Deregistering when you leave Germany (Abmeldung) and changing address within Germany

Before you start

• You are giving up your home in Germany and moving abroad, or giving up one of several registered homes.

Documents you need

• Deregistration form (Abmeldung bei der Meldebehörde)

  One form covers up to three people; use more forms for larger households. Enter your new address abroad if you have one.

  required

• Passport or ID card

  Original if you go in person; a copy if you deregister by post.

  required

• Written power of attorney (Vollmacht)

  Only if someone else goes to the office for you.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check whether you need to deregister

   You need to deregister if:

   • you are moving abroad and giving up your home in Germany; or
   • you are giving up one of several homes you are registered for (for example, a second home), and you are not moving into a new home in Germany.

   You do not deregister if:

   • you move to another address in Germany: just register at the new one;
   • you go abroad temporarily, for example for a semester or a project, and keep your home with the intention and real possibility of returning. Under the federal guidelines, an absence expected to last more than a year, or removing the furniture you need to live there, is generally treated as moving out.
2. 2

   Step 2: Pick the right date

   You can deregister at the earliest one week before you move out and at the latest two weeks after. The register is updated as of your actual move-out date. If you leave Germany in a hurry, you can still deregister by post from abroad within the two weeks.

3. 3

   Step 3: Deregister in person or by post

   In Berlin you have two options, and neither costs anything:

   • In person at any Bürgeramt. Book an appointment through the Berlin portal or the 115 hotline. The deregistration is completed at the counter and you get the confirmation right away.
   • By post. Fill in the form Abmeldung bei der Meldebehörde, sign it, add a copy of your passport or ID card and send it to any Berlin Bürgeramt. Allow time for the confirmation to reach you.

   Elsewhere in Germany the process is similar. Federal law allows deregistration abroad in writing or electronically, so check your town's service page for the options there.

   On the form, give your move-out date and, if you know it, your new address abroad. Registration offices keep the foreign address so that official letters around the time of your departure can still reach you.

4. 4

   Step 4: Keep the deregistration confirmation

   You will receive a deregistration confirmation (Abmeldebestätigung). Keep the original and a scan. You will need it to end your membership with your health insurer, to deregister from the broadcasting fee, for some banks and insurers, and sometimes for authorities in your next country.

5. 5

   Step 5: Tell the other organisations

   Deregistering does not end your contracts or memberships. Before you go, work through this list:

   • Health insurance. Membership does not simply stop when you leave a job. Write to your insurer, enclose a copy of the deregistration confirmation, and ask for any records you may need abroad. If you do not, contributions can keep building up.
   • Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). Deregister your home online with the Beitragsservice and upload proof of your deregistration. Only a permanent move abroad counts; for a temporary stay abroad, special rules apply.
   • Tax office (Finanzamt). Give it your new address. You may still need to file a tax return for the year you leave. Keep your tax ID; it stays valid for life.
   • Pension insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). Ask for your insurance record and have any gaps clarified before you leave, which makes a later pension claim easier. Some non-EU nationals who settle outside the EU can apply for a refund of contributions after a waiting period of at least 24 months. Whether this applies depends on your nationality, where you live and how long you paid in, so check with the Rentenversicherung.
   • Employment agency and Jobcenter. If you receive benefits, they usually end when you give up your home in Germany, so tell them. The employment agency can certify your insurance periods for use in another EU country (form PD U1).
   • Family benefits. Tell the family benefits office (Familienkasse) and the parental allowance office if you receive child benefit or parental allowance.
   • Contracts. Give notice on your tenancy (mind the notice period), electricity, internet and mobile contracts, and private insurance. Photograph the electricity meter on the day you leave.
   • Banks. Decide whether to keep or close accounts, and give your bank your new address.
   • Children. Cancel the Kita contract and collect school reports and certificates.
6. 6

   Step 6: Residence permit holders, check before you leave

   Deregistering is not in itself one of the legal grounds on which a residence permit expires, but residence law has its own rules about leaving Germany. A permit generally expires if you leave Germany for a reason that is not temporary in nature, or if you stay away for more than six months without returning, unless the immigration office has set a longer period. There are exceptions, for example for some long-term settlement permits and for the EU long-term residence permit, which does not lapse through absence until you have spent 12 consecutive months outside the EU (24 months for former EU Blue Card holders and certain family members).

   If you might come back, talk to your immigration office before you leave about whether your status can be kept and how.

Moving within Germany (Ummeldung)

If you leave without deregistering

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Deregistering the old address when moving within Germany. You only register at the new one.
• Leaving without deregistering and later receiving bills for the broadcasting fee and health insurance.
• Assuming the health insurer will be told automatically. Write to them with the deregistration confirmation.
• Not leaving a forwarding address abroad, so final tax or deposit letters cannot reach you.

Tips

• Deregister in person during your last week in Germany if you can. You get the confirmation immediately.
• Keep your tax ID letter and your pension insurance number (*Versicherungsnummer*) in a safe place. Your tax ID stays valid for life, and you will need both for any later tax or pension matters.
• Ask your landlord for the deposit timeline and give them your new address and bank details in writing.
• Make a folder (paper or digital) with your deregistration confirmation, last payslips, tax documents and insurance records before you leave.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• If you leave Germany, deregister and close your contractsAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 3 Apr 2027.