Anmeldung which designation corresponds to their actual use.

Moving to Germany from abroad. The obligation to register applies regardless of nationality and residence title – EU citizens must also register. The Federal Act on Registration only provides for an exception for short stays: anyone who keeps a home abroad and does not stay in Germany for longer than three months is exempt from the Anmeldung. For third-country nationals, the Anmeldung is in practice the first step, because the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners authority), banks and employers require the Meldebestätigung.

The Standesamt (registry office) reports newborns. Children born in Germany who live in their parents’ home from the outset do not have to be registered separately – the Standesamt transmits the birth to the registration authority. Children who were born abroad or join the family later, on the other hand, are subject to the normal obligation to register with the two-week deadline.

Electronic registration of residence (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung, eWA). The Anmeldung can be completed fully digitally in more and more local authority areas – without an appointment and without going to an office. The requirements are an identity card with an activated online function (eID) and PIN, a BundID account, the AusweisApp and an NFC-enabled smartphone. You then update the new address on the identity card chip yourself using a code that you receive by post together with the address sticker. Your city’s administrative portal shows whether it offers the service.

No appointment within the deadline? Document your booking attempts with screenshots and keep the tenancy agreement and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung as proof of the actual moving-in date. If you can prove that the authority itself did not offer an earlier appointment, you are in a much better position in any regulatory fine proceedings – however, this does not give you a legal entitlement to have the regulatory fine waived.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Missed deadline. Anyone who exceeds the two-week deadline commits a regulatory offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit) under § 54 BMG; the regulatory fine can be up to €1,000, and the competent registration authority sets the amount in the individual case. There are also practical consequences: without the Meldebestätigung, opening a bank account, your tax ID (Steuer-ID), the Kindergeld application and registration with your employer are delayed.

Wohnungsgeberbestätigung missing or incomplete. Without the document – or if the moving-in date, the address or a name is missing – the office will refuse the Anmeldung. The appointment is forfeited with no replacement, the next available appointment in large cities is often weeks later, and the statutory deadline keeps running in the meantime.

Expired identity document or only a copy. An invalid document, a photo on a mobile phone or a copy will not be accepted; the Anmeldung will be stopped and you must book a new appointment. Check the validity dates of all identity documents – including the children’s – a few days before the appointment.

Only one person registered. Every person moving in is individually obliged to register and bears their own risk of a regulatory fine. For adult flatmates who do not come with you, you need a power of attorney plus a copy of their identity document for each – otherwise only your own Anmeldung is recorded and the other persons remain unregistered.

Sham registration without actually moving in. An Anmeldung at an address where nobody moves in is not a formality but a regulatory offence. For anyone providing accommodation (Wohnungsgeber) who confirms a move-in that never took place, § 54 BMG provides for a regulatory fine (Geldbuße) of up to €50,000 – so the risk also affects landlords and main tenants who sign “as a favour”.

Moving-in date adjusted “to fit”. Anyone who gives a later moving-in date in order to meet the deadline is giving false information to the registration authority. The discrepancy with the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is usually noticed immediately and leads to queries or regulatory fine proceedings – instead of the hoped-for impunity.

Taking no further action after the Anmeldung. The registration authority only informs other authorities, not your contractual partners. If you do not have the address in the vehicle documents changed, you are in breach of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung, FZV) and risk a warning fine or a regulatory fine; addresses that have not been updated with your bank, insurance company or employer mean that important post – such as letters setting deadlines and official notices (Bescheid) – does not reach you.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Do I have to appear in person at the Bürgeramt?

In principle, yes – the Anmeldung is done in person. However, an authorised person can carry out the Anmeldung with a power of attorney in writing, the completed registration form and a copy of the identity document of the person required to register. The electronic registration of residence (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung, eWA) via BundID and the online ID function is now in use nationwide: as of 13 November 2025, all 16 federal states and around 2,000 registration authority offices are connected, accessible to around 55 million residents.

What regulatory fine can be imposed for a late Anmeldung?

Anyone who does not register within two weeks commits a regulatory offence under § 54 BMG (Federal Act on Registration). The regulatory fine can be up to €1,000. In practice, the registration authority in many municipalities is lenient if the delay is minor – but there is no legal entitlement to this.

Can I complete the Anmeldung online?

Yes, the electronic registration of residence (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung) is possible in a growing number of local authority areas. The requirements are an identity card with an activated online function (eID), a BundID account and an NFC-enabled smartphone. You can find out whether your city offers the online service on your local authority’s administrative portal.

What is the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung?

Under § 19 BMG, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is a confirmation in writing from the landlord or owner that you have moved in. It must contain the name and address of the person providing the accommodation, the moving-in date, the address of the residence and the names of all persons moving in. If it is missing, the Anmeldung must nevertheless be accepted, but the confirmation must be submitted later.

Will I automatically get a tax ID (Steuer-ID)?

Yes. When you register in Germany for the first time, your tax identification number is assigned automatically and sent by post to your new address a few weeks later; there is no binding nationwide deadline for this. If the number has not arrived after three months, contact the Federal Central Tax Office. You do not have to submit a separate application for it.

How much does the Anmeldung of your address cost?

The Anmeldung of your address is free of charge nationwide; the simple Meldebestätigung and the change of address on the identity card and passport also cost nothing as part of the Anmeldung. Fees are only charged for voluntary additional documents, above all for the extended Meldebescheinigung. Issued electronically, the Meldebescheinigung is free of charge nationwide under § 18 Abs. 3 BMG; for the version issued in writing, each local authority sets the fee itself – from €5 in Bavaria through €9 in Cologne and €10 in Berlin to €16 in Hamburg.

Do I have to deregister at my old place of residence?

Not if you move within Germany: the new registration authority automatically informs the previous one, and a separate Abmeldung is not necessary. You only have to deregister if you move abroad or permanently give up a secondary residence – one week before moving out at the earliest and two weeks afterwards at the latest.

What applies if you have more than one home – principal or secondary residence?

Anyone who lives in more than one home in Germany must state at the Anmeldung which is the principal residence: this is the predominantly used home or, for families, the home predominantly used by the family. Every other home is registered as a secondary residence; many cities levy a second home tax on these, the amount and basis of assessment of which are set out in a local by-law.

What happens if I cannot get an appointment within the deadline?

The statutory deadline still applies, even if the Bürgeramt is fully booked. Document your booking attempts with screenshots and book the next available appointment – if you can prove that the authority did not offer an earlier appointment, you are in a much better position in regulatory fine proceedings. Also check whether your local authority offers open consultation hours or the electronic registration of residence (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung).

Related official procedures

Change of address (Ummeldung)
Within the same city
Free of charge
Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)
Proof of residence
€0–€16
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation)
Landlord’s obligation
Free of charge

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