Guides / Moving to Germany: the admin checklist for your first weeks

Moving to Germany: the admin checklist for your first weeks

Anmeldung, the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) explained for newcomers, with official sources.

Published 2026-10-08; sources checked 2026-10-08

The first weeks in Germany come with a handful of administrative steps that are easy to miss, because nobody sends you a list. This guide covers the three that almost every newcomer meets first: registering your address (Anmeldung), getting the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). The rules below come from official pages, listed at the end with the date we read them; practical tips and ordering are our own.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and forms differ by city and by your personal situation, so always check the page of your own local office.

1. Register your address (Anmeldung)

When you move into a flat in Germany, you register it at the local registration office (Bürgeramt or Einwohnermeldeamt). The City of Berlin's service portal, which we used as a worked example, says you must do this within 14 days of moving in ("innerhalb von 14 Tagen nach Ihrem Einzug"). The Berlin page lists no fee for the registration.

What the Berlin page says you bring:

• the completed registration form,
• a valid ID document (passport, ID card or travel document); non-EU citizens bring the passport with the residence permit card (eAT),
• civil-status documents such as a marriage or birth certificate where applicable ("ggf."), and the page asks for originals ("im Original"),
• the landlord's confirmation of your move-in (see the next section),
• for several residences, a declaration of which one is your main residence; for children, the consent of a parent.

The same page says people aged 16 and over can register themselves. Other cities run their own portals with their own appointment systems and sometimes slightly different forms, so check the page of the city you live in. Look up how your office handles appointments before you plan the date.

2. Ask your landlord for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung

The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is a written confirmation, signed by your landlord, that you have moved in. According to the Berlin page, landlords are obliged to give it to the tenant in writing, with a signature, within two weeks of the move-in ("innerhalb von zwei Wochen nach dem Einzug").

The Berlin page says the confirmation must contain:

• the name and address of the landlord (and of the property owner, if that is another person),
• the move-in date,
• the address of the flat,
• the names of the people who are registering.

One detail worth knowing: the Berlin page states that a rental contract does not replace the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. If you only have the contract, ask for the separate confirmation. Because the landlord has up to two weeks and you have 14 days to register, ask for it on the day you get the keys.

Get the free moving checklist on Polar

3. The broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

Germany finances its public broadcasters with a flat fee that is not tied to whether you own a TV or radio. The official site rundfunkbeitrag.de says the fee is charged per flat, and its English information page puts it as "One dwelling – one fee": for citizens who are at least 18 years old, one flat means one fee, so if several people live in it, only one person pays, regardless of how many people live there or how many devices they use.

How it reaches you, according to the same official English page: when you move in and register your new address, the registration office notifies the contribution service, which then writes to the people concerned to clarify who is liable for the flat. You can also register the flat yourself on rundfunkbeitrag.de. If you share a flat, agree between you who is registered, so that the flat is paid for once. For the current amount, check rundfunkbeitrag.de directly; we do not repeat it here because it can change.

A simple order that works

1. Before the move: find out which office and appointment system your city uses.
2. On move-in day: ask the landlord for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung.
3. Within the first days: book and attend the Anmeldung with ID and the confirmation.
4. After registering: watch your post for the letter from the contribution service, and register the flat on rundfunkbeitrag.de.
5. Write down every other change of address you need (bank, insurer, employer, phone, internet) and tick it off as it is done.

Keep it all in one place

The tasks above are only part of a longer list, and the order and due dates depend on your moving date. We made a free Excel checklist for exactly this: 14 prefilled moving tasks, 10 empty rows for your own, and a due date for each task calculated from your moving date. It comes as an English and a German file. It is a free sample of our paid Umzugsplaner, a checklist and budget planner for a move.

Get the free moving checklist on Polar (Polar asks for your name and e-mail address to deliver the files).

If you are also setting up your budget and job applications, the paid Germany Starter Bundle puts the moving planner, a household budget workbook and German CV and cover letter templates into one download. The CV templates are in German only.

Sources

All pages read on 2026-10-08.

• City of Berlin, Service Portal: Anmeldung einer Wohnung (deadline, documents, no fee, content of the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; used as an example, other cities publish their own pages).
• ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice: Rundfunkbeitrag, information in English ("One dwelling – one fee"; notification by the registration office).
• ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice: rundfunkbeitrag.de (contribution per flat, registration of a flat).

About this guide

Written by Template House, an independent maker of downloadable templates. We sell the templates mentioned above. We are not lawyers or tax advisers, and this guide is not legal or tax advice.

Created with AI assistance under our creative direction and reviewed by us.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and your situation may differ; check with the authority or a qualified adviser.

AI disclosure: Created with AI assistance under our creative direction and reviewed by us.