First steps after your arrival

Here you find information about the first things you should do after you have arrived in Germany.

Local residents‘ registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt)

You must register your arrival in the local residents‘ registration office  (Einwohnermeldeamt) in your local town hall (Rathaus). Then you will be given your registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung).

Health Insurance / social security number  = old age pension scheme

You should take your registration certificate from the local residents’ registration office to a health insurance provider and sign up for a health insurance (Krankenversicherung).

You can choose a health insurance provider on this website: (in German) www.gesetzlichekrankenkassen.de .

By law, all health insurance providers in Germany offer the same basic benefits. After you have signed up with a health insurance scheme, you will be given a social security number. You will need this number when you start work.

Tax identification number (Steueridentifikationsnummer)

Two weeks or more after registering as a local resident, you will receive a letter containing your tax identification number (after aprox. 2 weeks).

(If for any reason it is not possible to deliver the letter containing your tax identification number to your address, you should go back to the local residents‘ registration office, where you can collect the letter containing your tax identification number in person. Remember to take your passport or identity card with you. Or you can telephone the Tax Office (Finanzamt) and ask for your tax identification number).

Tax category (Steuerklasse)

Your tax category is important, because it could mean that you pay less tax. People who are not married are automatically assigned to a tax category 1.  Married couples can choose between different tax categories. To do this, you must show the Tax Office your marriage certificate and the birth certificates of any children you have.

Important Links

Service Portal for Baden-Württemberg You can find useful information and a list of the contact offices in your area at www.service-bw.de.

Webportal „Mein Weg nach Deutschland“ (My way to Germany)
The website helps by getting the right way from abroad to Germany and the first steps in Germany. The page of the Goethe Institute contains many practical tips, photos and in many languages. The Information are in 17 different languages.