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Moving to Erlangen: Anmeldung, foreigners office & first 30 days

How to register your address in Erlangen, reach the foreigners office, find English-speaking doctors and get through your first month. Every fact links to the official source.

Last checked: 2026-10-21 · State: Bavaria

In short: Erlangen lets you register your address without an appointment at the Citizen Services desk on the ground floor of City Hall (Rathausplatz 1). The foreigners office is in the same building, on the 2nd floor. If you hold a non-EU residence card, you can't register online yet. (Stadt Erlangen – New to Erlangen?, last checked 2026-10-21) (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)

1. Anmeldung (address registration)

Deadline: within two weeks of moving in. Missing the deadline is an administrative offence, with a fine of up to €1,000. (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)

Where and how:

• Walk in to the Citizen Services office (Bürgerservice) on the ground floor of City Hall. No appointment needed, and the current waiting time is published online. (Stadt Erlangen – New to Erlangen?, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Or book an appointment for Meldewesen – Bürgeramt through the city's appointment page. (Stadt Erlangen – Terminvergabe, last checked 2026-10-21)
• When it's busy, Citizen Services can stop handing out waiting tickets up to 120 minutes before closing, so don't arrive late in the day. (Stadt Erlangen – Terminvergabe, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Opening hours listed for registration: Mon 08:00–18:00, Tue 08:00–18:00, Wed 08:00–12:00. Phone (Mon/Tue/Thu 08:00–13:00, Wed/Fri 08:00–12:00): 09131 86-1616, [email protected]. The city page lists no hours for Thursday and Friday, so check with the office. (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)

Online option: electronic registration works for German citizens and EU citizens with an eID card. For third-country nationals with an electronic residence permit (eAT), it is "still in the planning stages". (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)

Documents for an in-person visit: (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)

• Completed and signed registration form (available at the office)
• ID card and/or passport for everyone being registered
• Landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung), or the code if your landlord confirmed electronically. It must include the landlord's name and address (and the owner's name, if the landlord isn't the owner), your actual move-in date, the flat's address and the names of everyone moving in. A rental contract alone does not count. If your landlord refuses or doesn't issue it in time, you must tell the registration office immediately. (Stadt Erlangen – Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; Vorlage, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Erlangen-specific: civil-status documents (birth or marriage certificate etc.) so your marital status can be recorded in full, plus a declaration if you have more than one home in Germany.

2. Foreigners office (Ausländerbehörde)

• Where: 2nd floor of City Hall, Rathausplatz 1. You check in at a terminal in the central waiting area. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Who it covers: foreigners who live in Erlangen or are registered there. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Without an appointment you're called to the information desk, where you can explain your case, hand in applications and pick up documents. Just dropping off papers? Use the letterbox in the waiting area and label the envelope clearly. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Appointments by phone: Tue 13:30–15:00, Wed 10:00–12:00, Thu 13:30–15:00. The team for students, vocational training, employment and skilled workers is on 09131/86-2879, -2089, -1512, -3424, -2451, email [email protected]. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Couldn't reach anyone? The city has an online request form. Pick "Studium, Erwerbstätigkeit", then ask for an appointment or a call back. You'll need your passport or document number. (Stadt Erlangen – Online-Terminanfrage Ausländerbehörde, last checked 2026-10-21)

What documents you need depends on your residence purpose. The office doesn't publish a single list for every case, so check with the office for yours. Note: the city's general information page for the foreigners office shows "Stand: 05.02.2024", so confirm phone hours before relying on them. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21)

3. English-speaking doctors

• The statutory health insurance physicians' service 116117.de has an English page with a search for practices "where English is spoken". Type Erlangen into "Ort oder PLZ eingeben" and click "Suchen". It's best to phone ahead for an appointment. (116117.de – English, last checked 2026-10-21)
• The phone line 116117 finds the nearest on-call practice outside opening hours, but only in German. In a life-threatening emergency, call 112. (116117.de – English, last checked 2026-10-21)
• The federal portal gesund.bund.de has a doctor search with a "Foreign languages" filter that includes English. (gesund.bund.de – Doctor search, last checked 2026-10-21)

4. Students: blocked account and visa money

• If your visa needs a blocked account (Sperrkonto), you can choose any provider. Fees come on top of the blocked amount, and the account is usually set up for one year. (Auswärtiges Amt – Sperrkonto eröffnen und schließen, last checked 2026-10-21)
• The German mission in Jakarta lists €992 net per month for study (§ 16b AufenthG) in 2026. Your own mission may publish the figure separately, so always check its page. (Deutsche Botschaft Jakarta (Auswärtiges Amt) – Lebensunterhaltssicherung im Jahr 2026, last checked 2026-10-21)
• Once you're in Germany, the foreigners office (not the embassy) is the "blocked beneficiary" for the account. Contact it if the block needs lifting. (Auswärtiges Amt – Sperrkonto eröffnen und schließen, last checked 2026-10-21)

5. Your first 30 days in Erlangen

1. Day 1–3: Get the signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord. (Stadt Erlangen – Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; Vorlage, last checked 2026-10-21)
2. Within 14 days: Register at Citizen Services. Walk in early in the day, or book a slot. Bring your passport and civil-status documents. (Stadt Erlangen – New to Erlangen?, last checked 2026-10-21) (Stadt Erlangen – Residence; Registration (English), last checked 2026-10-21)
3. Non-EU: Call the foreigners office's student/employment team during phone hours, or use the online request form. (Stadt Erlangen – Ausländerbehörde: allgemeine Informationen, last checked 2026-10-21) (Stadt Erlangen – Online-Terminanfrage Ausländerbehörde, last checked 2026-10-21)
4. Find a GP with the English-language filter on 116117.de before you get sick. (116117.de – English, last checked 2026-10-21)
5. Students with a blocked account: Keep the provider's paperwork, because the foreigners office is now the blocked beneficiary. (Auswärtiges Amt – Sperrkonto eröffnen und schließen, last checked 2026-10-21)