Residence registration

In principle, anyone who takes up accommodation in a dwelling is obliged to register themselves and all minors living in the same household with the relevant registration authority within three days. Please note that you may not register your place of residence (main or secondary residence) until after you have actually moved into your accommodation (so if, for example, you have signed your rental agreement but have not yet moved into your new apartment, it would be too early). 

Each person must fill out a separate registration form. Children and young people up to the age of 18 must be registered by the person responsible for their care and upbringing. The registration authority will issue one registration confirmation (“Meldebestätigung”) for each person upon application if the necessary documents are provided.

As the residence registration (“Wohnsitzmeldung”) has legal relevance in various respects, it is important to carry it out completely, correctly and in due time and to keep it up to date (in particular, to report relevant changes, such as a change of the nature of the place of residence or moving out of the accommodation, in due time and form). There are also registration obligations to be observed for stays in accommodation establishments ("Beherbergungsbetriebe", e.g. hotels, guest houses, B&Bs), these are regulated separately.

Of course, in addition to registering at the address of residence, other “registration obligations” may be relevant, such as applying for a Registration Certificate (see also Immigration EU/EEA/Switzerland).

Some further information on the topic of residence registration can be found, for example, on the pages listed in the link box below.