First week
Time
10 min at the office · days–weeks for the slot
Cost
Free
Difficulty
Hard
What to bring
Passport (and ID card if EU)
Completed Anmeldung form
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung signed by your landlord
Your visa, if you entered on one
Not needed: A bank account. The Anmeldung comes first, not after
Your options
Bürgeramt (DIY online booking)
The official, free route
Free
Book on service.berlin.de. Slots drop at 6 to 8am and vanish in minutes. search every office in the city, not just your local one.
Appointment-finder service
A bot or agency grabs the slot for you
€20 to 50
Worth it if weeks pass with nothing and your 14-day deadline is looming. You still attend in person.
Interpreter accompaniment
Someone handles the German at the counter
€60 to 120
Overkill for a simple Anmeldung, but reassuring if your case is unusual or your German is zero.
Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
Have your landlord or main tenant sign the confirmation that you live at the address. No form, no Anmeldung, chase it the day you move in.
- 2
Book a Bürgeramt slot
service.berlin.de → "Anmeldung einer Wohnung". Refresh early morning and check all offices. Cancellations also reappear late evening.
- 3
Show up with originals
Bring your passport, the signed form and the completed Anmeldung. The clerk registers you in minutes.
- 4
Keep the Anmeldebestätigung
You walk out with the stamped confirmation. Keep the original safe, and watch the post for your Steuer-ID in the following weeks.
Words you'll hear
AnmeldungAN-mel-doong
Registering your home address at the Bürgeramt. The keystone document, bank, tax ID, residence permit and phone contracts all want it first.
BürgeramtBUR-ger-amt
The citizens' office where you do the Anmeldung and other civic paperwork. Appointments are the bottleneck of Berlin life.
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
The form your landlord signs confirming you live there. No Anmeldung without it, so get it the day you move in.
Anmeldebestätigung
The stamped proof of registration you walk out of the Bürgeramt with. Keep the original safe; everyone asks for it.
Common questions
What if I can't get an appointment within 14 days?
The deadline is rarely enforced if you're clearly trying. Book the earliest slot you can and keep evidence you attempted it sooner.
Can I register at an Airbnb or sublet?
A formal, registered sublet works if the main tenant signs the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung. A standard tourist Airbnb does not.
Read more
The Anmeldung, explained
Full guide · 5 min read
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Berlin.