How does the Anmeldung (address registration) work after arriving in Germany?

Anmeldung is the registration of your home address with the local registration office (Bürgeramt, Einwohnermeldeamt or Kundenzentrum). The legal frame is the Bundesmeldegesetz:

• you must register within two weeks of moving into your home (§ 17 BMG);
• the person who lets you the home has to confirm your move-in in writing – the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (§ 19 BMG). Landlords, Studentenwerk halls and main tenants of a shared flat issue it; without it you cannot register.

What to bring: passport (with visa), the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, the registration form (Anmeldeformular, available online in most cities), and, if applicable, your lease. The office enters you in the register and gives you the Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate) on the spot. In large cities appointments are scarce; book online as soon as you have the landlord confirmation, and check whether the city offers online registration (several states have introduced it since 2024).

What the registration triggers:

• the tax office sends your tax ID (Steuer-ID) by post within a few weeks;
• the Rundfunkbeitrag service writes to you (one fee per household; a flatmate may already pay it);
• the Ausländerbehörde of your city becomes responsible for your residence permit; apply there before the visa expires;
• banks, employers and the university use the Meldebescheinigung as proof of address.

If you move within Germany, you register the new address (an Ummeldung) within the same two-week period; if you leave Germany, you deregister (Abmeldung). Turkish citizens are also advised to file an address declaration with the Turkish consulate; that is a separate, Turkish obligation and does not replace the German registration.

Source: §§ 17, 19 Bundesmeldegesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de).