First 30 days in Germany for Russian speakers: Anmeldung, residence permit, tax ID and insurance in the right order

In brief

As of 6 November 2026, the first 30 days in Germany are built around one rule: register your address within 14 days of moving in (the Anmeldung, § 17 of the Federal Registration Act). The registration office wants a landlord confirmation, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, which the landlord has to issue within two weeks of your move-in. After the registration the tax ID (Steuer-ID) comes by post, usually within two to six weeks by blog estimates, and the residence permit is arranged separately at the foreigners authority. Health insurance is compulsory, and the broadcasting fee is EUR 18.36 a month per apartment. We read search summaries, not official pages, so confirm each rule with your city.

What depends on your status: entry visa, visa-free stay or EU passport

Germany treats a short stay and living there as two different things. A person who is only visiting does not register an address. A person who moves into a flat or a room, even a rented one, has to register it. That duty applies whatever your passport says, so EU citizens, holders of national visas and people who entered for a purpose such as work, study or family reunion all go to the registration office.

What changes with your status is the residence permit: - If you entered on a national visa, the visa is the entry document and you then apply for a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) of the place where you will live. A city service page in Bremen describes exactly this route. - If you hold an EU passport, you register your address but there is no residence permit in the usual sense. - If you are a Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh or Ukrainian citizen without a visa, check first which route actually applies to you. This article does not decide that; see the pages on buying property abroad with Russian citizenship and on tax residency when relocating.

One more point for Russian citizens. A page of the foreigners authority in Wiesbaden states that from 1 January 2026 only biometric Russian passports are recognised in Germany. We found this on one city page and not on a federal one, so check your passport and the rule with the office before you book anything.

Days 1 to 3: the minimum that cannot wait

• Keep your passport, entry visa or entry stamp, rental contract and the address of the flat in one folder. Every office in the next four weeks will ask for the same papers.
• Ask the landlord for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung on the day you get the keys. It is a short form in which the landlord confirms your move-in date and the address. Do not leave this for later.
• Find which office registers addresses in your town (the Bürgeramt, Einwohnermeldeamt or the district office) and see whether you need an appointment. In large cities appointments are often booked online.
• Start looking for health insurance. You cannot be uninsured in Germany, and the foreigners authority asks for the proof when you apply for a permit. See health insurance and doctors after moving abroad.
• Keep your mobile number and a working email address ready. Most German offices send invitations and letters in a way that needs both.

Week 1: the Anmeldung and the landlord confirmation

The registration of your address is the key that opens everything else. Several sources, including the Berlin city text and a registration guide, give the same deadline: 14 days after the move-in date, with the legal basis in § 17 of the Federal Registration Act. The countdown starts on the day you move in, not on the day you arrive in the country.

What you usually bring: - your passport or ID card and, where it applies, your visa; - the filled-in registration form, which most offices publish on their site; - the landlord confirmation, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; - if the office asks, the rental contract.

The landlord confirmation is not a formality. The law of 2015 (§ 19 of the Federal Registration Act) requires the landlord to issue it within two weeks of your move-in. A guide adds that a landlord who refuses risks a fine of up to EUR 1,000. A confirmation that is false or issued as a favour can cost up to EUR 50,000, so a landlord may be careful about who they confirm. A money-transfer blog says the registration is impossible without this paper; treat that as a practical rule and do not try to register without it.

After the registration you receive a confirmation of registration (Meldebescheinigung) or a copy of it. Keep it: banks, insurers, the foreigners authority and some employers ask for it.

Weeks 2 to 4: residence permit, tax ID, insurance and the broadcasting fee

The steps depend on each other: - The registration of the address triggers the tax ID. - The registered address and the insurance cover are what the foreigners authority wants to see. - The permit decides how long you can stay and whether you may work.

Residence permit at the foreigners authority

A visa holder applies for the residence permit at the authority competent for the planned place of residence. Guides disagree on the timing. Some say you must apply while the visa is still valid; a Berlin university text says within 90 days of arrival or before the visa expires. We could not find one federal rule, so the safe plan is to book as early as the visa allows.

Appointments are booked in the online portal of the city, and slots can be scarce. One guide advises booking eight to twelve weeks before the visa expires; another advises phoning or visiting in person if no slots show up. After the appointment the card takes about four to eight weeks according to one adviser. The Anmeldung usually has to be done first. We found no reliable 2026 list of documents and fees for Russian citizens, only third-party aggregator pages, so we state none. Ask the office for its checklist.

