Anmeldung (address registration in Germany)

Section 17 of the Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG, Federal Registration Act) says anyone who moves into a home must register with the registration office within two weeks of moving in, and must deregister (Abmeldung) within two weeks of moving out if they are not moving to another German address. It applies to everyone, German or not.

For an international nurse or doctor it is usually the first official step after landing. The foreigners authority needs your registered address to issue your residence card, and the Federal Central Tax Office sends your Steuer-ID once the registration office has passed on your data.

• Passport or recognised travel document (section 23 BMG).
• Wohnungsgeberbestätigung: a written confirmation from your landlord or housing provider that you moved in. Section 19 requires the landlord to give it within the two-week period, and Berlin's service portal says a rental contract does not replace it.
• Registration form (Meldeschein), which many offices complete with you at the desk.

A spouse and family moving in on the same date can use one form (section 23(4)).

1. Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord, employer housing or hospital residence.
2. Book an appointment at the Bürgeramt or registration office. Berlin requires a booked appointment for in-person registration.
3. Bring your documents and attend in person. Berlin's online registration needs an eID card and is open only to German and EU citizens, so non-EU nationals register in person.
4. Collect your Meldebestätigung. Berlin issues it on the spot after checking your documents.

In Berlin the registration is free of charge.

• Children. Under section 17(3), children under 16 are registered by the people whose home they move into, usually their parents.
• Electronic landlord confirmation. Section 19(4) lets a landlord confirm your move-in electronically with the registration office; you then receive a reference code to use when you register.
• Moving within Germany. You register again at the new address within two weeks, and the new office requests your data from the old one (section 23).
• Leaving Germany. You deregister within two weeks of moving out, and no earlier than one week before (section 17(2)). Section 23(6) allows deregistration abroad in writing.
• Short stays and staff housing. If you normally live abroad, section 27 says you only need to register for a short stay once it passes three months. Section 17 applies to anyone who moves into a home, so a room in staff accommodation or a hospital residence counts too.

• No appointment in time. Book as soon as you have an address, and keep proof of your booking.
• Landlord refuses the confirmation. Section 19 says you must tell the registration office without delay.
• Fines. Section 54 makes late or missing registration an administrative offence with a fine of up to €1,000.
• Fake addresses. Offering or using an address where nobody intends to live is banned and can be fined up to €50,000.
• Forgetting the Abmeldung when you leave Germany.