How to Change Your Address After Moving Within Germany

You already live in Germany and you are moving to a new flat. The old address is still on your ID and on many accounts. This guide is about changing that address (Ummeldung), not about registering in Germany for the first time.

You must re-register at the citizens’ office (Bürgeramt) in your new town within 14 days of moving in. You also need to update banks, health insurance, and a few other places so mail and bills stop going to the old flat.

If you have never registered an address in Germany, use Address registration (Anmeldung) instead.

Cancel or move contracts before you leave

Rental contract. Your notice period is usually three months. Every tenant named on the contract must sign a paper letter, and that letter must reach the landlord by the third working day of the month for that month to count. Email alone is not enough. For lease and handover detail, see Finding an Apartment in Germany.

Internet. If your provider cannot offer the same service at the new address, you can usually end the contract with one month’s notice under telecoms rules. If they can supply it there, you move the contract with them and often pay a one-off activation fee.

Electricity and gas. Tell the suppliers early. They usually need two to six weeks. You may get a special right to cancel if the price changes or if they do not cover the new area. Notice wording and templates are in How to Cancel Auto-Renewing Contracts in Germany.

Mail forwarding. Set this up with Deutsche Post at least two weeks before you move. You can order it online for 6, 12, or 24 months, so official letters still reach you while you update everyone else.

Get the landlord confirmation for the new flat

When you move in, your new landlord must give you a written confirmation that you live there (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). They have two weeks to issue it.

Bring that form to the citizens’ office. A rental contract alone is not enough. Without the landlord confirmation, you cannot finish the address change.

After you move: do it in this order

1. Re-register your address. Do this within 14 days of moving in. Book the citizens’ office in the new municipality, not the old one. Bring your ID or passport, the signed landlord confirmation, and your residence-permit papers if you have them. They update the address on your ID and usually print a new registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) on the spot. Late registration can mean a fine of up to €1,000. If you have a non-EU residence permit, also tell the foreigners office (Ausländerbehörde).

2. Tell your employer. Give HR the new registration certificate as soon as you have it. Payroll needs it. The local tax office (Finanzamt) usually follows your registered town automatically, but HR still wants the paper on file.

3. Update health insurance and banks. Within two to four weeks, tell your public or private insurer so they can send an updated health card. Update every bank account you use. Cover rules are in Health Insurance in Germany. Opening and running an account is in Opening a Bank Account in Germany.

4. Update the broadcasting fee. Within one month, log into the Rundfunkbeitrag portal and change the address. If you move into a flat where someone already pays, deregister your own account and use their contribution number.

5. Car and dog, if you have them. Within one month, update the vehicle papers at the local registration office. If you have a dog, deregister dog tax at the old town and register it at the new one.

Also update personal liability and household contents insurance. A different flat size or city can change the premium.

Useful links

• Deutsche Post: mail forwarding
• Broadcasting fee portal (Rundfunkbeitrag)

Related pitfalls

Common mistakes to avoid

Short warnings linked to this guide. Each item highlights a costly or legal slip newcomers often make.

1. Failing to set up mail forwarding

   Medium

   Moving without paying Deutsche Post for mail forwarding. Critical tax assessments, court letters, and fines are missed, resulting in default judgments and penalties.