Anmeldung: How to Register Your Address in Germany

This guide is for internationals who have just moved into a home in Germany and need to complete their first Anmeldung (address registration). After reading it, you will know who has to register, how long you have, which documents the registration office expects and why registration matters for work and tax.

• Who must register
• The 14-day deadline
• The landlord’s confirmation
• Booking an appointment and what to bring
• What you get and why it matters
• FAQ

Who must register

Registration follows a federal law, the Bundesmeldegesetz (Federal Registration Act). However, the registration office of each city or municipality carries it out and runs its own booking system. This guide uses the official Berlin and Munich pages as examples.

Anyone who moves into a new sole or main residence must register. The Berlin service page lists these exceptions:

• People already registered in Germany who stay in Berlin for no more than six months do not need to register there.
• People who live abroad and stay in Berlin for no more than three months do not need to register.
• Certain people in military, voluntary or public service who move into communal or service-provided accommodation are exempt under specific conditions.

The City of Munich describes the rule for arrivals from abroad like this: if you are not registered in Germany and your stay goes beyond three months, you must register within two weeks. Munich also states that moving within the same building generally requires a new registration, for example when the floor or flat number changes.

Age also matters. In Berlin, you can register in person from the age of 16. For children under 16, both cities state that the adult whose home the child moves into must register them. In Berlin, if parents share custody and only one comes to the appointment, a declaration of consent from the other parent may be needed.

The 14-day deadline

Berlin requires registration within 14 days of moving in. Munich asks newcomers to register as soon as possible and notes that the law allows 14 days. Munich adds two points:

• You can only register after you have moved in. Registering with a future date is not legally possible.
• If you are moving from another German address, you do not need to deregister there. This happens automatically when you register in Munich.

Neither page explains what happens if you register late. The local authority decides how to handle a missed deadline.

The landlord’s confirmation

The key document is the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation of move-in). Berlin states that the person providing the accommodation must confirm your move-in in writing and sign it within two weeks of the move. The confirmation must include:

• the name and address of the landlord, plus the owner’s name if the landlord is not the owner
• the date you moved in
• the address of the flat
• the names of everyone who has to register

Berlin is clear that a rental contract does not replace this confirmation. Both cities provide a template. Munich accepts a confirmation written in the landlord’s own format only if it contains all the required details. If you do not have the confirmation, or do not have it yet, Munich lets you submit an Erklärung zur fehlenden Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (declaration on the missing landlord’s confirmation). The Berlin page does not mention an equivalent.

Booking an appointment and what to bring

In Berlin, registration takes place at a Bürgeramt (citizens’ office), and you can use any Berlin Bürgeramt, not only the one in your district. You need an appointment to register in person. Munich handles registration at its Bürgerbüros (citizens’ offices).

Online registration exists, but the conditions are strict. In Berlin, you must be at least 18 and hold German or EU citizenship. You also need a BundID account, an ID card or EU eID card with the online function activated, its six-digit PIN, the AusweisApp, and a card reader or a modern smartphone. Berlin states that you cannot register online with an elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel (eAT, electronic residence permit). Munich’s online service covers main residences only.

To register in person in Berlin, everyone who is moving must bring originals of:

• a valid passport or passport replacement papers; for foreign nationals, the passport together with the eAT where applicable
• the completed registration form
• the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
• Personenstandsurkunden (civil status certificates) such as marriage or birth certificates, which may be needed for a first registration in Berlin

Someone else can register on your behalf if they bring a written Vollmacht (power of attorney) and a registration form that you have signed yourself. If you keep another home in Germany, one of them must be declared your Hauptwohnung (main residence). Both cities provide a supplementary form for this.

What you get and why it matters

Registration is free in both cities. In Munich, there is a charge of 12.60 euros only if you also have the address in your vehicle papers changed. Berlin gives the average processing time as immediate. The legal sources listed by Berlin include the rule on the Meldebestätigung (registration confirmation). Berlin also offers a Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate) as a separate service. Munich updates the address on your ID document.

The most important effect is on tax. Munich explains what happens after your first registration. Roughly two to four weeks later, the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (Federal Central Tax Office) automatically sends you a letter with your Steueridentifikationsnummer (tax identification number). You need this number, for example, for your employer when you start work. The letter is more likely to arrive if you give accurate address details when you register and your letterbox is clearly labelled. If it does not arrive, the Federal Central Tax Office has an online form for requesting it again.

The pages used for this guide do not cover bank accounts. Each bank decides what it accepts as proof of address, not the registration office.

Registration and residence status are separate matters. Questions about a residence permit belong with the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority) or a migration advice service.

FAQ

Can I register before I move in?

No. Munich states that you can only register once you have moved in, and that registering with a future date is not legally possible. The 14-day deadline starts on the day you move in.

Is a rental contract enough instead of the landlord’s confirmation?

No. Berlin states that a rental contract does not replace the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. Munich accepts a confirmation in the landlord’s own format only if it contains the landlord’s name and address, the owner’s name if different, the move-in date, the flat address and the names of everyone registering.

Do I have to register if I am only staying a few months?

Berlin states that people who live abroad and stay for no more than three months do not need to register. Munich adds that if you are not registered in Germany and your stay goes beyond three months, you must register within two weeks.

Can I register online with a residence permit card?

Not in Berlin. The Berlin online service is open only to German and EU citizens aged 18 or over, and it does not work with an electronic residence permit (eAT). Each city sets its own online options.

Sources: service.berlin.de · stadt.muenchen.de

Last verified: 10 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).