Your first weeks in Germany decide how smoothly everything runs afterwards. If you take the key steps in the right order, your pay arrives on time, you are insured and you avoid fines. Here is the overview – with links to our detailed guides.
As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
In short: register your address at the Bürgeramt within two weeks of moving in. Your tax ID then arrives by post. Open a bank account, choose a health insurance fund and get a German phone number. Broadcasting fee, liability insurance, Deutschlandticket and a German course follow in the first weeks.
The order at a glance
| When | What | Important |
|---|---|---|
| First days | Phone number, landlord’s confirmation | For employer, bank and appointments |
| Within 14 days | Registration at the Bürgeramt | Mandatory, keep the certificate |
| First week | Bank account, choose health insurance | For pay and cover |
| After 2–4 weeks | Tax ID arrives by post | Pass it on to your employer |
| First month | Broadcasting fee, liability insurance, ticket | Keep an eye on costs |
| Later | Child benefit, driving licence, German course | Depending on your situation |
1. Address registration within 14 days
Anyone who moves into a home in Germany must register at the Bürgeramt (residents’ registration office) within two weeks. This also applies to EU citizens and to accommodation provided by an employer.
- Bring: passport or ID card and the landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).
- You receive the registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) – keep it safe, as the bank, your employer and the family benefits office will ask for it.
- Registering late can lead to a fine. Appointments are often scarce, so book early.
Everything about the process and documents: moving and registration.
2. Your tax ID arrives by post
After registration, the Federal Central Tax Office automatically sends your tax identification number (Steuer-ID) by letter to your registered address. This usually takes a few weeks, so make sure your name is on the letterbox.
Your employer needs the tax ID for payroll. Without it, tax may provisionally be calculated in class VI – this is corrected later. More: tax ID and social security number.
3. Open a bank account
Your pay is transferred, and rent and phone are debited. Everyone legally resident in the EU has a right to a basic account (Basiskonto), even without a permanent address. You can also have your pay sent to an account in another EU country.
Documents, banks and fees: opening a bank account in Germany.
4. Choose a health insurance fund
As an employee you are automatically covered by statutory health insurance. You choose a fund (AOK, TK, Barmer, IKK, BKK and others) and give your employer the membership confirmation. Your employer handles the registration, and contributions are deducted directly from your pay. You then receive your health insurance card by post.
More: health insurance in Germany.
5. Social security number
You receive a social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer, also called pension insurance number) when you first work in Germany with social insurance. It is usually issued by the German Pension Insurance after your employer or health fund registers you, and it arrives by post. Keep the letter – the number is yours for life.
6. German phone number
Your employer, bank, landlord and authorities need to reach you, and many confirmations arrive by text message. A prepaid SIM is quick to buy, but by law it is only activated after an ID check – by video identification, Post-Ident or in a shop.
Everything about prepaid, contracts, eSIM and roaming: German phone number and SIM card.
7. Personal liability insurance
Personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) is not mandatory, but strongly recommended. It pays if you accidentally cause damage to others – for example water damage in your rented flat or an accident on your bike. Many landlords ask about it.
More: personal liability insurance.
8. Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)
The Rundfunkbeitrag is due for every flat, whether or not you own a TV or radio. It is currently €18.36 per month per flat, not per person.
- If you share a flat, only one person pays for it.
- After registering you will usually get a letter from the Beitragsservice. Check with flatmates or your landlord whether the flat is already registered, and then reply.
- Don’t ignore the letters – otherwise back payments will be claimed.
9. Deutschlandticket and getting to work
The Deutschlandticket covers buses, trams, underground, S-Bahn and regional trains throughout Germany (not ICE/IC). In 2026 it costs €63 per month; it is a subscription you can cancel monthly. Some employers offer it at a discount as a Jobticket.
Important: in rural areas buses run rarely and sometimes not at all at shift times. Sort out how you will get to work before your first day – car-sharing with colleagues, a bike or your own car.
10. Doctors and emergency numbers
- 112 – ambulance and fire brigade, when life is at risk.
- 110 – police.
- 116117 – on-call medical service when surgeries are closed and it cannot wait until tomorrow.
Find a GP practice (Hausarzt) near you early on and take your health insurance card to appointments. If you are ill, inform your employer on the first day before your shift starts. Doctors now send the sick note (AU) electronically to the health fund.
11. Child benefit (Kindergeld)
If your children live with you in Germany – or in some cases in your home country – you can apply for Kindergeld at the Familienkasse. You will need your tax ID and your children’s.
More: child benefit for EU citizens.
12. Driving licence
- EU licence: valid in Germany indefinitely, no exchange needed.
- Licence from a non-EU country (e.g. Moldova): usually valid only for six months after moving, then it must be converted at the driving licence office.
- Ukrainian licences: special rules apply to people under temporary protection. Ask your local Führerscheinstelle for the current situation.
13. German course
For warehouse work with us, German, Russian or English is enough. Still, German pays off – for authorities, doctors and better jobs. BAMF integration courses are also open to EU citizens and people under § 24 protection; you apply for admission via BAMF or a course provider. Adult education centres (Volkshochschule) run evening classes, and there are free apps too.
14. Money, pay and taxes
- Understand your payslip: gross and net.
- Send money home cheaply: sending money home from Germany.
- After your first year you often get money back: tax return in Germany.
- Looking for your own flat: accommodation and documents for renting a flat.
Checklist to tick off
- Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord.
- Book the Bürgeramt – register within 14 days.
- Get and activate a German SIM card.
- Open a bank account, give your IBAN to your employer.
- Choose a health fund, give the confirmation to your employer.
- Put your name on the letterbox – tax ID and social security number come by post.
- Pass your tax ID on to your employer.
- Sort out the broadcasting fee.
- Take out liability insurance.
- Plan your way to work, get a Deutschlandticket if useful.
- Find a GP, save the emergency numbers.
- Deal with child benefit, driving licence and a German course.
We help you get started
We pay from €15.33 per hour gross, and as a forklift driver (m/f/d) from €16.08 per hour gross. We help with moving and address registration, and accommodation can be provided if needed. Our recruiters speak German, English and Russian. Applicants do not pay a placement fee with us.
See all jobs or fill in the application form straight away.