Tax ID (Steuer-ID)

You do not apply for it in most cases. The Federal Central Tax Office assigns the number automatically after the registration and posts it to your address. Blogs estimate two to six weeks. The Berlin city page says that if nothing has arrived within three months, you can contact the office with your personal details, and the Bremen page explains how to request the number again if the letter is lost. Keep the letter: employers and tax offices will ask for the number.

Health insurance

A general insurance obligation applies to every resident of Germany, as the Federal Foreign Office describes it. The foreigners authority asks for proof of existing or imminent cover when you apply for a permit. Advisers add that private cover must be equivalent to the statutory one and that many student or incoming tariffs do not meet this. We did not read the statute, so check the exact requirement of your permit type with the authority. The comparison of systems and the practical steps are in the article linked above.

Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

Every apartment pays EUR 18.36 a month, whatever the number of residents, and the amount has not changed since 2021. Billing is quarterly, EUR 55.08 per quarter. The duty starts on the first day of the month in which you move in. You can register online, by post or by phone, and the registration is free. If someone in the same flat already pays, you do not need to register again; flatmates agree among themselves who registers.

Bank account, driving licence, school

We did not research these for Germany in this article, so we state no rule. Use the campaign articles: a resident bank account abroad for the documents banks ask and the reasons for refusal, and driving licence abroad for exchange rules. Do not postpone the bank question: a German address and the registration confirmation are the base for it.

Deadlines and fines that matter

• Anmeldung: 14 days after move-in. The fine is capped at EUR 1,000 in the law, but the finance portal Finanztip says in practice it is often only EUR 10 to 100. Do not take that as permission to wait.
• Landlord confirmation: two weeks after move-in for the landlord. A refusing landlord risks up to EUR 1,000; a false confirmation up to EUR 50,000.
• Residence permit: depends on the entry route; the visa validity is your real deadline.
• Tax ID: nothing to do for three months, then contact the office.
• Broadcasting fee: from the month of move-in.

Typical mistakes

• Moving in and treating the 14 days as flexible. The office may not fine you heavily, but the delay blocks the tax ID, the bank and the permit.
• Agreeing a rental without checking that the landlord will issue the confirmation. Some rooms are sublet in a way that makes the confirmation hard to get.
• Booking the foreigners authority too late. Slots are scarce and the visa clock is running.
• Buying a cheap student or travel insurance and finding out at the permit appointment that it is not accepted.
• Forgetting to register for the broadcasting fee and then receiving a bill for the months since the move.

One-page checklist

• Day 1: landlord confirmation requested, documents in one folder.
• Days 2-3: registration appointment booked, health cover being arranged.
• Week 1: Anmeldung done, registration confirmation in hand.
• Week 2: foreigners authority appointment booked, insurance proof ready.
• Weeks 2-4: Steuer-ID letter expected, broadcasting fee registered, bank account question started.
• Keep until the permit arrives: passport, visa, registration confirmation, insurance proof, rental contract.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between cities and change; confirm with your registration office and foreigners authority.

If you are also buying property, see what you can buy in Germany for EUR 120,000-600,000, the expat life in Germany article and the overview of the whole 30-day route.

FAQ

What happens if I miss the 14 days for the Anmeldung? The law caps the fine at EUR 1,000 and a finance portal says it is often EUR 10 to 100 in practice, but the bigger cost is the delay: the tax ID, the bank and the residence permit all wait for the registration. Register as soon as you have the landlord confirmation.

Can I register without the landlord confirmation? In practice no. The confirmation has been required since 1 November 2015, and a blog says the registration is impossible without it. Ask for it on the day you receive the keys.

Do I need the residence permit before I register my address? No. One university guide says the registration usually comes first, because the foreigners authority wants proof of your address. Register first and then use the confirmation for the permit appointment.

When do I get the tax ID? It comes by post after the registration. Blog estimates are two to six weeks. If nothing arrives within three months, the Berlin city page says to contact the Federal Central Tax Office.

Do I pay the broadcasting fee if my flatmate already pays? No. The fee is per apartment, EUR 18.36 a month, so one registered payer is enough. You only register when nobody in the flat has done so yet.