This is one of the most important things you should do after you land in Germany. The official website says that you have two weeks to get this done but some of my friends have done this after 3 months so I am not very sure about the time frame you need to get this done. I did it in a week just to be on the safer side.
Why is this necessary?
Get a bank account easily.
However, there are workarounds which I have mentioned in my other blog.
Get a resident card/blue card.
Depending on where you come from you would most probably have a temporary D-type visa for 3 months to 6 months. For living in Germany for a longer duration you will need to convert that to a resident permit.
Get a Sim card easily.
Again, there is a simple workaround for this as well which I have mentioned in my blog as well.
Get tax ID.
This one is automatically done on your behalf from the city office/registration office. You will get your tax ID in your mailbox which you should be providing to your employer in order to pay taxes. As far as I know, there is nothing to be done from your end here.
Before you get to this step you will need the following things:
You can only get to this step after you find yourself an apartment/living place where the landlord can provide you with an apartment confirmation document called Wohnungsbestätigung.
Please note that hotels, Airbnb and some landlords do not provide this. You will need to keep this in mind when getting an apartment.
Obviously, you will need a valid passport and the temporary visa (the D-type visa) that got you to Germany in the first place.
A small note here. There is an anmeldung form available online too but I did not need to fill that up. The lady in the city office filled it up for me during the appointment time. Depending on where you book your appointment you will have an English speaking on the other end.
Here’s a PRO TIP: If it is possible, take someone who can speak German with you. I did the same and things got way wayyy easier because of him.
Here is what I did and how it went.
Book an appointment online from this link.
After you book it you will get an email with a number. For me, it was: T390.
Go there on time and wait for your number to be called on the screens. Then head to the section you are called to and you should have your anmeldung/registration done in the next 10 mins.
My overall experience was super nice. The process was very fast. Way faster that I expected it to be. The lady in the office was also super nice and super kind. She spoke to me very politely and in english. There was no hesitation from her side when providing me the final anmeldung document.