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Register within two weeks
Moving to a German address starts a clock. Within two weeks you are legally required to register at the local Bürgeramt — the Anmeldung — and the slip of paper you get back, the Meldebescheinigung, is the key to everything else: a bank account, a phone contract, a tax number, health insurance, a library card. Without it you are, administratively, not there. Appointments in the bigger cities can be genuinely hard to get, and people refresh the booking site at odd hours to catch cancellations. You will need your passport, the rental contract and a signed confirmation from your landlord. Germany runs a great deal of life on paper in this way, and the Amt — the office — has a particular culture: arrive with every document, arrive on time, and expect the Sie form throughout. Two habits make it easier. Ask Kann ich das auf Englisch machen? early, because the answer is often no and it is better to know. And say Könnten Sie das bitte wiederholen? without embarrassment — asking someone to repeat themselves is entirely normal and far better than signing something you did not follow.