Residence; registration

If you move into an apartment, you are obliged to register with the relevant registration authority (municipality, town or administrative community) within two weeks of moving in. This also applies if you move within your municipality or town.

Spouses, life partners and family members with the same previous and future residences should use a joint registration form; it is sufficient for one of the persons required to register to do so.

Persons under the age of 16 must be registered by the person whose home the persons under the age of 16 are moving into. If a minor has several residences in Germany, the main residence is the residence primarily used by the person(s) with custody.

Newborns born in Germany only need to be registered if they are taken into a home other than that of their parents or mother.

If a carer or guardian has been appointed for an adult person who can determine their place of residence, they are responsible for registration.

If you do not register within two weeks of moving in, you are acting in breach of the regulations. In this case, you can be fined up to 1,000 euros.

Information on submitting the landlord's confirmation of residence, applying for an information block or transmission block and applying for a change of address and place of residence on the ID card, passport and eID card can be found in the service descriptions under "Related topics".

Exceptions:
Persons who live abroad and are not registered in Germany are only required to register after three months.

If you are registered in Germany and move into another home for a stay of no longer than six months, you do not have to register temporarily. However, if you continue to use the additional home after the six months, the two-week period for registration begins. When registering, you must decide which of the apartments is your main residence and which is your secondary residence. If it is clear from the outset that you will be using the additional apartment for longer than six months, you must register it as soon as you move in.

Actual occupation of the new apartment (this apartment is used permanently or at least with a certain regularity, primarily for living or sleeping).

Every person subject to registration must register in person at the Citizens' Registration Office. Registration takes place online. You therefore do not need a form.

You must register with the relevant registration authority (municipality, town or administrative community). You can register in person at the registration office or electronically via the Internet:

1. personal registration

To register in person, you must fill in and sign a registration form and present it to the registration authority together with your identity card, recognized and valid passport or passport replacement document and confirmation from your landlord or the corresponding assignment feature on site. If the registration register is kept automatically, you do not need to fill in the registration form if you confirm the accuracy and completeness of the data collected by the registration authority with your signature on a printout. You can also be represented by a person when registering by submitting the necessary documents (registration documents and power of attorney).

2. electronic registration

Note: Registration is currently possible for German nationals and EU citizens with an eID card; the registration of third-country nationals with an electronic residence permit is still being planned.

To use the electronic registration, first identify yourself in the online service via a BayernID or BundID account using your ID card or eID card for (non-German) EU citizens. You will then be shown the data stored about you at the previous registration authority. The next step is to add the new address, the move-in and move-out dates and details of the landlord (and owner, if applicable) of your new home to this data and upload the landlord confirmation. You now have the option of checking the transfer blocks you have entered or setting up new transfer blocks (see "Related topics"). Finally, check your details again and send the registration to the new registration authority. As a rule, you will receive the registration confirmation a few days later as a downloadable PDF. In the case of a random sample of addresses, a confirmation code will be sent by post to the new address to verify the address. If this is the case, log in to the online service again and enter the confirmation code to complete the registration of your new home.

Once you have completed the registration process, you will need to update your ID card and passport (if you have one) to include the new address or place of residence so that you can continue to use the eID function for electronic administrative services without any problems:

• If the online service offered by your municipality supports the change of ID documents, you can also do this directly online. After you have re-identified yourself with your ID card or eID card, the online service can 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 post, which you should affix to your ID card and passport (if applicable) in accordance with the instructions provided.
• Alternatively, you can have these documents updated at any time at the citizens' office in your new municipality.

If the electronic registration process is interrupted for technical reasons or if the registration office cancels the electronic registration during the verification process, you will be notified of this. Please contact your new municipality in person to complete the registration process and to change your ID card, passport or eID card.

The city of Erlangen is currently (as of December 2024) not yet connected to electronic registration (see 2. above). Therefore, until further notice, it is necessary to appear in person at the Bürgeramt, Abt. Allgemeine Bürgerdienste und Wahlen, Meldewesen, Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen to register or re-register your place of residence.

Registration must take place within two weeks of moving in.

Personal registration: immediately

Electronic registration: about one week

• Declaration of status for several apartments
  Declaration of which dwelling is the main residence and which is a secondary residence
• Civil status certificates and other evidence, if applicable
  

  Please also submit civil status certificates (birth or marriage certificate, death certificate of husband) and, if necessary, further evidence (e.g. legally binding divorce decree, certificate of change of name, naturalization certificate, certificate of late repatriation, certificate of release from another nationality) as proof of special data (e.g. marital status) so that your application can be processed in full.

• Doctoral certificate, if necessary with official translation into German
  If you wish to have a doctorate entered in the civil register.
• Landlord confirmation

• Completed and signed form for registration with the registration office (registration form - available from the registration office)
• Identity card and/or passport or passport replacement document (for identification and for changing the address or place of residence in the identity card and passport) of all persons to be registered
• eID card for EU citizens (for changing the address on the chip) - if available
• Confirmation from the landlord or - in the case of electronic confirmation from the landlord to the registration authority - the corresponding assignment feature
  (for further information, see "Related topics" - "Landlord's confirmation of residence; template")
• If applicable, an (informal) power of attorney for the joint registration of other persons at the personal visit. (A power of attorney is not required for the joint registration of spouses, civil partners under the LPartG and/or family members).

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