After arrival in Berlin
➜ Full guide for everyone moving to Berlin: Entry and first steps in Berlin for work and study
- Immigration office: the visa only permits entry. Contact the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) at once for your residence permit: berlin.de/einwanderung. Appointment availability and processing times were not assessed; check the LEA site.
- Register your address (Anmeldung): within two weeks after moving into a flat (§ 17 (1) BMG) at a Berlin Bürgeramt. Bring passport and the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung); see service.berlin.de.
- Health insurance: mandatory.
- Bank account: needed for salary and rent. Documents banks ask from new arrivals vary. See Money and transfers.
- Tax ID: sent by the federal tax office after registration.
- Driving: a foreign licence is valid for 6 months after taking up residence (+6 only if you credibly stay at most 12 months), with a translation (§ 29 FeV). Conversion without a full test (§ 31) exists only for states in Anlage 11 FeV; Cameroon is not there (in Africa only Namibia and South Africa are), so a full test applies.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.