Notifying your new address

First: the legal registration requirement

Registering your address with the local residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) is the only change of address you're legally required to make. Under § 17 of the German Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz, BMG), you must register at your new address within two weeks of moving in. Many municipalities effectively allow a bit more time in practice, but if you miss the deadline by a wide margin you risk a fine – the legal maximum is €1,000. In practice, the fines actually imposed are usually in the low double to triple digits.

Bring your ID card or passport, the completed registration form, and the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). Your landlord must hand you this confirmation within two weeks of moving in; without it, registration isn't possible. Registration itself is free; only a few cities charge small fees for additional documents.

Good to know: the registration office automatically informs a few other bodies – for example the vehicle registration office (address change on your vehicle registration certificate), the tax office (for your tax identification number) and the broadcasting fee office (Rundfunkbeitrag). You need to notify everyone else yourself.

Authorities and public bodies

• Residents' registration office – register within 14 days of moving in
• Tax office – if your local tax office changes, notify it informally with your tax number
• Vehicle registration office – update the address on Part I of your vehicle registration certificate
• Driving licence office – not mandatory for a card licence, but advisable
• Family benefits office, employment agency, German pension insurance, BAföG office
• Electoral office – your voting notification automatically follows your registered address

For authorities, the sooner the better: notices sent to your old address are often still considered legally delivered. A missed appeal deadline can rarely be remedied after the fact.

Banks, insurers and financial service providers

• Your main bank, secondary accounts, savings and brokerage accounts
• Credit card providers and payment services
• Health, liability, home contents, legal protection and car insurance
• Building society savings plans, private pension provision, life insurance
• Lenders and leasing companies

For insurance, the address change isn't just paperwork: home contents insurance is tied to a specific flat and, after moving, typically covers both properties only for a transition period – usually up to two months. After that, cover applies exclusively to the registered flat. Car insurance premiums are also calculated by regional risk class, so a move can noticeably lower or raise your premium.

Contracts, utilities and subscriptions

• Electricity, gas, water, district heating – note and photograph meter readings on moving day
• Internet and landline – notify at least four to six weeks before moving
• Mobile phone, streaming services, cloud and software subscriptions
• Newspaper and magazine subscriptions, book clubs, delivery services
• Gym, clubs, memberships, donation organisations

The most common mistake with internet contracts is notifying the provider too late. Providers need lead time to activate a connection; if you only tell them after the move, you can easily end up without internet for several weeks.

Your personal circle

• Employer and HR department – important for payroll and commuter allowance
• GP, specialists, dentist, pharmacy
• School, daycare, university, training provider
• Online shops with a stored billing address

How much time should you allow?

A staggered approach works well: registration office and utilities in the first two weeks, bank and insurance within the first month, subscriptions and memberships within eight weeks. Mail forwarding bridges the gap, but doesn't replace notifying people directly – it expires after 6 or 12 months.

How to keep track of it all

Researching the full list yourself takes a lot of time – and even then, there's almost always one company you forget, usually an old subscription or an account you no longer think about. We automatically detect your ongoing business relationships and suggest exactly the companies that should be informed. You then decide with a click who receives your new address – and what you'd rather cancel instead.