Registering your address in Germany (Anmeldung)

Who has to register, and when

Anyone who moves into a flat or house in Germany has to register with the registration office of the place they live in. The deadline is two weeks after the day you move in (BMG section 17). Germans call it the Anmeldung.

It applies from your first day in the home. The two weeks run from the move-in date, not from the day you find time.

When you leave, the same section asks you to deregister (Abmeldung) within two weeks after you move out if you do not take a new address in Germany. You can do it at the earliest one week before the move.

What you bring

The State of Berlin’s service portal lists what the office wants for a registration in the city (Berlin service portal, read 6 Oct 2026):

• a valid passport or ID card;
• the landlord’s confirmation of move-in (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, see below);
• the completed registration form;
• for minors, a declaration of consent from the parents.

Berlin says an appointment at the local citizens’ office (Bürgeramt) is needed for the visit in person. The office completes the registration at the appointment, and the service is free of charge. The online route in Berlin runs through BundID with an eID-enabled German ID card. If you do not have one yet, plan on an appointment.

Other cities have their own booking systems and forms. The law is the same everywhere; the booking is not. Look up your city’s page before you plan the week.

The landlord’s confirmation

Your landlord must cooperate with your registration. Section 19 of the same law requires a written confirmation of your move-in, and the landlord has to give it to you within the same two-week period (BMG section 19). It has to state:

1. the name and address of the landlord, and the owner’s name if it is a different person;
2. your move-in date;
3. the address of the flat;
4. the names of everyone who registers.

Ask for it on the day you get the keys, in writing, and check that the date and the spelling of your names match your passport.

If the landlord refuses, or the paper does not arrive in time, section 19 tells you to inform the registration office without delay. The office can then register you anyway.

What a late or false registration costs

The law treats registration as a duty, and it has fines attached (BMG section 54):

Violation	Maximum fine
Not registering, or registering wrongly or late	EUR 1,000
A landlord who does not confirm the move-in, or confirms it falsely	EUR 1,000
Offering or providing an address for registration when the person does not live there	EUR 50,000

The last line matters to newcomers. Section 19 forbids offering a residential address for registration when the person does not actually live there or plan to live there. It is the highest fine in the law, and it applies to the person who offers the address. Do not buy a registration address from anyone.

A two-week plan

1. Before the move. When you sign the lease, ask the landlord to name the person who will sign the confirmation and to promise it on the day of the key handover.
2. Day of the move. Take the keys, and the signed confirmation with them. Photograph it.
3. Day 1 or 2. Book the appointment at your registration office. Appointments are local, and the deadline is not. Booking early is the part of the process you can control.
4. At the appointment. Bring the passport or ID, the form and the confirmation, plus the same documents for your partner and children if they move in with you.
5. After the appointment. Keep the registration certificate and a copy of the landlord’s confirmation.

If you would rather hand it over

Relocation agencies sell orientation and settling-in packages. Published private-client prices read on 7 October 2026: Local-Worldwide lists an orientation package at EUR 450 and a settling-in package, which includes address registration, at EUR 590 for one person (Local-Worldwide). Mildenberger shows packages starting at EUR 500, with a schooling package as its example, so that figure is not a registration price (Mildenberger). Most agencies publish no price. If you ask for a quote, ask whether the registration appointment and the landlord’s confirmation are part of it, because the appointment and the confirmation decide whether you meet the two-week deadline.

What we could not source

We did not find an official statement on how long Berlin or other cities take to give appointments, so this guide gives none. We also did not cover registering a second home or a stay shorter than the period in the law. Ask your registration office, or an agency in your city, if either applies to you.