Register your address

When you move into a home in Germany, you normally need to register your address within two weeks. This is called Anmeldung. Different rules apply to some temporary stays.

In short

• For an ordinary move into a home, register with the local registration authority (Meldebehörde) within two weeks. This duty applies regardless of citizenship or residence title. Certain temporary stays are exempt under section 27; see the details below.
• Address registration is separate from applying for a residence permit. People under 16 do not register themselves; the people whose home they move into must register them.
• Your housing provider must give you a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, confirming your move, within the same two weeks. Register the home you actually move into.
• If you move to another city in Germany, register your new address (Anmeldung); you do not need an Abmeldung for that move. The two-week period does not pause if no appointment is available.
• Keep your registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) as proof of your registered address. It does not replace a visa or residence permit.

What you need to know

Anmeldung means registering the home you actually move into. Section 17 of the Federal Registration Act normally requires you to do this with the Meldebehörde within two weeks, subject to statutory exceptions. The rule applies across Germany, but appointment systems, forms and any fees vary by city.

Section 54 sets a fine ceiling of up to 1,000 euros for failing to register, or for registering late or incorrectly, and up to 50,000 euros for offering or providing a sham address under section 19 (6).

This applies whether you are an EU citizen or you hold a residence title. Registering an address is not the same thing as applying for a residence permit. People under 16 do not file for themselves: the people into whose home they move must register them. A baby born in Germany is registered only if the baby moves into a different home from the parents or the mother.

Section 27(2) has temporary-stay exceptions. If you are already registered for a dwelling in Germany and take another dwelling for no more than six months, you normally need neither registration nor deregistration for that temporary dwelling. If you remain after six months, register within the following two weeks.

If you normally live abroad and are not registered for a dwelling in Germany, registration becomes required after three months. These rules do not give someone making an ordinary permanent move permission to wait three months. Section 27(3) excludes specified groups, including distributed Spätaussiedler and their families and asylum seekers or other foreigners in assigned reception/accommodation facilities. Ask the registration authority which rule applies if your stay changes.

Hotels and other commercial accommodation have separate rules under section 29. A stay longer than six months can trigger ordinary registration; if you are not registered for a dwelling in Germany, you must register with the authority within two weeks once the accommodation stay exceeds three months. A hotel guest form is a different process. Do not treat every hotel address as legally impossible to register; confirm your actual stay and evidence with the Meldebehörde and accommodation provider.

What to do

1. Ask the housing provider (Wohnungsgeber), or someone they have authorised, for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. Section 19 says this confirmation must include the housing provider’s name and address, the owner’s name if the housing provider is not the owner, the move-in date, the address of the dwelling, and the names of the people who have to register. It has to come from the housing provider or from someone they appointed. The housing provider must provide it within the same two-week period.
2. Find the Meldebehörde for your new city. Its website will explain where to get the form and how to book an appointment. Availability varies locally.
3. Go with a valid identity document. For a rented home, also take the housing provider’s confirmation of when you moved into which address. Take the documents the office lists for your appointment. Requirements beyond the statute can differ by city.
4. For an ordinary move not covered by an exception, register within two weeks of moving in. Keep the Meldebescheinigung. Section 18 says the Meldebehörde issues that certificate on application. It states your name, date of birth, and current addresses, marked as your main or secondary residence. It proves the registered address. It does not replace a visa or a residence permit.
5. Expect the registration office to pass data on your sole or main home to the Federal Central Tax Office so an identification number can be assigned. That transmission is in section 139b of the Fiscal Code. The tax ID page explains what arrives next.

Appointments and free help

Start booking from your municipality’s official service page. Check the operator before sharing identity documents, and distinguish a public service fee from an optional private assistance charge. Berlin example: official appointment booking is free, and Berlin says appointments purchased through intermediaries are not recognised. Use your own municipality’s procedure; this example does not establish another office’s deadline policy.

Some municipalities that are connected offer an online Anmeldung under section 23a of the Federal Registration Act. The BayernPortal is one example, and it uses a BundID or a BayernID. The two-week duty does not change, and the account is not itself the registration. That Bavarian service currently accepts German citizens, and EU citizens with an eID card, and only where the municipality is connected. Online filing with an electronic residence permit is still planned there. Ask the office for your new address whether it is connected.

If you need help understanding the process, Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zugewanderte (MBE) offers free, confidential migration counselling. Its own site describes the service for migrants from the 28th year of life and their children. Ask a local centre about eligibility and available languages. Counselling does not replace registration or preserve a statutory deadline.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a short hotel stay and an ordinary move have identical registration rules, or that every hotel address can never be registered. Check sections 27 and 29 and your actual accommodation with the Meldebehörde.
• Filing an Abmeldung when you only move to another city inside Germany. You deregister under section 17 only when you leave a dwelling and do not take a new one in Germany. A move inside the country is a new Anmeldung at the new address. The leaving page covers the other case.
• Assuming the two-week period pauses while you wait for an appointment. If your local office has no appointment available, contact it and follow its instructions; do not assume a late registration will be accepted.
• Confusing the Meldebescheinigung with a residence title. The certificate proves the registered address. It does not replace a visa or a residence permit.