Registering your address in Cologne

What it is

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.

Who:Anyone who moves into a dwelling (Wohnung) in Germany. For children under 16, the person into whose dwelling the child moves registers them.

Documents

As listed by Köln:

• Passport (non-German nationals also bring any residence documents, e.g. electronic residence permit) (Reisepass / Nationalpass und ggf. Aufenthaltsdokumente (z. B. elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel)) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Landlord's confirmation of move-in. A rental contract or an informal letter is not enough, and it cannot be handed in later. (Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung (Der Mietvertrag oder ein formloses Bestätigungsschreiben reichen nicht aus.)) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• When moving from abroad – marriage/partnership certificate and children's birth certificates, with certified translations where needed (Heirats-/Lebenspartnerschaftsurkunde und Geburtsurkunden der Kinder, ggf. mit beglaubigter Übersetzung) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026

Required by federal law / nationwide:

• Registration form (Meldeschein), filled in and signed (Meldeschein (ausgefüllt und unterschrieben)) § 23 Abs. 1 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Identity card, provisional or replacement identity card, or a recognised and valid passport or passport substitute (Personalausweis, vorläufiger Personalausweis, Ersatz-Personalausweis, anerkannter und gültiger Pass oder Passersatzpapier) § 23 Abs. 1 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Landlord's confirmation of moving in (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung), or the reference code (Zuordnungsmerkmal) your landlord received if they confirmed electronically to the registration office (Bestätigung des Wohnungsgebers oder das entsprechende Zuordnungsmerkmal nach § 19 Absatz 4 Satz 1) § 23 Abs. 1 BMG, § 19 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026

Good to know in Cologne

• Walk-in without appointment on Mondays and Wednesdays; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays an appointment is required. You can go to any Kundenzentrum in Cologne. (Montags und mittwochs ohne Termin; dienstags, donnerstags und freitags nur mit Termin.) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• If you move to Cologne from abroad you must appear in person; nobody can register for you. (Bei Zuzug aus dem Ausland ist eine persönliche Vorsprache erforderlich.) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• The city's Anmeldung page also links to online registration via the "Gemeinsam Online" service portal, with no visit needed (the address sticker for your ID is sent by post). (Online-Anmeldung über das Serviceportal Gemeinsam Online) Source: stadt-koeln.de · as of 13 Nov 2026

Steps

1. Ask your landlord (or the person they authorise) for the written confirmation that you moved in. The landlord must give it within the two-week registration deadline; you must give them the information needed for it. (Der Wohnungsgeber ... hat der meldepflichtigen Person den Einzug schriftlich ... innerhalb der in § 17 Absatz 1 genannten Frist zu bestätigen.) § 19 Abs. 1 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
2. If the landlord refuses or you do not get the confirmation in time, tell the registration office without delay. (so hat die meldepflichtige Person dies der Meldebehörde unverzüglich mitzuteilen) § 19 Abs. 2 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
3. Register at the registration office of your city within two weeks of moving in: fill in and sign the registration form and present your ID or passport and the landlord's confirmation. (einen Meldeschein auszufüllen, zu unterschreiben und der Meldebehörde zusammen mit dem Personalausweis ... vorzulegen) § 17 Abs. 1, § 23 Abs. 1 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
4. If the register is kept electronically and you appear in person, the office may skip the paper form; you then confirm the recorded data by signature or electronically. (kann von dem Ausfüllen des Meldescheins abgesehen werden, wenn die meldepflichtige Person persönlich bei der Meldebehörde erscheint) § 23 Abs. 1 Satz 2 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026

Rules that apply everywhere

• Not registering, registering incorrectly or late is an administrative offence that can be fined up to 1,000 euros. The same maximum applies to a landlord who does not confirm the move-in correctly or on time. (mit einer Geldbuße bis zu tausend Euro) § 54 Abs. 2 Nr. 1 und 3, Abs. 3 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Offering or providing an address for registration when nobody actually moves in is forbidden and can be fined up to 50,000 euros. (mit einer Geldbuße bis zu fünfzigtausend Euro) § 19 Abs. 6, § 54 Abs. 1 und 3 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• The landlord's confirmation must contain the landlord's name and address (and the owner's name if different), the move-in date, the flat's address and the names of the people registering. (Name und Anschrift des Wohnungsgebers ..., Einzugsdatum, Anschrift der Wohnung sowie Namen der nach § 17 Absatz 1 meldepflichtigen Personen) § 19 Abs. 3 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Spouses, civil partners and family members moving in on the same date should use one registration form together; registration by one of them is enough. (sollen gemeinsam einen Meldeschein verwenden. Es genügt die Anmeldung durch eine der meldepflichtigen Personen.) § 23 Abs. 4 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• Babies born in Germany only need to be registered if they move into a dwelling other than their parents' or mother's. (Neugeborene, die im Inland geboren wurden, sind nur anzumelden, wenn sie in eine andere Wohnung als die der Eltern oder der Mutter aufgenommen werden.) § 17 Abs. 3 BMG · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026
• After you register with your main or only residence, the registration office passes your data to the Federal Central Tax Office so that you get a tax identification number. (Zum Zwecke der erstmaligen Zuteilung der Identifikationsnummer übermitteln die Meldebehörden dem Bundeszentralamt für Steuern ...) § 139b Abs. 6 und 7 AO · Source: gesetze-im-internet.de · as of 13 Nov 2026

Legal basis

• § 17 BMG: Duty to register within two weeks after moving in (Abs. 1); registration of children under 16 by the person they move in with (Abs. 3)as of 13 Nov 2026
• § 19 BMG: Landlord's duty to confirm the move-in; contents of the confirmation; ban on providing addresses for fake registrationsas of 13 Nov 2026
• § 23 BMG: How registration is done: registration form, ID document and landlord's confirmation; one form for spouses and family members moving in togetheras of 13 Nov 2026
• § 54 BMG: Fines: up to 1,000 euros for not registering (on time or correctly); up to 50,000 euros for offering an address for a fake registrationas of 13 Nov 2026

FIM/LeiKa service key 99115005104001 (Wohnort - Anmeldung der alleinigen Wohnung oder der Hauptwohnung), source.

German terms you will see

Anmeldung

Registering your address with the registration office

Meldebehörde

Registration office of your municipality

Meldeschein

Registration form

Wohnungsgeber

The person who provides the flat, usually the landlord

Wohnungsgeberbestätigung

Landlord's confirmation that you moved in

Zuordnungsmerkmal

Reference code the landlord gets when confirming your move-in electronically; you give it to the office

Einzug

Moving in

Hauptwohnung

Main residence

Ordnungswidrigkeit

Administrative offence (punishable by a fine)

Geldbuße

Fine

Compare

Registering your address: nationwide rules and all cities compared · Everything for Cologne (Köln) · First-30-days checklist

• Berlin
• Munich
• Hamburg
• Frankfurt am Main
• Stuttgart
• Düsseldorf