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. Appointments are hard to get; book early and keep proof that you tried.

2. Tax ID and bank account

The Steuer-ID comes 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: Studying.

3. Health insurance

Compulsory. Employees are insured through the employer; students take student insurance. See Social security.

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 the electronic residence card (eAT), 93 € to extend it. Apply well before the visa ends.

5. Then

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