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Anmeldung in Germany step by step: the two-week deadline, the landlord confirmation, online registration and your Meldebestätigung

How to register your address (Anmeldung) in Germany: who must register and when, which documents to bring, what the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is, who can use online registration, and what you get afterwards.

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Quick answers

How long do I have to register my address in Germany?
Two weeks from the day you move in. If you normally live abroad, are not registered in Germany and only stay a short time, the duty to register starts after three months.12
What documents do I need for the Anmeldung?
A registration form (Meldeschein), your ID card or a recognised valid passport, and the landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) or the code your landlord received from the office. Some cities, such as Darmstadt, also ask people with a foreign nationality for their electronic residence permit.34
Is a rental contract enough for the Anmeldung?
No. The registration office needs the landlord confirmation, because a rental contract usually does not contain all the details the law requires.45
Can I register my address in Germany online?
Only in some cases. The national online service is for people who moved within Germany and are registering a new main residence, using an ID card or eID card with the online function. If you arrive from abroad, plan to go in person.678
Does the Anmeldung cost anything?
No. The registration and the official confirmation (Meldebestätigung) are free.8910

In short: When you move into a flat in Germany, you have to register the address with the local registration office (Meldebehörde, often called Bürgerbüro or Bürgeramt) within two weeks.1 Bring your passport or ID card and a landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). A rental contract alone isn't enough.35 The registration is free, and you get an official confirmation (Meldebestätigung) as proof of your address.9 Online registration exists, but if you're arriving from abroad you'll usually have to go in person.78

1. Who has to register, and by when

  • Anyone who moves into a flat has to register with the registration office within two weeks of moving in.1
  • The two weeks start on the day you actually move in, not on the day your contract starts. Rental contract dates don't decide this.6 You also can't register in advance: Aachen and Bielefeld both say registration isn't possible before you've actually moved in.810
  • Short stays: if you're already registered somewhere in Germany and take a flat for six months or less, you don't need to register it. If you still live there after six months, you have two weeks to register. For people who normally live abroad and aren't registered in Germany, the same rule applies, but the limit is three months instead of six.2
  • Children: children under 16 are registered by the people whose flat they move into.1
  • Leaving Germany: if you move out and don't take a new flat in Germany, you have to deregister (Abmeldung) within two weeks of moving out. You can do this up to one week before you leave.1
  • Moving within Germany? You don't need to deregister at your old address. Registering at the new one is enough.811

2. The landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)

This is the document people most often forget.

  • Your landlord (Wohnungsgeber) must help with your registration. They have to confirm your move-in in writing or electronically within the two-week period.12
  • The "landlord" is whoever provides the flat. That's usually the owner or a property manager, but it can also be the main tenant if you sublet a room, for example in a shared flat (WG).5
  • The confirmation must state:512
    • the landlord's name and address, plus the owner's name if the landlord isn't the owner
    • the date you moved in
    • the address of the flat
    • the names of everyone registering at that address
  • A rental contract alone isn't enough, because it usually lacks some of these details. Erlangen and Darmstadt both say this explicitly.45
  • Electronic version: a landlord can send the confirmation straight to the registration office. You then get a code (Zuordnungsmerkmal) from the landlord, and you give it to the office instead of a paper form.512
  • If your landlord refuses or doesn't send the confirmation in time, tell the registration office immediately.12
  • If you move into a flat you own, you confirm it yourself (Eigenerklärung).5
  • A landlord who doesn't confirm correctly or on time can be fined up to €1,000. Offering an address for registration to someone who doesn't actually live there is banned. The fine for that is up to €50,000.513

Erlangen, for example, offers the landlord confirmation as a downloadable PDF form.14

3. Registering in person, step by step

  1. Book an appointment at your registration office. In Aachen, for example, you register online or in person after booking an appointment.10 Our city guides link to the booking pages.
  2. Bring the documents. By law, you hand over a filled-in and signed registration form (Meldeschein), your ID card or a recognised, valid passport, and the landlord confirmation or code.3 Darmstadt also asks people with a foreign nationality for their electronic residence permit, if they have one.4
  3. Paperwork for family members. Bielefeld asks for birth certificates for minor children. If a spouse moves from abroad, it asks for the marriage certificate.8 Erlangen may ask for civil status documents to check details such as marital status.14
  4. The form. Where the register is digital, the office can skip the paper form if you come in person and confirm your data by signature.3 So don't worry if you couldn't print the form.
  5. Sending someone else. Rules vary by city. Darmstadt accepts an authorised person with a written power of attorney, and spouses don't need one.4 Bielefeld says that if you move from abroad, nobody can register for you: everyone, including children, has to appear in person.8
  6. Get your confirmation. At the counter, registration is usually done on the spot. Bielefeld says it updates your ID documents immediately.8

