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Station 3 · Moving week

When do I have to register my address in Germany?

In short

Within two weeks of moving into a flat, at the registration office of your city (section 17, Federal Registration Act). Bring your ID card or passport and your landlord’s confirmation that you have moved in. After registration, the Federal Central Tax Office assigns your tax identification number (Steuer-ID), which your employer needs for payroll.

Sources: Section 17 Federal Registration Act, Section 19 Federal Registration Act, Federal Central Tax Office

2 weeks

after moving in: the deadline for registering your address (Anmeldung).

Registering late or not at all is an administrative offence. The law provides for a fine of up to €1,000 (section 54, Federal Registration Act).

Source: Section 17 Federal Registration Act, retrieved on 26 October 2026.

The moving week in the right order

  1. First, the flat. Your landlord must cooperate with your registration and confirm that you have moved in (section 19, Federal Registration Act). You need this landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) for the appointment.
  2. Then registration at the registration office, called Bürgeramt or Bürgerbüro in many cities. The two weeks run from the day you move in. If you later move to another flat, register there again within two weeks.
  3. Your tax ID arrives by post. The Federal Central Tax Office assigns it as soon as the registration office has passed on your data. So put your name on the letterbox. If nothing has arrived after three months, you can contact the Federal Central Tax Office.
  4. Pass the tax ID on to your employer. If it is missing for your first salary through no fault of your own, your employer calculates for up to three months with your expected tax features. If you culpably fail to provide it, tax class VI applies (section 39c, Income Tax Act).
  5. Choose your health insurance fund (Krankenkasse). If you have statutory insurance, you pick the fund yourself and tell your employer. If you have not named it two weeks after compulsory insurance begins, your employer registers you with a fund (section 175 (3), Social Code Book V).
  6. Open a bank account. Every consumer legally resident in the EU is entitled to a basic account (Basiskonto, section 31, Payment Accounts Act).

Three views of this station

IT professional

“No flat, no registration. No registration, no tax ID. Where do I start?”

What helps: With the flat, even if it is a temporary one. What matters is the landlord’s confirmation.

Partner

“Do I have to register too, and what about the children?”

What helps: Yes, everyone who moves in registers. For children under 16, the person moving in with them does it (section 17 (3), Federal Registration Act).

Company

“Will our new team member have a tax ID on day one?”

What helps: If not, and through no fault of their own, payroll runs for up to three months on the expected tax features (section 39c, Income Tax Act). And allow time in the first week for the appointment at the registration office.

How we work at this station

For you
In the week of the move: registration, bank account, health insurance and keys, prepared and in the right order.
For the company
Until the start date, the notice period with the previous employer is usually still running. We use that time to prepare the move, housing and registration.

Not in our hands: Free appointments and processing times at public offices. We plan around them, but we cannot speed them up.

The path

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Circles: the five stations. Diamonds: our check-ins in weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12. Numbers below: months after the start.

  1. Before you acceptCan my family come with me, and can my partner work in Germany?
  2. Before you signWhat is left of an IT salary in Germany once the rent is paid?
  3. Moving weekWhen do I have to register my address in Germany?You are here
  4. The first weeksDo I need German for an IT job in Germany?
  5. Month 6How long is the probation period in Germany, and what applies during it?

How does moving to Germany as an IT professional work?

Calculate your own path

With your city and your salary: comparison calculator. Talk your path through with us: write to us. Who we are: home page.

Sources

  1. Section 17 (1) and (3) Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  2. Section 19 (1) Federal Registration Act (landlord’s duty to confirm), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  3. Section 54 (2) no. 1 and (3) Federal Registration Act, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  4. Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), questions and answers on the tax identification number, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  5. Section 39c (1) Income Tax Act, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  6. Section 175 (3) Social Code Book V (choice of health insurance fund), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
  7. Section 31 (1) Payment Accounts Act (basic account), retrieved on 26 October 2026.