Residence; Registration

When you move into an apartment, you are required to register with the appropriate registration office (municipality, city, or administrative district) within two weeks of moving in. This also applies if you move within your municipality or city.

Spouses, domestic partners, and family members who share the same current and future residences should use a joint registration form; it is sufficient for one of the individuals required to register to complete the registration.

Persons under the age of 16 must be registered by the person in whose residence they are moving. If a minor has multiple residences within Germany, the primary residence is the residence of the legal guardian(s) that is used most frequently.

Newborns born in Germany need only be registered if they are placed in a residence other than that of their parents or mother.

If a guardian or caregiver has been appointed for an adult who has the authority to determine their place of residence, that person is responsible for registering them.

If you do not register within two weeks of moving in, you are committing an administrative offense. In this case, you may be subject to a fine of up to 1,000 euros.

Information on submitting the landlord’s confirmation, applying for a data access restriction or transmission restriction, and applying to change the address and place of residence on your ID card, passport, and eID card can be found in the service descriptions under “Related Topics.”

Exceptions:
For individuals who live abroad and are not registered in Germany, the registration requirement does not apply until three months have elapsed.

If you are registered in Germany and move into an additional residence for a stay lasting no longer than six months, you are not required to register temporarily. However, if you continue to use the additional residence after the six months have passed, the two-week deadline for registration begins. When registering, you must determine which residence is your primary residence and which is your secondary residence. If it is clear from the outset that you will be using the additional residence for longer than six months, you must register it as soon as you move in.

Actual occupancy of the new apartment (this apartment is used on a long-term basis or at least with some regularity, primarily for living or sleeping).

You must register with the appropriate registration office (municipality, city, or administrative association). You can register in person at the registration office or electronically online:

1. In-Person Registration

To register in person, you must fill out and sign a registration form and present it to the registration office along with your ID card, a recognized and valid passport or passport substitute, and confirmation from your landlord or the corresponding identification code. If the registration system is automated, you may be exempt from filling out the registration form if you confirm the accuracy and completeness of the data collected by the registration office by signing a printed copy. You may also have someone else register you on your behalf by presenting the required documents (registration documents and a power of attorney).

2. Electronic Registration

Electronic registration is only possible via the online service for electronic residence registration if the authority responsible for your place of residence has already connected to this online service, which is to be made available throughout Germany in stages. If the authority responsible for you is connected and you have selected your new place of residence, the link will appear under “Online Procedure.”

• To use the electronic registration, you must first log in to the online service using a BayernID or BundID account with your national ID card, or—as a (non-German) EU citizen—using your eID card.
• You will then be shown the data stored about you at your previous registration office. Spouses, domestic partners, and children who are registered at the same address will also be displayed. You can choose whether they are also moving with you and need to be registered accordingly.
• In the next step, you’ll add your new address, the move-in and move-out dates, and the details of the landlord ( and, if applicable, the owner) of your new residence, and upload the landlord’s confirmation. You now have the option to review any data-sharing restrictions you’ve set or to have new restrictions set up (see “Related Topics”). Finally, review your information once more and submit the electronic registration form to the new registration office.
• (In a small number of cases, a confirmation code will be sent by mail to your new address on a random basis to verify the address. If this happens, log in to the online service again and enter the confirmation code to complete your registration.)
• Typically, a few days later, a forgery-proof digital registration confirmation with an electronic and visual seal (similar to a QR code) will be available to you in the online service.
• After completing the electronic registration, you must still update your ID card and (if applicable) passport or eID card with your new address or place of residence. This also applies to the ID cards and (if applicable) passports or eID cards of family members who were registered alongside you during the electronic registration process.
• After you have re-identified yourself using your ID card or eID card, the online service can use the six-digit Card Access Number (CAN)—located on the front of the ID card or eID card to the right of the expiration date—to (CAN) to save the new address on the chip of your ID card or eID card. In addition, you will receive an address sticker/residence sticker by mail, which you should affix to your ID card and passport according to the instructions provided. If the process is interrupted for legal or technical reasons during the electronic registration or the subsequent update of your identification documents, or if the registration authority cancels the electronic registration during the review process, you will receive a notification to that effect. In that case, please visit your new municipality in person to complete the registration and update your documents (identity card, passport, or eID card).

Note: Electronic registration is currently available to German citizens and EU citizens with an eID card; registration for third-country nationals with an electronic residence permit is still in the planning stages.

You must register within two weeks of moving in.

In-person registration: immediately

Electronic registration: up to one week. You can update the information on the chip immediately after receiving your registration confirmation. It usually takes about one week for the address or place of residence sticker to be mailed to you.

• The following documents, in particular, are required:
  

  (ID: 17426)
  
  In-Person Visit

  • Completed and signed registration form (available at the registration office)
  • Identification card and/or passport or substitute travel document for all persons to be registered
  • If applicable, an eID card for EU citizens
  • Confirmation from the landlord ( for further information, see “Related Topics” – “Landlord Confirmation; Template”)
    OR, if the landlord has provided electronic confirmation to the registration office, the corresponding identification code
  • For the joint registration of additional persons during an in-person visit: if applicable, an (informal) power of attorney

  A power of attorney is not required for the joint registration of spouses, civil partners under the Civil Partnership Act, and/or family members with the same move-in details (move-in date as well as previous and current addresses).

  Electronic Registration

  • Identity card or eID card with activated online ID and the corresponding personal PIN
  • A compatible smartphone with an NFC interface or a card reader
  • Free federal ID app for your smartphone or PC
  • Confirmation from the landlord ( for further information, see “Related Topics” – “Landlord Confirmation; Template”)

• Status Declaration for Multiple Apartments
  Explanation of which residence is the primary residence and which is the secondary residence
• Civil status records and, if applicable, other supporting documents
  

  To verify specific information (e.g., marital status), please also provide civil status documents (birth or marriage certificate, death certificate of your husband) and, if applicable, other supporting documents (e.g., a final divorce decree, a certificate of name change, certificate of naturalization, certificate of repatriation, or certificate of renunciation of another nationality) so that your registration can be processed in full.

• Doctoral degree certificate, with an official German translation if applicable
  If you wish to have a doctoral degree entered in the registration records.
• Landlord's Confirmation

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