Berlin
Willkommen in the app. A local checklist, how-tos with real prices, and a directory of places that work for English speakers.
Your numbers
Real, checked prices — tap a card to dial in your own budget.
Newcomer checklist
20 tasks for Berlin, sequenced by phase. Track progress in the app.
20 tasks
Before you move
First week
Month 1
No bank account, tax ID, or proper phone contract until you've done the Anmeldung, and slots go fast. Start refreshing the booking page before you've unpacked.
Field notes · Berlin
Compare & choose
Every option gets a verdict
Apps to download
The ten that do something your usual apps can't.
10 apps · Checked August 2026
Bank accounts
A German IBAN for rent, salary and SEPA direct debits.
4 banks · Checked August 2026
Home internet
Fibre and cable for the flat, and the famous install wait.
4 providers · Checked August 2026
Co-living & flexible stays
Furnished places to land for your first weeks, before you fight for an unfurnished long-term flat.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Gyms & fitness
From €20 budget chains to one pass that opens every door.
4 memberships · Checked August 2026
Hospitals & English-speaking clinics
Where to actually get seen, the big hospitals, plus how to find English-speaking care fast.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Health insurance
Public (GKV) or private (PKV), the choice that's hard to undo.
4 insurers · Checked August 2026
Where to live
Six Kieze ranked on rent, noise, and how connected they are, filter by what matters to you.
6 areas · Checked August 2026
SIM cards & mobile plans
A German number for two-factor codes, deliveries, and every signup.
4 plans · Checked August 2026
Schools: public, Ersatzschule, and international
What it actually costs and teaches, school by school.
6 schools · Checked August 2026
Editorial guides
Living
Your first 72 hours in Berlin
Land, find your feet, and start the paperwork chain in the right order, before jet lag and the Bürgeramt conspire against you.
Bureaucracy & Visas
The Anmeldung, explained
The address registration that the rest of German bureaucracy hangs off, and how to actually get the appointment.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Which German visa or permit do you need?
Blue Card, work permit, freelancer, job-seeker or student, the lanes, and the ones you can switch into from inside Germany.
Living
Where to live in Berlin
A quick tour of the central Kieze, who each one suits, and where to point a first lease.
Housing
Renting in Berlin without losing your mind
The tightest housing market in Germany, how the application game works, and the documents that win flats.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Taxes for newcomers
Tax classes, the Steuer-ID, what gets deducted, and why filing a return usually pays you back.
Healthcare
Healthcare & insurance in Berlin
Public vs private, how to find an English-speaking doctor, and what to do when it's urgent.
Avoiding scams
Common scams & rip-offs
From fake flat listings to appointment touts, the traps that target newcomers, and how to sidestep them.
Living
The 10 apps you actually need in Berlin
The transit ticket, the doctor booking that saves you a month, the eID that unlocks online admin, and the marketplaces that furnish a flat.
Schooling
Schooling in Berlin: public, Ersatzschule, and international
A free bilingual public option most newcomers don't know exists, an income-scaled private tier unique to Germany, and where the flat-fee international schools actually sit.
Lifestyle
Weekend picks, seasonal events, and local rituals — updated without an app release.
Essentials
How to behave in Berlin
Direct talk, Ruhezeit, Pfand, and why rules matter here.
Lifestyle
Your first weekend in Berlin. What should you visit?
A Saturday-to-Sunday route for newcomers: the Mauerpark flea market and karaoke, a Turkish canal market, a currywurst stand, a Tiergarten beer garden, and Neukölln's rooftop nightlife.
Lifestyle
Sports in Berlin, from the Alte Försterei to the lakes
Union's forest stadium, Hertha's faded grandeur, a record-breaking marathon and a city that trains on runways and swims in lakes. Berlin does sport its own way.
Local picks
Places in Berlin that work for English speakers — checked for what expats actually ask about, not star ratings.
CoworkingFeatured
betahaus
Berlin's original coworking space and a fixture of the startup scene, with day passes, hot desks and a packed events calendar that's an easy way to meet other newcomers. The café and community run in English.
Day passesEventsEnglish-speaking
Kreuzberg · Open · until 8pm
Bureaucracy
Bürgeramt Mitte (Rathaus)
Where the Anmeldung (address registration) happens, the document half your other errands depend on. The Termin is the hard part: book across all districts via the city portal and check early mornings for cancellations. Bring your passport and the landlord's Wohnungsgeberbestätigung.
Appointment requiredBring documentsMostly German
Mitte · By appointment
Services
Expath
A one-stop relocation and integration service: visa consultations, German courses, and help untangling registration and insurance. Everything runs in English.
English spokenRelocation helpGerman classes
Mitte · Open · until 6pm
Bureaucracy & Visas
Red Tape Translation
Interpreters who sit beside you at the Bürgeramt, Finanzamt or LEA and handle the German in real time. The lifeline expats book for the appointment that actually matters.
English spokenAppointment accompanimentVisa help
Pankow · By appointment
Tax advisory (Steuerberater)
Stamms Steuerberatungsgesellschaft mbH
A Berlin Mitte tax advisory firm used to working with expats and freelancers: income tax returns, freelancer (Freiberufler) registration, and ongoing bookkeeping, with English-language service available on request.
English-speakingTax returnsFreelancer registration
Mitte · Mon to Thu 8am to 5pm, Fri 8am to 3pm
Healthcare
Charité to Campus Mitte
One of Europe's largest university hospitals and the city's emergency anchor. The Rettungsstelle (ER) is open around the clock and staff can usually find English; bring your insurance card and, if you have it, your Anmeldung.
