Frankfurt Anmeldung: how to register your address, step by step

Moving to Frankfurt? Learn how to register in Frankfurt's city hall in our step-by-step guide!

Bas

8 minute read

·

Updated on 6 Oct 2026

·

Living

You must complete your Frankfurt Anmeldung, official address registration, within 2 weeks of moving into your new home, at one of the city's Bürgerämter. Once you've finished your search for homes for rent in Frankfurt, the last step towards becoming a resident of the city is to register in Frankfurt. If you’re still choosing where to live, you may want to compare Frankfurt’s neighborhoods or get a quick safety overview of Frankfurt neighborhoods before making your decision. No worries, because with this 3 step process you'll be fully prepared before you even arrive in Frankfurt am Main. So let's make your move to Frankfurt official!

• Register within 14 days of moving into your new home, at any Frankfurt Bürgeramt (city registration office).
• For everyone: bring ID, your signed registration form, and a move-in confirmation from your landlord.
• For students and interns: book your Bürgeramt slot the moment you know your move-in date, appointments fill up fast around semester start.
• For working professionals: registering unlocks your Tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer), which your employer needs to avoid taxing you at a higher bracket.
• For families: you can register your partner or children at the same appointment, just bring ID for everyone moving in together.
• Miss the deadline or hand in wrong info, and you risk a fine.

Without an official place to live, you won't be allowed to stay in Germany for more than 3 months. So once you've secured your new home, you'll want to let the municipality know you're there to stay! In fact, you need to register in Frankfurt within 2 weeks of your move! And once you're finished, you'll have your German residence permit and Tax-ID in the pocket as well! What do you need those for?

Your Tax Identification Number

The German tax ID number's a unique identifier that makes sure the German tax authorities know who you are and what you work. So, this Steueridentifikationsnummer is something your employer will need once you start working. You can work without this information, but you'll be taxed at a much higher bracket! Not something we recommend, as your cost of living in Frankfurt isn't all that low so any additional amount you can add to your bank account counts. If you want to budget more accurately, you might want to plan your cost of living in Frankfurt before you move.

Your registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung)

When you complete your registration, you'll also receive a document called Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung. You'll receive an Anmeldebestätigung upon your first registration at a new address, and a Meldebescheinigung is more like an excerpt that can be requested later, if you need to prove that you still live at the same address.

The registration certificate is used when:

• Opening a German bank account.
• Signing utilities and internet contracts.
• Getting a German cell phone number.
• Your application for a residence permit.
• Other services that require proof of residence.

Here's the list of required documents, so you can prepare them in advance:

• Identification: A valid ID, passport or valid passport replacement documentation for foreign citizens. You'll need these for everyone relocating to Frankfurt with you.
• Residence permit: If you're a Non-EU or EEA citizen, you will need to bring your currently valid residence documentation.
• Registration Form: You'll need to fill in the registration form and bring it with you to your appointment. Unfortunately, these documents are only available in German and must be filled in in German as well. If this is difficult ask a german friend or one of your new colleagues to help you complete the document! If that's not possible, we recommend you use an online translator like Deepl. If anything about the form is unclear, you should reach out to the municipality for clarification. Don't forget to sign it once you're done!
• Supplement to the registration form (Optional): If you've somehow managed to already have more than one home in Germany, you will need to fill in a supplemental form, in which you declare which of your homes is your main residence.
• Civil status certificate: On your first registration in Frankfurt, you might need to present some official certificates, like a marriage certificate or birth certificate. If your certificates are in an uncommon language, make sure you also have it officially translated!
• Move-in Confirmation: You'll need a written and signed move in confirmation, supplied to you by your landlord. It's a relatively simple document where the landlord confirms and agrees that you've moved into their property. The documents list your basic info and the address you've moved into and the landlord's signature. Make sure you bring the original!
• Declaration of consent from an absent guardian (optional): If you're under 18, you'll need written consent and a photocopy of the ID of your legal guardian, confirming that they consent to you living alone. This is necessary when you're for example moving to Frankfurt for an internship.

Frankfurt's neighbourhoods are also home to the local Burgeramt, municipality offices that often also include a Bürgerbüro, where you can complete your registration. Thankfully, you can set up an appointment online! So, as soon as you know when you'll be moving into your new place in Frankfurt, you can book an appointment. To make this process smoother, you can also bookmark these useful German websites for official city portals and everyday services.

On the website, select the most relevant option from the drop down menu next to Anmeldung einer Wohnung. You'll then be taken to a map of the city, where you can click the Bürgerbüro of choice. We recommend basing your choice on the time slot, as each office can easily be reached by Frankfurt's public transport system.

