- 1.How to go about it
- 2.What do you usually need?
- 3.Where do you register?
- 4.By when?
- 5.What happens next?
- 6.Landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
- 7.What is a registered address, and how is it different from a postal address?
- 8.Can I register my address by post?
- 9.Can I register a workers’ room as my home?
- 10.Can I register at an address where I do not live?
How to go about it
- Check with the registration office responsible for your new address how registration works there and whether you need an appointment or can use an online procedure.
- Have the required documents ready.
- Register your address in time. Deadline: 14 days after actually moving in.
What do you usually need?
Depending on your personal situation and the responsible office, further documents may be required.
- a valid identity document, for example an ID card or passport
- confirmation from your landlord (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
Where do you register?
At the registration office responsible for your new flat. Depending on the place it may be called Bürgeramt or Einwohnermeldeamt.
By when?
Deadline: 14 days after moving into the flat.
What happens next?
After registration your address data for the new home is recorded and you receive a registration confirmation. If you are being registered in Germany for the first time and do not yet have a tax identification number, registering with the registration office generally triggers the issuing of the tax ID.
Landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
The landlord's confirmation for registering your address.
Your registered address is the address of a home you have actually moved into and register with the registration office. A postal address is just where you receive letters; it does not replace a place of residence.
A letter alone does not automatically replace registration. Ask your registration office which procedures it offers. Some registrations are possible online; a fully postal process is not available everywhere. Identification and a housing provider confirmation are generally still needed.
What matters is whether you actually live or sleep there, not the accommodation’s name. Short stays have exceptions: someone already registered in Germany who temporarily takes another home for no more than six months generally need not register it. For people normally living abroad, an exception applies to stays of up to three months. Accommodation establishments may have special rules. Check your case with the registration office.
An address must not be supplied or used for registration if you neither move in nor intend to do so. A letterbox-only address is not a substitute. Actually moving in and the appropriate housing provider confirmation are generally required.
Find your registration office
Enter your postcode. MeaNext then asks the public administration directory of the German states (PVOG by FITKO). Only the postcode and the service “register your address” are sent, nothing else.
Terms on this page
Tap a word. The terms stay in German so you recognise them in letters and forms.
This is orientation, not legal advice. Please check the details at the official source.
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