24h EREnglish usually availablePublic & private insurance
Mitte · Open · 24h ER
Dental clinic
Zahnarztpraxis am Gendarmenmarkt
An expat-favourite dental practice where the team works in English and gives you an itemised plan before they start. Takes public and private insurance, with a clear estimate of what each will and won't cover.
English-speakingTransparent pricingPublic & private insurance
Mitte · Mon to Fri 8 to 7
Relocation consultancy
Expath
A long-running Berlin relocation consultancy offering visa and Anmeldung support, housing search help, and German classes built specifically for newcomers settling into the city long-term.
English-speakingVisa supportHousing search
Mitte · Mon to Thu 10am to 6pm
International school
Berlin British School
British National Curriculum through to IGCSE/A-Level with an IB Primary Years option for younger children, on a well-established residential campus in Grunewald.
British curriculumIB Primary Years optionEnglish-medium
Grunewald · Mon to Fri, by appointment
International school
Berlin International School
Full IB continuum from Primary Years through the Diploma, the cheapest of Berlin's fully independent international schools, on a smaller, community-feel campus in Schmargendorf.
IB curriculumEnglish-mediumSmaller campus
Schmargendorf · Mon to Fri, by appointment
Language school
Speakeasy Berlin
A German school built around an English-speaking, conversation-first method that newcomers rave about. Small groups, intensives and evening classes, plus prep for the B1 test you'll want for permanent residency. In person or online.
German coursesEvening classesB1 residency prep
Friedrichshain · Mon to Fri 9 to 8
Bouldering gym
Boulderklub Kreuzberg
A friendly indoor bouldering gym, no ropes or experience needed. Day passes and rental shoes for drop-ins, a sociable café upstairs, and an easy, low-pressure way into Berlin's outdoorsy crowd.
Day passesGear rentalBeginner friendly
Kreuzberg · Open · until 11pm
Gym
FitX East Side Mall
Budget national chain with branches everywhere and a monthly option you can actually cancel. Sign-up and app work in English, pay with a foreign card, a good first gym while you figure out where you'll live.
No long lock-inEnglish appAccepts foreign cards
Friedrichshain · Open 24h
Yoga studio
Spirit Yoga Charlottenburg
An established studio with a full timetable and several English-taught classes a week to a mixed expat-and-local crowd. Drop-ins welcome, trial offers for newcomers, a gentle way to meet people.
English classesDrop-inBeginner friendly
Charlottenburg · Open · until 9pm
Neighbourhoods we cover
KreuzbergNeuköllnPrenzlauer BergFriedrichshainMitteCharlottenburg
Join our community
How-tos
All guides →Apply for your German entry visa
Several nationalities skip this entirely and apply after they land, most others need a consulate visa first.
4 to 12 weeks at the consulate (skip if visa-exempt)€75 to 100 (national visa fee)
Arrange shipping & customs for your belongings
What you ship, and how, depends far more on where you're leaving than where you're landing.
4 to 10 weeks lead time€600 to 4,000+ depending on volume and distance
Sort pet relocation, if you're bringing one
Start this months out, pet import rules are strict and depend entirely on your departure country.
10 weeks to 6+ months lead time€200 to 3,000+ depending on distance and route
Forward your mail & cancel subscriptions
A short list to clear before you go, so nothing important gets lost at your old address.
1 to 2 hours, spread over a few weeksFree to around €50 for a redirection service
Notify your bank & tax office back home
Tell your bank and tax office at home before you leave.
1 to 3 hoursUsually free
Register your address (Anmeldung)
The keystone document the rest of German bureaucracy hangs off.
10 min at the office · days to weeks for the slotFree
Get your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel)
The card non-EU citizens live on, Blue Card, work, freelance or study.
1 appointment · weeks for the card€100 to 147
Get a German SIM card
A local number for two-factor codes, deliveries and every signup.
15 to 30 min€8 to 25/mo
Get around, the Deutschlandticket
One €58 pass for every U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus in the country.
10 min€58/mo
Find and sign a flat
Win Berlin's brutal housing race with a complete application folder.
Weeks of searching · 1 day to signUp to 3 months' cold rent deposit
Open a blocked account (Sperrkonto)
The proof-of-funds account many visas require before you arrive.
1 to 2 weeks to open~€11,904/yr blocked + setup fee
Get your tax ID (Steuer-ID)
The 11-digit number your employer needs to pay you properly.
5 min · arrives 1 to 3 weeks after AnmeldungFree
Open a German bank account
A local IBAN for rent, salary and the SEPA direct debits that run life here.
15 min (digital) to 1 hour (branch)€0 to 10/mo
Sign up for health insurance
Mandatory from day one, and proof is required for your residence permit.
30 min to apply · days to confirm~14.6% of gross (GKV) or from €250/mo (PKV)
Get your SCHUFA credit report
The credit score landlords ask for before handing over a flat.
Minutes (paid) to 2 weeks (free)Free (annual) or €30 (instant)
Set up home internet
Order the day you sign, the install is the famously slow part.
15 min to order · 1 to 4 weeks to install€25 to 50/mo
Set up electricity (Strom)
Pick your own power provider, and dodge the pricey default tariff.
20 min€40 to 80/mo (1-bed)
Sort the Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcast fee)
The €18.36/month household fee you can't dodge, but can sometimes reduce.
15 min€18.36/mo per household
Register as a freelancer (Finanzamt)
The tax-office signup that turns you into a legal Freiberufler.
1 to 2 hours of forms · weeks for the SteuernummerFree to register
Know what to do in case of an accident
Two numbers, and one of them isn't 112.
10 min to read and save the numbersFree
Handle a car crash, step by step
Most Bagatellschäden settle on the spot. Know when that's not enough.
30 min on the spot, longer if anyone's hurtFree (your time only)