Arriving in Germany: Anmeldung within 14 days, residence permit, health insurance, blocked account

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

When you arrive in Germany on a national visa, you have two weeks after moving in to register your home at the Bürgeramt (the Anmeldung). Then come health insurance, a bank account and the release of your blocked account, university enrolment, and the application for a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) at the foreigners' office, to be filed before your visa's end date. The tax number and the broadcasting fee follow from the Anmeldung. This article is part of our guide to the steps after arriving in Europe on a long-stay visa.

The steps after arriving in Germany, in order

Office names and booking methods differ from city to city: in Berlin, the foreigners' office is called Landesamt für Einwanderung. Always check your municipality's website.

The Anmeldung: registering your home within 14 days

The Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz, section 17) is clear: anyone who moves into a dwelling must register with the registration office within two weeks of moving in. The deadline runs from the day you move in, not from your arrival at the airport. Registering late, or incorrectly, can be punished by a fine of up to €1,000 (section 54 of the same act).

In Berlin, the procedure is free and requires:

• your passport (with the visa);
• the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, a confirmation signed by whoever provides your accommodation: the landlord's name and address, the move-in date, the address of the dwelling, the names of the people moving in. A rental contract does not replace it. If you sublet a room, the main tenant signs it;
• for a first registration, sometimes a birth or marriage certificate.

Appointments go fast in large cities. Book as soon as you know your move-in date, and keep proof of your attempts if no slot is free within the deadline. You then receive a registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung, or Meldebescheinigung on request). Keep it: the bank, the university and the foreigners' office often ask for it.

The tax number (Steuer-ID) arrives by post

After your Anmeldung, the municipality passes your data to the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt), which assigns you a permanent tax number. It arrives only by letter, at your registered address: the BZSt never gives it out by phone. Allow a few weeks as a rule. If nothing has arrived after several weeks, you can request it again from the BZSt through its online form or by post. Your employer will need it from your first student job.

Health insurance: public for most students

In Germany, a student enrolled at a state-recognised institution must be insured. Public student health insurance (studentische Krankenversicherung) applies in principle until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. After that, it only continues for a recognised reason (childcare, long illness...), and the fund decides case by case.

What you need to know:

• the fund reports your status to the university electronically. Without that report, the university will not enrol you;
• the contribution is made up of a rate set at federal level and an additional contribution specific to each fund. Ask the fund you choose for the exact amount;
• you can ask to be exempted from public insurance in favour of private insurance, within three months of the start of the obligation. The choice applies for the whole of your studies: think before you sign;
• the visa travel insurance is no longer enough once you are enrolled;
• language courses and Studienkolleg: different rules apply. Ask the fund or the institution which insurance suits you.

For a family, the spouse and children of someone affiliated with a public fund may, subject to income conditions, be covered without contribution by family insurance (Familienversicherung). The fund confirms whether you qualify.

The bank account and the blocked account

If you proved your funds with a blocked account (Sperrkonto), the money is only paid out once you are there: €992 per month, i.e. €11,904 for one year, the amount required in 2026. To receive these payments, the provider usually asks for the details of a current account in your name and follows its own activation procedure. Read it before you leave.

To open the current account, banks ask for your passport and, very often, the Anmeldung certificate: one more reason to do the Anmeldung early. Everything about the blocked account, from choosing a provider to the amount, is in our guide studying in Germany from Africa.

University enrolment (Immatrikulation)

Your admission letter sets the enrolment deadline. After it, the admission may be lost. Prepare:

• the admission letter and the originals of the diplomas requested;
• the health insurance certificate (sent by the fund);
• payment of the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag), between €70 and €430 depending on the institution according to the DAAD.

You receive an enrolment certificate (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung): a key document for the residence permit.

The residence permit: apply before the visa ends

The national visa is an entry visa. Its end date is printed on the visa sticker: look at it on the day you arrive. To stay, you must obtain a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) from the foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) where you live. Many cities use an online form or an appointment.

File the application before the visa's end date. That is what protects you: under section 81 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz), an application filed in time means your current title remains valid until the decision. The office then gives you a Fiktionsbescheinigung, a certificate proving that right while you wait. Waiting times can be long: LMU Munich reports up to 5 months for an application or extension. An application filed after the visa has ended leaves you in an irregular situation.

Documents usually requested (the exact list is on your city's website):

• passport and biometric photo;
• Anmeldung certificate;
• enrolment certificate;
• health insurance certificate;
• proof of funds (blocked account, scholarship or formal obligation by a sponsor);
• rental contract or landlord's confirmation.

The cost: €100 for issuing a residence permit, under section 45 of the Residence Ordinance (Aufenthaltsverordnung). The duration: for studies, the permit is usually issued for two years, and not less than one year, or for the length of the studies if shorter (section 16b of the Residence Act). On renewal, the office checks your funds and your study progress again.

The broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

Every dwelling pays a broadcasting fee of €18.36 per month, whatever the number of residents or devices. In a shared flat, one person pays for the whole dwelling; the others register with that person's contribution number. Exemption mainly exists for people on social benefits, including the public BAföG student grant, which most international students do not receive. In student residences, the rule depends on how the rooms are laid out: check on rundfunkbeitrag.de.

Working while studying: 140 days a year

Since the reform that came into force in March 2024, section 16b of the Residence Act allows a student to work 140 working days a year. A day of 4 hours or less counts as a half day, hence the "280 half days" often quoted. A weekly method of calculation also exists, and the more favourable one applies. Jobs as a student assistant at the university (studentische Nebentätigkeit) are not counted.

Family reunification: what changes for a spouse

Are you joining a spouse already living in Germany? The first two steps are the same: Anmeldung within two weeks, then an application for a residence permit for family reasons at the foreigners' office, before the visa ends.

One step is added: the integration course. The Residence Act (section 44) grants a right to this course to anyone receiving a first residence permit for family reunification and settling permanently. This right expires one year after the permit is issued: register quickly. If you cannot yet express yourself simply in German, the foreigners' office can require you to attend the course (section 44a), and it records this when issuing the permit. The course combines German and orientation on life in Germany. A contribution to the costs is required, unless you are exempt: the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) sets out the conditions.

On the health side, check whether the family insurance described above covers you.

Finding your compatriots in Germany

These steps go faster when someone in the same city has done them before you. On Compatri, the Germany page brings together the cities and meetups, for example Berlin and Munich. The diaspora pages lead to the communities: Cameroonians in Germany, Moroccans in Germany. You can join your community before leaving and read how mutual help between compatriots works.

Still comparing countries? Our comparison of studying in Europe from Africa sets out the fundamental differences. Compatri does not carry out any procedure for you: for a specific case, your municipality, your university and the foreigners' office remain your official contacts.

Official sources

• Federal Registration Act, section 17 (two-week deadline)
• Federal Registration Act, section 54 (fines)
• Service Berlin: registering a dwelling (Anmeldung)
• Federal Central Tax Office: tax identification number
• Residence Act, section 16b (studies, permit duration, work)
• Residence Act, section 81 (timely application, Fiktionsbescheinigung)
• Residence Ordinance, section 45 (residence permit fees)
• Residence Act, section 44 (right to the integration course)
• Residence Act, section 44a (obligation to attend)
• BAMF: integration courses
• AOK: health insurance for students
• Rundfunkbeitrag: official website of the fee
• DAAD: cost of studying and living
• LMU Munich: residence permit for students