4. Online registration: who can actually use it

Germany has a nationwide online service, the elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung (eWA). It's run by the City of Hamburg together with the Federal Ministry of the Interior.11

What it requires:

  • It's for people who moved within Germany and are registering a new main or sole residence. You can't register a secondary residence with it.6
  • You need an ID card or eID card with the online ID function, your 6-digit PIN, and the AusweisApp on an NFC smartphone, or a card reader.611
  • The service pulls your existing data from the population register.11 In practice, that means it only works if you're already registered somewhere in Germany.
  • If you rent, you upload the landlord confirmation.11
  • Couples and their minor children who move together can register as a family.11
  • Registering online is free.6

Cities set their own limits, especially for third-country nationals with an electronic residence permit (eAT):

City Online with an eAT? Arriving from abroad
Aachen No, in person7 In person7
Bielefeld Yes, the eAT is accepted8 In person, no proxy8
Erlangen Not yet, still in planning14 Check with the office

Aachen also requires an in-person visit if you're registering a second home or have an information block (Auskunftssperre).7

What happens next: the office checks your application and emails you. You then log back in to download the confirmation and update the address on your card's chip. New address stickers for your ID card arrive by post from the Bundesdruckerei.11 In Bielefeld, the check can take up to three working days.8 In Erlangen, it can take up to a week.14 If the online process fails or the office cancels it, Erlangen asks you to come in person.14

5. The Meldebestätigung

  • After registering, you get an official confirmation (amtliche Meldebestätigung) free of charge. You get it on paper, or electronically if you registered online.9
  • It may only show your surname, first names, doctoral degree, date of birth, move-in date, registration date, address, and whether this is your sole, main or secondary residence.9
  • The online version comes with a forgery-proof digital seal.11
  • Keep it with your important documents. For the next steps after registering, such as the foreigners office and, for students, the blocked account, see our city guides.

6. Main and secondary residence

  • If you have more than one flat in Germany, one of them is your main residence (Hauptwohnung), the one you mainly use. Every other flat is a secondary residence (Nebenwohnung).15
  • When you register, you must state any other flats you have. If your main residence changes, you have to report it within two weeks.15
  • For a married couple or registered partners who don't live permanently apart, the main residence is the flat the family mainly uses. In unclear cases, it's where your life is centred.16
  • Some cities charge a second-home tax. Darmstadt does, for example.4

7. What happens if you register late

  • Registering late, incorrectly or not at all is an administrative offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit). It can be fined up to €1,000.13
  • Aachen says late registration can lead to a warning or fine. It also says it takes the current appointment situation into account.10 So if you can't get an appointment in time, keep proof that you tried, and ask your office.

8. Checklist

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This page explains the general rules. It isn't legal advice. Local registration offices set their own procedures and document lists, so check your city's page before your appointment.

Sources

  1. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 17 – Anmeldung, Abmeldung (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 7×
  2. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 27 – Ausnahmen von der Meldepflicht (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 2×
  3. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 23 – Erfüllung der allgemeinen Meldepflicht (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 5×
  4. City of Darmstadt – Anmeldung / Ummeldung des Wohnsitzesdigitales-rathaus.darmstadt.de · Last checked · cited 7×
  5. City of Erlangen – Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; Vorlageerlangen.de · Last checked · cited 9×
  6. Elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung – Häufige Fragenwohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de · Last checked · cited 6×
  7. City of Aachen – Elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldungserviceportal.aachen.de · Last checked · cited 5×
  8. City of Bielefeld – Wohnsitz anmeldenbielefeld.de · Last checked · cited 12×
  9. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 24 – Datenerhebung, Meldebestätigung (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 5×
  10. City of Aachen – Anmeldung eines Wohnsitzesserviceportal.aachen.de · Last checked · cited 4×
  11. Elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung (City of Hamburg with the Federal Ministry of the Interior) – Service description in Englishwohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de · Last checked · cited 8×
  12. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 19 – Mitwirkung des Wohnungsgebers (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 5×
  13. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 54 – Bußgeldvorschriften (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 2×
  14. City of Erlangen – Registering, deregistering or changing your residenceerlangen.de · Last checked · cited 5×
  15. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 21 – Mehrere Wohnungen (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 2×
  16. Federal Registration Act (BMG) § 22 – Bestimmung der Hauptwohnung (gesetze-im-internet.de)gesetze-im-internet.de · Last checked · cited 1×

Official rules, opening hours and appointment systems change. If something here no longer matches the official page, the official page is right. Please let us know.