Residence Registration

All people living in Germany must register with the Citizens' Registration Office (Bürgeramt in Berlin) within 14 days of moving to their new place of residence. For you as a student, this means that as soon as you have found accommodation in Berlin, be it your own flat, a room in a student hall of residence or in a shared flat (WG), or even just a sofa at a friend's house, you must register with the Bürgeramt within 14 days. 

After registering at a Bürgeramt, you will receive your registration confirmation. Please keep this in a safe place; international students may need the confirmation of registration to apply for a residence permit or to open a bank account.

How to proceed

Please book an appointment online or via the service telephone (030) 115, Monday to Friday, 7:00 - 18:00, at one of the 60 Berlin Citizens' Offices. To book online, click on Services A-Z on the Berlin Citizens‘ Offices page, navigate under the letter W to the section Wohnsitz - Alleinige Wohnung oder Hauptwohnung anmelden, click the checkbox for your desired Citizens’ Office and click on ‘An diesem Standort einen Termin buchen (Book an appointment at this location)’ at the bottom of the page. By the way: If you do not manage to register within two weeks, an appointment is sufficient to fulfil the registration obligation.

Please note that a fine of up to €1000 may be imposed for failure to register.

General Required Documents

You will receive a detailed list of the required documents from the Citizens' Registration Office with the appointment confirmation.

Tax Identification Number (Steueridentifikationsnummer)

International students receive their lifetime tax identification number by post from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (Federal Tax Office) immediately after their first registeration with the Einwohnermeldeamt (Bürgeramt). You will always need the tax identification number (IdNo) if you have income in Germany.