What is the Anmeldung?
The Anmeldung is the registration of your address with the residents’ registration office — in Berlin, the Bürgeramt. It is required by law: you must register within two weeks of moving in. You receive a registration certificate (Meldebestätigung), which you will often need for a bank account, the Jobcenter, the immigration office and many contracts.
Who has to register
- Anyone who moves into a home — including a WG room or a sublet.
- If you move to a new flat within Germany, register at the new address within two weeks; you are deregistered from the old one automatically.
- Short stays: if you normally live abroad, you only have to register once your stay exceeds three months.
- If you leave Germany for good, deregister (Abmeldung) within two weeks of moving out.
Documents you need
- a valid passport or ID card for each person you register;
- the completed registration form (Anmeldeformular), available on the city’s website and at the Bürgeramt;
- the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung: the landlord’s confirmation that you have moved in;
- for spouses and children, marriage and birth certificates may be requested.
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung: who signs it
The confirmation is issued by whoever provides the home: the landlord or the property management. In a WG or a sublet, it is the main tenant who lets you the room. They must give it to you within two weeks of your move; failing to do so can be fined up to €1,000.
Providing an address for registration to someone who does not actually live there is an offence punishable by fines of up to €50,000. Never pay for an “address for the Anmeldung”.
How to register in Berlin
- Book an appointment on the city’s service portal service.berlin.de. You can choose any Bürgeramt in Berlin — use the citywide appointment search.
- Appointments are often booked up weeks ahead. Check regularly for newly released slots, take the earliest one and keep the booking confirmation.
- Bring all documents in the original. Registration is free of charge, and you receive the Meldebestätigung at the appointment.
Online registration: German and EU citizens aged 18 or over can register online with the online ID function (eID), a BundID account and the AusweisApp. Citizens of non-EU countries currently have to register in person.
After the Anmeldung
- If you register in Germany for the first time, your tax ID (Steuer-ID) arrives by post, usually within a few weeks. Your employer needs it.
- The broadcasting fee service (Beitragsservice) will write to you: the Rundfunkbeitrag is paid once per flat, so in a WG one person pays for everyone.
- Put your name on the letterbox — otherwise official letters may not reach you.
If you miss the deadline
Registering late is an administrative offence and can be fined up to €1,000. Register as soon as possible and keep proof that you booked the earliest available appointment.
Still looking for a home? Read how to find a flat in Berlin and what suits you better: a WG room or your own flat.