Nobody understands Germany on day one.

What are you trying to do?

• Register your addressAnmeldung — the step that unlocks everything else.
• Open a bank accountGirokonto — some work before you have an address.
• Get health insuranceMandatory for everyone — public or private.
• Find a homeHow renting works, deposits and scams to avoid.
• Get internetOrder early — installation can take weeks.
• Work & taxesTax class, payslip, sick leave and tax returns.
• Drive in GermanyUse or exchange your licence, buy a car.
• Family & childrenKindergeld, Elterngeld and finding a Kita.

• I'm moving to Germany
• I just arrived
• I found an apartment
• I'm starting a job
• I'm moving house
• I'm studying in Germany
• I'm having a baby
• I'm leaving Germany

• Registration & paperworkAnmeldung, tax ID, residence permits — the admin that unlocks everything else.
• Money & bankingBank accounts, SCHUFA, credit and sending money home.
• Health & insuranceHealth insurance, sick notes and the insurance you actually need.
• Housing & homeFinding a flat, deposits, internet, electricity and the broadcasting fee.
• Work & taxesTax classes, payslips, tax returns and your rights at work.
• Getting aroundDeutschlandticket, driving licences and cars.
• Family & childrenKindergeld, Elterngeld and finding a Kita place.
• StudyingBlocked accounts, student insurance and working while you study.
• Staying or leavingPermanent residence, citizenship, and leaving Germany properly.

The rules are national. The offices, booking systems and waiting times are local.

• Berlin
• MunichMünchen
• Hamburg
• FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main
• CologneKöln
• DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
• Stuttgart
• Leipzig

Compared for newcomers: English, no Anmeldung yet, no credit history. Never ranked by commission.

• Bank accounts
• SIM cards
• Home internet
• Electricity
• Money transfer
• German courses
• Liability insurance

How Anfänger works

• Official sources, visibly

  Every rule links to the authority that sets it, with the date we last checked.

• Plain English, German terms

  We explain things simply — and show the German word you will see on the letter.

• Honest recommendations

  Some links earn us a commission. They never decide the order. How we make money