Germany

elocation.qxd 15/12/2005 21:20 Page 6
RELOCATION
6
Residence Permits
Making sure you have the paperwork to stay in Germany will likely result in
your first contact with the nation’s bureaucracy. Here’s how to be legal.
REGISTERING WITH THE POLICE
Registering with the police is one of the
first things you have to do following your
arrival in Germany.
Getting a 'polizeiliche
Anmeldebestätigung' requires a visit to
the local registration office
('Einwohnermeldeamt/Meldestelle'),
which is normally part of the local police
station or town hall ('Rathaus').
Registering with the police is often something
that people from countries with
somewhat dubious police records prefer
not to get involved with.
But the law says you must register if you
intend to stay for more than three
months.
You should do so within seven days of
arrival in Germany, or at least once you
have accommodation.
All residents, Germans and non-Germans,
must register when they move to a new
address - failure could mean a fine of up
to EUR 35.
You can normally track down your local
Meldestelle via the internet: search for the
name of the area you live in combined
with the word 'Landeseinwohneramt'.
WAITING GAME
Depending on where you apply, you can
face a long wait sitting in a less-thancheerful
office until you are called forth
to present your papers.
If you're living in a crowded city area,
planning ahead can help. Work out when
you can go, and drop by the office beforehand
to see what time it opens. It's best to
get there early.
Upon completion, you will be presented
with a polizeiliche Anmeldebestätigung.
Considering the number of times the
authorities seem (at least initially) to ask
to see the Anmeldebestätigung, it's not a
bad idea to carry it, or a photocopy of it,
with you at all times.
Additionally, citizens of the European
Union can now apply for their
'Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung' (freedom of
movement permit) at the Meldestelle at
the same time as they register their
address. See Getting your Permit below
for more details.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
Fairly obviously, you will need to bring a
passport and a lease or rental agreement.
A registration form
('Anmeldungsformular') is available free
at the Meldestelle.
In some parts of the country you can buy
one for about EUR 1 in stationery shops.
WHEN TO AN-, UM- OR ABMELDEN
Once you decide it is time to move on,
you must go back to the Meldestelle to go
through the job of being 'abgemeldet' (deregistered).
You can be fined for not doing this properly
if you ever try to register again.
Some offices allow you to send your
Abmeldung back through the post, so
you don't have to endure another long
stay in the Meldestelle waiting room.
But should you decide to move to another
part of the same city, you will need to
'ummelden' (register a change of address)
- and to bring the evidence that you have
been umgemeldet when you register at
your new Meldestelle.
GERMANY EXPAT SURVIVAL GUIDE WWW.EXPATICA.COM