Registration Office

After arrival in Germany, you will need to register your appartment within 2 weeks at the registration office of your municipality. This is mandatory by German law, but if you are in Germany for the first time, also necessary to receive your tax id.

To register your home address, you usually need:

Confirmation of residence: a letter from your landlord, that you (and maybe your family) moved into the appartment, the so called “Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung”
your passport
if you staying with your spouse and/or children, their passports, as well as your marriage certificate and/or your children's birth certificates (plus a certified translation in German)

Please also check out at the website of your authority for a complete list of mandatory documents for registration of your appartment - for Frankfurt visit the Frankfurt Citizen’s office.

If you move to an apartment in Frankfurt you can book an appointment online at one of the authorities – we recommend to select the Bürgeramt Nordwest/Citizens' Office Northwest, which is the nearest to our institute and easy to reach with public transport (U9 direction “Ginnheim“ get off at station “Nordwestzentrum“).

You will receive your German registration certificate which you usually need to open up a bank account.

Please feel free to contact us at the International Office if you need any assistance for the registration process - especially when it is your first time to visit the Registration Office.

Please note: All information is based on our latest knowledge and our experiences of supporting our international guests and scientists. The information provided is for informative purposes only and is meant to serve as an orientation. We do not guarantee that the information is complete or represents the latest laws and regulations. Please consult the websites and information sources of your embassy, the federal ministry of justice, and public authorities for legal and updated information.