Initial Formalities
If you are moving to Germany and are an EU* citizen, you are not required to obtain a permit or a visa to live and work in Germany. If you are not an EU citizen, you may require a permit to prove your right of residence and/or a visa.
The German Embassy in your own country, the international office of your German university and/or the human resources department at your workplace should be able to advise you which documents you will need to live in Germany. Whether or not you are an EU citizen, you are always required to register once you have found a place to live.
In Germany you must register, or re-register, at the registration office ('Einwohnermeldeamt') nearest to where you live. You must register when you arrive in a new city, regardless of whether you have moved there from another German city or from abroad. You also need to re-register if you are moving to a different property in the same city.
Make sure that you abide by the time limits for registration; in most German counties you are required to re-register within a week of moving home. In order to register or re-register you will be required to fill in certain forms, including a certificate of registration (the 'Anmeldeschein').
You should be able to download the forms and find all the information you need on the registration office website. Although you can download the forms, you will be required to register or re-register in person. You will also need to bring a valid passport and proof of address, such as a copy of your rental contract.
You must register or re-register at the registration office responsible for your district, that is, the district in which your property is located. Once you have registered you will be given a certificate to prove this, called the 'Meldebescheinigung'. This document is important: for example, you will need to present it if you wish to open a bank account in Germany.
* The European Union represents the political and economic unification of its twenty-seven member states. Each member must abide by certain rules and conditions to continue to qualify as an EU state. One of the main benefits of the EU is that it enables free movement of its citizens from one member state to another. This means, for example, that a British citizen is free to live and work in Germany or Spain. The twenty-seven member states are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
