Düsseldorf · Anmeldung

Register your address (Anmeldung) in Düsseldorf

Your Anmeldung is the first official step after moving to Düsseldorf: you register your home address at the Bürgeramt and walk out with a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung). You're legally meant to do it within 14 days of moving in, and almost everything that follows — tax ID, bank account, residence permit, even a phone contract — depends on it.

⏱️Free. The appointment itself takes ~10 minutes; the wait to get one is the hard part.

What you need to bring

• Passport or national IDRequired

  📋 Bring the original, not a copy

  How to get it: Issued by your home country. Renew at your country's embassy or consulate in Germany — appointments can take weeks, so check the expiry early.

• Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord move-in confirmation)Required

  📋 Bring the original, not a copy

  Ask your landlord — they must provide it

  How to get it: Your landlord (or main tenant if you sublet) must fill and sign it — they are legally required to. Most city websites offer the form as a PDF; bring the signed original.

• Completed registration form (Anmeldeformular)Required

  How to get it: Download from your city's website (search '<city> Anmeldung Formular') or pick it up at the Bürgeramt. Fill it in before the appointment to save time.

• Marriage certificate (if registering a spouse)If applicable

  📋 Bring the original, not a copy

  How to get it: From the registry office (Standesamt) where you married, or your home country's authority. Foreign certificates often need a certified translation or apostille.

• Birth certificates (if registering children)If applicable

  📋 Bring the original, not a copy

  How to get it: For a child born in Germany: the Standesamt of the birthplace issues it (the hospital sends the paperwork). For Elterngeld, ask for the special 'für Elterngeld' copy. Foreign certificates may need a certified translation.

Can you do it online?

Online Anmeldung is rolling out city by city via BundID — we open your city/state portal where available.

What usually comes next

Good to know

• You can only register once you've physically moved in — you need a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (move-in confirmation) signed by your landlord, who is legally obliged to provide it.
• No fixed address yet? Some people register at a temporary or friend's address first, but only with that person's signed confirmation — never invent one, it's a punishable offence.
• Book the appointment the moment you have a move-in date; in the busiest cities the next free slot can be weeks away. Check the booking portal early in the morning when cancellations appear.
• Bring the original Wohnungsgeberbestätigung and every family member's passport — clerks routinely turn people away for a missing document.

Frequently asked questions

Checklist last verified 2026-06-11. Rules vary by office and change over time — always confirm with the official source linked above.