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German · Admin & banking · Elementary

How to register your address in Germany

In Germany you register your address (Anmeldung) at the Bürgeramt, usually within two weeks of moving in. Book an appointment, bring your passport and the landlord’s Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, and say “Ich möchte meinen Wohnsitz anmelden”. You leave with a Meldebescheinigung, which banks and employers often ask for.

Try it · about two minutes

You go to the Bürgeramt with your passport and your landlord’s confirmation to register your address, which other paperwork often asks for.

Sound on: the bürgeramt clerk speaks German. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

  1. You arrive at the Bürgeramt for your appointment and go to the information desk.

    You

    Ich habe um zehn Uhr einen Termin.

    I have an appointment at ten.

  2. Bürgeramt clerk

    Ziehen Sie eine Nummer und warten Sie.

    Take a number and wait.

    You

    Wo ziehe ich eine Nummer?

    Where do I take a number?

  3. Bürgeramt clerk

    Ihren Reisepass, bitte.

    Your passport, please.

    You

    Das ist mein Reisepass.

    This is my passport.

  4. Bürgeramt clerk

    Ihnen fehlt ein Dokument.

    You’re missing a document.

    You

    Welches Dokument fehlt denn?

    Which document is missing?

  5. Bürgeramt clerk

    Die Wohnungsgeberbestätigung von Ihrem Vermieter.

    The confirmation from your landlord that you’ve moved in.

    You

    Was bedeutet dieses Wort?

    What does this word mean?

  6. Bürgeramt clerk

    Bitte prüfen Sie, ob alle Angaben stimmen.

    Please check all the details are correct.

    You

    Ja, alles richtig. Vielen Dank.

    Yes, everything’s correct. Thank you very much.

Key phrases

  • Ich möchte meinen Wohnsitz anmelden.

    I’d like to register my address.

  • Ich habe um zehn Uhr einen Termin.

    I have an appointment at ten.

  • Wo ziehe ich eine Nummer?

    Where do I take a number?

  • Welche Unterlagen muss ich mitbringen?

    What documents do I need to bring?

  • Ihren Reisepass, bitte.

    Your passport, please.

  • Hier sind meine Unterlagen.

    Here are my documents.

  • Ihnen fehlt ein Dokument.

    You’re missing a document.

  • Ich verstehe dieses Formular nicht.

    I don’t understand this form.

  • Kann ich mich hier anmelden?

    Can I register my address here?

  • Kann ich bitte eine Bestätigung haben?

    Can I have a confirmation, please?

Good to know in Germany

Not the town hall: the Bürgeramt

Germany has an address register, but you sign up at the Bürgeramt (also called Bürgerbüro or Einwohnermeldeamt). In smaller towns it is often inside the Rathaus, the town hall.

How the Anmeldung goes

  1. 1

    Book an appointment online. In big cities, slots can be weeks away, so book as soon as you have a moving-in date.

  2. 2

    Bring your passport, the registration form and the landlord’s Wohnungsgeberbestätigung.

  3. 3

    You usually get your Meldebescheinigung on the spot.

Keep the Meldebescheinigung

Banks and employers often ask for it, and so do some phone companies. Your tax ID (Steuer-ID) then usually follows by post within a few weeks.

Ich möchte meinen Wohnsitz anmelden.

I’d like to register my address.

More situations in German

All situations in German

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.