After arrival in Berlin

Address registration, bank account, health insurance, residence permit, in that order.

Do these in order; each step needs the one before it.

1. Register your address (Anmeldung)

§ 17 BMG: within 2 weeks of moving in. Go to a Bürgeramt with your passport and a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung signed by your landlord. Registration is free. You get an Anmeldebestätigung, which almost every other office asks for. Bürgeramt appointments are hard to get; book early and keep proof that you tried.

2. Tax ID and bank account

The Steuer-ID arrives by post a few weeks after the Anmeldung; your employer needs it. Banks usually want the Anmeldebestätigung and your passport. Students already have the blocked account, see Study.

3. Health insurance

Compulsory. Employees are insured through their employer; students take student insurance. Register with a Krankenkasse yourself.

4. Residence permit at LEA Berlin

Your visa is only the entry document. Convert it at the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) before it expires. Fees: €100 for an electronic residence card, €93 to extend it. Apply well before the visa runs out; an application made in time keeps your stay lawful while it is processed. If you entered visa-free: Entry without a visa (the 90 days are strict).

5. Then

• Willkommenszentrum Berlin: free orientation for new arrivals.
• MBE (Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer): free advice for adults.
• Integration and German courses: Learning German.