Registering your address is the first thing you should do after moving to Berlin, Germany. It’s the law. This process is called Anmeldung.
Anmeldung is one of the most important administrative pre-requisites for anybody moving anywhere in Germany.
It is simply the fact of registering residence, living at a specific address in Germany.
When doing so, you will be given the “Meldebescheinigung“, literally “Registration certificate”. Every German citizen or new comer in Germany is supposed to register within 14 days after moving in a new house or flat.
This piece of paper will be necessary for many aspects of your life in this country. You will be asked that paper if you want to open a bank account, set up an internet connection or simply obtain a tax number.
But if you are to stay in Berlin or in Germany for less than 3 months, The Anmeldung may not be a necessary step if you plan to stay. You can then be considered as a tourist for this period. However you won’t be able to open any internet or electricity contract, so make sure you can sort that out through other ways. If you want a mobile phone, simply use a pre-paid offer.
How to get an appointment at the Bürgeramt fast
Booking an appointment is highly recommended to avoid lengthy waiting times. However, the demand for appointments is so high that the first available slot is usually weeks away.
A tip to get an appointment in the next few days instead is to check the booking system at 8 a.m. This is when the whole system is refreshed and it often shows open slots when it didn’t a few minutes before (in Berlin anyway).
Increase your chances by doing a city-wide search. Sometimes, you can even get something for the same day!
There are 3 ways to do register your address at the Bürgeramt:
- Dial 115 and ask for an appointment. The Bürgertelefon helps Berliners find appointments.
- Book an appointment online. It’s the easiest way, especially if you don’t speak German.
- Go without an appointment. Go to the Bürgeramt, get in line and wait until someone can see you. This used to be the only option, but this is not necessary anymore. The city hired more Bürgeramt employees, so you can easily find an appointment.
All you need to do the Anmeldung is :
- Bring your ID card or passport
- Bring your tenancy or sublet contract. If you are simply temporarily staying at a friend’s or a relative’s while looking for something more permanent, have them write and sign a letter stating that you are staying with them.
- Bring a confirmation that you have moved in from the landlord, the “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung”
- Fill in that form called “Anmeldung
bei einer Meldebehörde” that you get at the entrance of any Bürgeramt - If you are married/in a partnership, they will also want to see a relevant certificate, translated in German.
- Go to the nearest Bürgeramt of your area
Unless you have an appointment, you will have to wait between 1h and 2h before you can actually meet a city employee that will magically type in all the info you provided in the computer. You are done with the Anmeldung.
The Anmeldung is an administrative process that is normally compulsory as it’s how the German state tracks population. However; it won’t be the end of the world if you do it a bit later than required.
Something that is Important!
- During the Anmeldung, you will also be able to notify that you need a tax card and number (Steuernummer), you will need that if you decide to find a job in Germany.
- The city has set-up a special phone number to get an express service if you are in a hurry to do your Anmeldung. Just call that new number to get an appointment asap: 030 – 9024 990 (07-20 Uhr).
- You have the possibility to let the administration know what your religion is. Be aware that if you do so, you will be eligible for an extra tax in case you decide to stay longer or you can just choose to state that I am an atheist.
- “If you need to register fast or you don’t have time to register or/and you’re afraid to do mistakes because of the language, you can send someone else to represent you and do all this for, you provided this person has all the required documents together with your ID/Passport.
Filling-in the Anmeldung forms in English, is that possible?
If you really don’t know any German and don’t know anybody who can help, this simple task can be hard to achieve. There are so many things to think about when moving to Germany, so it’s sometimes nice to take a little shortcut! To make your life easier, you can turn to Appmeldung, which lets you do exactly that for Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
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- Some Popular Berlin Museums that will Blow your Mind
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- 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in Germany
