Your first 30 days in Germany: the complete checklist

The logic: Germany is a dependency chain

Almost every German admin task depends on another one. The classic new-arrival mistake is doing things in the wrong order and hitting the same office twice. The chain looks like this:

Anmeldung → tax ID → payroll · Anmeldung → bank (traditional) → rent/contracts · insurance → job start · SIM/online bank → need nothing.

So the plan below front-loads the two things that need only a passport (SIM, online bank), books the one appointment that gates everything (Anmeldung) immediately, and slots the rest into the gaps while you wait. Each item links to its full guide; the government's own first-steps overview confirms the same ordering.

Before you land (if you can)

• Line up your first accommodation - even temporary - because you register where you actually sleep.
• Ask your landlord/host for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung the day you get keys; it's the document the Anmeldung actually requires (Anmeldung in Germany).
• Check your city's appointment situation - in Berlin and Munich, book the Anmeldung slot the moment you have a move-in date, even from abroad (Anmeldung in Berlin, Anmeldung in Munich).
• Bring originals: passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, degree certificates, driving licence - German offices love originals, and couriering them later is a pain.
• Load a travel eSIM so you land with working data - maps, taxi app, and the first confused S-Bahn ride all assume internet. Your German SIM comes in week one; this is the bridge.

Week 1: the passport-only wins + the big booking

Day 1-2: German SIM. You need a working German number for everything that follows (banks, delivery slots, landlords, 2FA). Prepaid activates on your passport alone - no Anmeldung, no Schufa, no contract. The full network/tariff picture is in Mobile in Germany.

Day 1-3: online bank account. N26/bunq-style banks open with just a passport and a video check - no Anmeldung needed - giving you a German IBAN for salary and rent before you're even registered. Comparison and the traditional-bank route: Opening a German bank account as an expat.

Day 1-3: book the Anmeldung. The single most important click of your month. Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung signed, then book - citywide search in Berlin, all six Bürgerbüros in Munich. A booking inside your 14-day window protects the legal deadline even if the slot is weeks out (Anmeldung in Germany).

Also week 1: keep your EHIC/travel insurance details handy until German cover starts, and start a simple folder (paper + scans) for every document you receive - future-you at the Ausländerbehörde will be grateful.

Week 2: the appointment and what it unlocks

• Attend the Anmeldung (whenever your slot lands): 10 minutes, free, and you walk out with the Anmeldebestätigung. Scan it immediately - banks, employers, and insurers all ask for it.
• Health insurance: mandatory from day one of employment. If you're starting a job, pick your Krankenkasse before the first working day (or your employer picks for you after two weeks). The system, costs, and English-friendly funds: Health insurance in Germany.
• Tax ID (Steuer-ID): triggered automatically by the Anmeldung, arrives by post in ~2-5 weeks. Tell payroll it's coming - they can run a first month without it (at emergency rates, refunded later). Can't wait? Your Finanzamt can look it up in person ~5 business days after the Anmeldung (Tax ID in Germany).
• Non-EU: if your residence permit needs applying/converting, book the Ausländerbehörde appointment now - lead times are long, and the Anmeldung is a prerequisite (German visas and residence permits).

Week 3: the letters start arriving

• Rundfunkbeitrag: your registration triggers the broadcasting-fee letter (€18.36/month per household, not per person). One flatmate pays, others reference their number - see Rundfunkbeitrag.
• Sozialversicherungsnummer: your first job registration (or Krankenkasse enrollment) triggers your social security number; the Versicherungsnummernachweis letter arrives in 4-6 weeks. No application needed - what it is, where it hides on your payslip, and the day-one HR workaround: Sozialversicherungsnummer.
• Liability insurance: the €40-90/year Privathaftpflicht is the first insurance every expat should buy - Germany holds you personally liable, uncapped, for accidents you cause (Personal liability insurance).
• Bank upgrade decision: if a landlord or employer insists on a traditional bank, add a Sparkasse/Volksbank account now that you have the Anmeldebestätigung.
• Start your Schufa file: your bank account and phone number have begun it; pay everything on time from day one. What Schufa is and why it matters: Schufa.

Week 4: contracts and settling

• Home internet: order it now if you have a long-term flat - activation waits of 2-4 weeks are normal (Home internet in Germany).
• Electricity: if you moved into your own flat, switch off the default Grundversorger tariff and save real money (Electricity in Germany).
• Deutschlandticket: €63/month for all local transport nationwide - usually the first "wow, Germany" purchase (The Deutschlandticket).
• Paperwork sweep: confirm your Konfession field didn't accidentally enrol you in church tax (Church tax in Germany), check your payslip's tax class (German tax classes (Steuerklassen)), and diarise the Anmeldung of any family members still to arrive.
• Daily-life basics: learn your building's bins and the sorting rules (German recycling), and save the three emergency numbers - 112, 110, 116117 - in your phone (Emergency numbers in Germany). Small things, but the ones newcomers get caught out by.
• Brought a dog? Register it for the local dog tax (Hundesteuer) and sort dog liability insurance, which is mandatory in some states (Pets in Germany).

The documents to have on you (and copies)

Half of week one is handing over paperwork. Carry these - originals plus several copies and scans, in one folder:

• Passport (+ residence permit/visa for non-EU), and biometric passport photos (offices consume them).
• Wohnungsgeberbestätigung - the landlord's move-in confirmation the Anmeldung needs.
• Rental contract as backup proof.
• Birth certificate, marriage certificate - apostilled and translated where needed (family registration, tax class).
• Degree/qualification certificates - for work, recognition, the residence permit.
• Employment contract - for the bank, the residence permit, and payroll.
• Vaccination records / prescriptions - continuity of care.
• Keep a cloud scan of everything - you'll be asked to "just send it again" repeatedly.

The common blockers, and how to unblock them

The chain breaks at predictable points - here's the fix for each:

• No Anmeldung appointment in time? Book any slot in the 14-day window (it counts), and use citywide/multi-office search (Anmeldung in Berlin, Anmeldung in Munich).
• Bank wants Anmeldung you don't have yet? Open an online bank first (passport only) - it needs no address.
• Tax ID hasn't arrived for payroll? Your employer runs the first month at emergency tax rates, refunded once it comes - just flag it.
• Rejected for a phone contract? Empty Schufa - stay on prepaid ~6 months, then retry (Schufa, Mobile in Germany).
• Landlord wants a Schufa you can't produce? Offer income proof, employer letter, or a bigger deposit (Finding an apartment in Germany).
• Non-EU residence-permit appointment weeks out? Book it immediately on arrival; the Anmeldung is the prerequisite (German visas and residence permits).

None of these is fatal - they're sequencing hiccups with standard workarounds.

If you arrive with family

Doing this with a partner or kids adds parallel tracks to run in the same month:

• Everyone registers: each adult and child needs their own Anmeldung (one appointment can often cover the family - bring everyone's passports and the certificates).
• Health insurance: a non-working spouse and children are usually covered free under your public Familienversicherung (Health insurance in Germany).
• Kita/school: start immediately - waitlists are long and a school place may be legally required for school-age children (Kita in Germany, Schools in Germany for expat families).
• Kindergeld: the €259/month child benefit is claimable once you're registered and working - file early (Kindergeld).

The 30-day scoreboard

Miss a week? Nothing breaks - the only hard legal clock is the Anmeldung's 14-day window, and a booking inside it keeps you safe.

Frequently asked questions