German paperwork, explained for your city.

Choose your city

• Berlin

  Berlin · 5/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Munich München

  Bayern · 4/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Hamburg

  Hamburg · 5/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Frankfurt am Main

  Hessen · 3/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Cologne Köln

  Nordrhein-Westfalen · 5/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Stuttgart

  Baden-Württemberg · 2/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

• Düsseldorf

  Nordrhein-Westfalen · 5/5 city processes verified · checked 13 Nov 2026

More cities follow. We only publish a city once its offices and fees have been checked on the official pages.

Processes

• Registering your address (Anmeldung einer Wohnung)

  Federal law (Bundesmeldegesetz) requires everyone who moves into a dwelling to register with the registration office within two weeks. You fill in and sign a registration form and show your ID or passport and your landlord's confirmation that you moved in. Offices, booking and fees are run by each city.

• Residence permit (incl. EU Blue Card) (Aufenthaltstitel (Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Blaue Karte EU))

  If you are not an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen you need a residence title to stay in Germany beyond a short visit. Usually you enter with a national visa and then apply for the residence permit or EU Blue Card at the foreigners' authority of your place of residence before the visa expires. Citizens of some countries (e.g. Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, the USA) may enter without a visa and apply within 90 days. Federal law sets the conditions and the fees; offices, appointments and processing are run by each city.

• Your tax identification number (Steuerliche Identifikationsnummer (IdNr))

  You do not apply for the tax ID when you first register in Germany. After you register your address, the registration office sends your data to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), which assigns the number and tells you by letter.

• Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) (Rundfunkbeitrag)

  For every dwelling in Germany a broadcasting fee of 18.36 euros per month is charged. One adult per dwelling registers and pays; flatmates do not pay again. You have to notify the Beitragsservice without delay, in writing, when you start living in a dwelling. Online registration is available on rundfunkbeitrag.de.

• Child benefit (Kindergeld) (Kindergeld)

  Parents who live in Germany (or are fully taxable here) receive 259 euros per child per month. You apply to the Familienkasse, normally online. Both you and the child must be identified by their tax identification number. Payments are made retroactively for at most six months before the month in which your application arrives, so apply soon after birth or arrival. Non-EU citizens are eligible only with certain residence titles.

• Parental allowance (Elterngeld) (Elterngeld)

  Elterngeld is 67 percent of your previous net earned income (65 to 100 percent depending on income), at least 300 euros and at most 1,800 euros per month for Basiselterngeld. Parents together can receive 12 monthly amounts of Basiselterngeld, plus 2 partner months if both reduce their income; ElterngeldPlus lets you spread it over twice as many months. You apply in writing after the birth to the Elterngeldstelle of your child's place of residence. Payments are made retroactively for at most three months of the child's life before the month of application, so apply within the first three months. Non-EU citizens are eligible only with certain residence titles, and there is an income limit.

• Using or converting a foreign driving licence (Umschreibung einer ausländischen Fahrerlaubnis)

  A licence from a non-EU/EEA country lets you drive in Germany for six months after you take up your normal residence here. After that you need a German licence. If your country and licence class are on the official state list (Anlage 11 FeV), you can get the German licence without theory and/or practical test, depending on the entry; otherwise you have to pass the tests but do not need driving school training. Licences from EU/EEA countries follow different rules (§ 28 FeV) and normally do not need to be converted.

• Deregistering your address (Abmeldung einer Wohnung)

  If you move out of a dwelling and do not take up a new one in Germany, federal law requires you to deregister within two weeks of moving out. You can deregister at the earliest one week before moving out. When you move within Germany, registering at the new address is enough.

Just arrived?

• Employee
• EU Blue Card
• Student
• Family