New online slots open daily at 6am, and every Monday around 8am the city releases a fresh batch for the whole following week. If you can't find a slot, most Bürgerämter also let you walk in without an appointment on Mondays and Wednesdays, though mornings get crowded fast, especially at the Höchst, Dornbusch, and Sachsenhausen offices. Smaller satellite offices in Fechenheim, Kalbach, Nieder-Erlenbach, and Harheim only take visitors by appointment, so don't show up unannounced at those.

So, when the day of your appointment finally comes up, you make your way to the Bügerbüro you made the appointment with. Make sure you're on time! If it's busy, you might be assigned a number (Vorgangsnummer) and wait for your turn.

Don't miss it, though! Or you might have to plan a new appointment. If it's quiet, you can usually announce your arrival at the clerk and they will call you when ready. The meeting itself is simply handing over your documents to the clerk, maybe answer a few questions and then you're done!

The Anmeldung process itself doesn't change based on your status. Whether you're starting a semester at Goethe University or your first day at a Frankfurt-based company, you'll bring the same documents and visit the same Bürgeramt.

What differs is what you do right after. For students, prioritise health insurance and your enrolment confirmation, because your university and BAföG office need your registered address on file. Bring your acceptance letter or student ID to the appointment if you have it, though it's optional for the Anmeldung itself.

For working professionals, prioritise your Tax ID and health insurance provider next, because payroll can't process your salary correctly until you hand over the Steueridentifikationsnummer. It typically arrives by post within a couple of weeks of registering, so pass it to HR the moment it lands in your mailbox.

Interns and trainees follow the same 14-day deadline as everyone else, even for placements lasting only a few months. The only exception is if your total stay in Germany is under 3 months without ever settling into permanent housing, in which case Anmeldung isn't required, but almost every longer stay in Frankfurt will need it.

Once approved, you'll usually receive your documents through the mail. This can take up to a month to arrive. So, make sure your mailbox has your name on it, making it easy for the mailman to deliver your important papers to the right address!

With your Anmeldung confirmed, work through your next admin tasks in this order:

• Tax ID: arrives by post roughly 2-3 weeks after registering, hand it to your employer as soon as it arrives.
• Residence permit: non-EU citizens should book their residence permit appointment early, as slots can take weeks.
• Health insurance: confirm your provider once you have a fixed address on file.
• Bank account: use your registration certificate to open a German bank account if you haven't already.
• If you’re planning your career, you might want to get ready to find a job in Germany once your paperwork is done.

There you have it, and we can offer you an official welcome to Frankfurt!

The most costly mistake is missing your 14-day deadline. Registering late, not registering at all, or giving incorrect details to the Bürgeramt can trigger a fine, and in Germany these penalties for late Anmeldung commonly range from around €20 up to €1,000 depending on how long you delayed and the office handling your case. Avoid this by booking your appointment as soon as you have a signed move-in confirmation, even before you've physically moved in.

Other frequent errors: showing up without the original signed move-in confirmation (photocopies aren't accepted), filling in the registration form in the wrong language or leaving it unsigned, and forgetting documents for family members who are registering with you. Double-check your paperwork against the checklist above the night before your appointment, not the morning of.

Once your Anmeldung is booked and your documents are ready, the rest of settling into Frankfurt gets a lot easier. If you haven't locked down your home yet, book through HousingAnywhere before you land: listings clearly flag which rooms, studios, and apartments allow address registration, landlords are ID-verified, and Tenant Protection keeps your payment secure until 48 hours after move-in, so you walk into your Bürgeramt appointment with a signed, legitimate move-in confirmation in hand from day one.

To get a feel for expat life in Frankfurt, check out our overview of what living in the city is actually like—covering culture, social life, and everything you need to know once the paperwork is out of the way.

Can you complete the Anmeldung fully online in Frankfurt? No. You can book your appointment and prepare your registration form online, but you always need to appear in person at a Bürgeramt to hand over your documents.

How long does it take to receive the Anmeldung certificate by mail? It can take up to a month for your documents to arrive by post, so make sure your name is clearly on your mailbox from the day you move in.

What do you do if you lose your Anmeldung certificate? Book a new appointment at any Frankfurt Bürgeramt and request a Meldebescheinigung, the excerpt that proves you're still registered at your address. Bring your ID to collect it.

Can you register family members, like your partner or children, at the same appointment? Yes. Bring valid ID for everyone moving in together and list them on the same registration form, so you don't need separate appointments.

What if your landlord won't give you a move-in confirmation? Ask them directly for the signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, it's a legal requirement for landlords in Germany. Without it, the Bürgeramt can't process your registration, so raise it before you sign your rental contract if possible.