Soon you'll be shaking a cheerful 'Moin' out of your sleeve as greeting like a true Hamburg local. To fully immerse yourself in your new Nordic life between the crab buns and Astra Alster, you still need to complete one essential task: your registration in Hamburg at the Welcome Centre. We promise it'll be done in no time at all and above all, it will be really straightforward.

With a little preparation, you'll be registered in Hamburg in no time at all. We'll show you what you need to do to register in Hamburg, how to get an appointment at the Welcome Centre, what documents you need and what you should remember.

Register in Hamburg within 14 days upon moving in

The registration in Hamburg at the Welcome Centre is absolutely indispensable: once you move to Hamburg from abroad for over three months, you will need to register your accommodation with the authorities.

Registration is key to setting up your new life; without it, you won't be able to get a tax ID and finding a job won't be a walk in the park.

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After moving, you have a period of 14 days in which to register in your new accommodation.

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But no stress, the bureaucratic process behind it isn't all that tough, and with a little preparation you'll be up and running in no time.

If you've just moved to Hamburg with your family from abroad, then you have to register the new address and all family members in person at the Immigration Office or the Welcome Centre in Hamburg.

What requirements do I have to meet to register at the Welcome Centre in Hamburg?

A short checklist can help you to quickly gather all the necessary documents for your registration at the Welcome Centre in Hamburg - and then hand them over to the authorities. Have these documents at hand in time for your appointment:

• Registration form (Anmeldeformular): To register, you have to fill in and sign the registration form. You'll also find the registration form at the location of the Welcome Centre, but especially for internationals without proficiency in German you might want to run through the registration form with a German-speaking friend or a translation tool.
• Confirmation of accommodation provider (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung): The landlord must fill out and sign a confirmation of accommodation. Please ask your landlord to fill out a confirmation of accommodation.
  • Documents of all persons moving with you
  • identity card and - if available - passport
  • Children (up to 18 years of age): An identity card/passport. If the child does not yet have a personal identity card, a birth certificate (sworn translation into German!) is also acceptable. In case the children move with you from abroad, they have to be personally present at the registration.
  • Marriage certificate: If you are married, you must bring the original of your marriage certificate with you.
  • Divorced: Here you have to bring your legally binding divorce decree.
  • Widowed: In this case you need the original death certificate
  • Unmarried/ shared flat (WG): All ID cards of the flatmates and a written power of attorney of the persons not present
  • Electronic residence permit (eAT): If you have a residence permit, you must bring it with you. Good to know: You will have to renew your address on your residence permit afterwards!

Bad news: A registration in Hamburg is unfortunately not free of charge, so you have to pay 12 euros per adult, 12 euros per family (i.e. parents and children who have moved to Hamburg), or 12 euros per married couple. So it's best to take cash with you!

And that's all you need! Once you have all the documents at hand, you can register in Hamburg.

How to book an appointment to register at the Welcome Centre in Hamburg

To register your new flat in Hamburg you will need to book an appointment beforehand - spontaneous visits without an appointment are sadly no longer an option. However, this has its advantages for you as you waste less time waiting in line for the authorities; meanwhile, you can count on having your appointment at the agreed time.

One step at a time, how can you arrange an appointment? Well, it' s pretty simple! No matter where your new neighbourhood in Hamburg is situated, you can register with any of the authorities in the city. So just book your appointment online in the customer centre in a jiffy:

• Visit the digital appointment management of the customer centre.
• Click on "Einwohnerwesen" and agree to the privacy policy.

Step 1: Fill in all fields. First name, last name and email are mandatory fields. First name (Vorname) Surname (Nachname) E-mail (E-Mail) Telephone (optional) (Telefon)

Step 2: Select your purpose for the appointment Pick the number of people who will have to move and register with you in the section "Meldewesen" and under "Wohnsitz, Anmeldung als Hauptwohnsitz".

Step 3: Choose your preferred date Select "Suche ab dem" (Search from) and “Gewünschter Zeitraum” (Desired time period). You can also limit the search to weekdays (Möglicher Wochentag) Have you filled in all the data? Then you can click on the button "Termin suchen" and all the dates for your search will be displayed.

Step 4: Select a suitable date for you from the available dates displayed and then click on "Weiter" (next).

Step 5: Check your desired date Are your contact details and your request correctly filled out? All the documents that you need to bring with you are summarised here once again If the dates match and the appointment is suitable for you, you can press the button "Termin verbindlich vereinbaren" (make binding appointment).

Ta-da, done! Add the appointment to your calendar and show up on time for your appointment.

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