Settling in Germany
Step-by-step guides to German bureaucracy
Every official task a newcomer faces — explained in plain English, with the exact documents to bring and whether you can do it online. Pick a task, then your city for the local details.
When you arrive
Register your address (Anmeldung)
Anmeldung
Read the guide→Get your tax ID & tax class
Steuer-ID / Finanzamt
Read the guide→Open a bank account
Girokonto
Read the guide→Sign up for health insurance
Krankenversicherung
Read the guide→Apply for a residence permit
Aufenthaltstitel
Read the guide→Find a place to live
Wohnungssuche
Read the guide→Get a SIM or phone contract
Handyvertrag
Read the guide→Extend your residence permit
Aufenthaltstitel verlängern
Read the guide→As you settle in
Exchange your driving licence
Führerschein umschreiben
Read the guide→Claim child benefit (Kindergeld)
Kindergeld
Read the guide→Get a public transport ticket
Deutschlandticket
Read the guide→Register as a freelancer
Freiberufler anmelden
Read the guide→File an income-tax return
Einkommensteuererklärung
Read the guide→Register a car (Kfz-Zulassung)
Kfz-Zulassung
Read the guide→Apply for parental allowance (Elterngeld)
Elterngeld
Read the guide→Apply for housing benefit (Wohngeld)
Wohngeld
Read the guide→Find a daycare place (Kita)
Kita-Platz
Read the guide→Enrol your child in school
Schulanmeldung
Read the guide→Apply for German citizenship
Einbürgerung
Read the guide→Apply for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis)
Niederlassungserlaubnis
Read the guide→Get a German driving licence (driving school)
Führerschein / Fahrschule
Read the guide→Guides by city
Berlin
All tasks→
Munich
All tasks→
Hamburg
All tasks→
Frankfurt
All tasks→
Cologne
All tasks→
Düsseldorf
All tasks→
Stuttgart
All tasks→
Leipzig
All tasks→
Dortmund
All tasks→
Essen
All tasks→
Bremen
All tasks→
Dresden
All tasks→
Hannover
All tasks→
Nuremberg
All tasks→
Bonn
All tasks→
Mannheim
All tasks→
Karlsruhe
All tasks→
Münster
All tasks→
Aachen
All tasks→
Mainz
All tasks→
Augsburg
All tasks→
Wiesbaden
All tasks→
Bielefeld
All tasks→
Bochum
All tasks→
Wuppertal
All tasks→
Freiburg
All tasks→
Heidelberg
All tasks→
Darmstadt
All tasks→
Regensburg
All tasks→
Würzburg
All tasks→
Kiel
All tasks→
Lübeck
All tasks→
Potsdam
All tasks→
Saarbrücken
All tasks→
Meet Amtly
🚧 Coming soonYour German paperwork, in your pocket
The free companion app for German bureaucracy. Get a personal arrival plan, track every Termin with the exact documents to bring, and scan papers into a private on-device vault. Available in English, Deutsch and 中文.
- 🗺️A plan tailored to your persona, city and Bundesland
- 📅Appointment reminders with the right document checklist
- 🔒On-device document vault — optional end-to-end encrypted backup only you can unlock
- 💬Ask Amtly + a community of internationals who've done it