How Does the Anmeldung Work in Germany? (2026)
The Anmeldung is the mandatory registration of your address at the Bürgeramt, generally within 14 days of moving in. You cannot do it without a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, the written move-in confirmation from your landlord or main tenant. It produces the Meldebescheinigung, and it is what causes your Steuer-ID to be posted to you. Deadlines and appointment systems are set by each city, so confirm both with your own Bürgeramt.
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What Is the Anmeldung and Who Has to Do It?
Germany keeps a register of who lives at which address, and the Anmeldung is how you enter it. It applies to everyone who moves into a home in Germany, EU citizen or not, student or employee, and it is done at the Bürgeramt of the city or district you move into.
It is not the same thing as a residence permit. The Anmeldung is a registration; the Aufenthaltstitel is a permission to stay, issued by the Ausländerbehörde. They are different offices with different appointments, and one usually expects the other to have happened first.
How Long Do You Have?
Generally 14 days from the day you move in. Treat that as the working rule and the appointment as the constraint: in the larger cities, the wait for a free slot can be longer than the deadline itself, which is why you book before the move rather than after it.
The precise deadline, the fee if any, whether walk-in slots exist and how far ahead bookings open are all decided locally. Look up your own Bürgeramt and go by what it says, not by what worked for someone in another city.
What Is the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung?
The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is a written confirmation from your Wohnungsgeber, meaning whoever provides the home: the landlord, the letting company, or the main tenant if you are subletting. It states that you moved in and from what date.
This is the document that stops people. A signed lease does not replace it, and a Bürgeramt appointment without it is a wasted appointment. Newcomers routinely arrive in Germany with a contract and no confirmation, and have to go back to the landlord and start the appointment queue again.
Ask early
Request it when you sign, alongside the keys and the deposit receipt, not once you are already standing in the queue.
Subletting counts
If you rent a room from the main tenant, the main tenant is your Wohnungsgeber and signs the confirmation.
Furnished lets
Not every short-let address permits registration. Wunderflats flags Anmeldung-capable listings, and HousingAnywhere tells you to check eligibility per listing.
Get it in writing
Before you pay a deposit on a place you booked from abroad, get written confirmation that the address permits Anmeldung.
How Do You Do the Anmeldung Step by Step?
- 1
Ask for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
The landlord or main tenant confirms in writing that you moved in and when. Request it as you sign, not after the move.
- 2
Book an appointment at the Bürgeramt
Appointment systems and waiting times are set by each city. Book as early as you can, and check whether your city offers walk-in slots.
- 3
Bring your passport or ID and the confirmation
Take the identity document you entered on and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. Bring documents for everyone in the household who is registering.
- 4
Register and collect the Meldebescheinigung
The registration certificate is issued at the appointment. Keep it, because banks, insurers and employers ask for it.
- 5
Wait for the Steuer-ID by post
The tax identification number is sent to the address you just registered. It is not handed over at the counter.
What Does the Anmeldung Unlock?
- The Steuer-ID. The tax identification number is posted to your registered address after the Anmeldung. Without it, your employer cannot tax you correctly.
- The Meldebescheinigung. The registration certificate is the document banks, insurers and employers ask for when they want proof of where you live.
- The residence permit appointment. The Ausländerbehörde issues the Aufenthaltstitel, and expects you to be registered.
- Everyday contracts. A registered address is what turns a temporary arrival into someone a German provider will sign a contract with.
What Goes Wrong, and What to Do About It?
No Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
The appointment cannot be completed. Chase the landlord in writing and rebook. This is the most common failure.
An address that does not allow registration
Some short-term and holiday lets cannot be registered. Confirm before booking, not after arrival.
No free appointment
Waiting lists in the big cities can run past the deadline. Book before the move and check for released slots daily.
Waiting for the Steuer-ID at the counter
It is not issued there. It arrives by post afterwards, so make sure your name is on the letterbox.
How Do You Register a New Address Later?
Every move means a new Anmeldung with a new Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from the new Wohnungsgeber. If you move within the same city, the same Bürgeramt handles it; if you move to another city, you register with the Bürgeramt there. Keep the new Meldebescheinigung, because your bank, your insurer and the Ausländerbehörde all need the current address on file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anmeldung?
The Anmeldung is the mandatory registration of your home address with the Bürgeramt of the city or district you live in. It applies to everyone who moves into a German home, whatever their nationality. It produces the Meldebescheinigung, the registration certificate that the rest of German life asks for.
How long do you have to do the Anmeldung?
Generally within 14 days of moving in. The exact deadline, the booking system and whether walk-in slots exist are set locally, so confirm both the deadline and the appointment route with the Bürgeramt of your own city rather than assuming another city's practice.
What is a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung?
It is the written confirmation from the person who gives you the home, your landlord or the main tenant, stating that you moved in and on what date. The Bürgeramt will not complete the Anmeldung without it. A signed lease is not a substitute, and this is the single most common reason newcomers get turned away.
Why does the Anmeldung matter so much?
Because it gates the rest. Your Steuer-ID is posted to your registered address after the Anmeldung, and without it your employer cannot tax you correctly. Banks ask for the Meldebescheinigung, and the Ausländerbehörde expects you to be registered before it issues an Aufenthaltstitel.
What happens if you move to a different flat?
You register the new address the same way, with a new Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from the new Wohnungsgeber. Moving within the same city is handled by the same Bürgeramt; moving to another city means registering with the Bürgeramt there.