Your first 30 days in Munich: a step-by-step plan

Before you start

• A place to stay whose landlord or main tenant will sign a move-in confirmation
• Your passport (and visa, if you needed one)

Documents you need

• Passport or national ID card

  required

• Landlord's move-in confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)

  required

• Registration form (Anmeldung)

  required

• Proof of registration

  You need it for the bank

  required

• Employment contract or admission letter

  optional

• Proof of health insurance

  required

• Digital biometric photo for the residence permit

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Days 1-3: Move into accommodation where you can register

   Your first address matters less for its location than for one document: the landlord's or main tenant's move-in confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). Ask any landlord before you book whether they will sign it, and get it on the day you move in. Munich publishes a template, and if the confirmation is late you can use the city's declaration explaining why it is missing.

   Check that the address is inside the City of Munich. Towns such as Garching, Unterföhring or Ottobrunn have their own registration offices, and their residents deal with the Landratsamt rather than the city's immigration office.

   More on the search and its pitfalls: finding a flat in Munich, landlord confirmation and rental scams.

2. 2

   Step 2: Days 1-14: Register your address (Anmeldung)

   You must register within two weeks of moving in (section 17 Federal Registration Act); Munich asks you to do it as soon as possible. Book an appointment at any of the city's six Bürgerbüros online or by phone on 089 233-96000. Bring your passport or ID card, the move-in confirmation and the completed form. Registration is free.

   Munich's online registration is for main residences only and needs an ID document with an activated online ID function, so most people arriving from abroad register in person. See Anmeldung in Munich.

3. 3

   Step 3: Week 1: Make sure your health insurance is in place

   Health insurance is compulsory for everyone living in Germany. Employees usually join a statutory insurer (Krankenkasse) and give the membership confirmation to their employer. In 2026 the general contribution rate is 14.6% plus an insurer-specific additional rate (2.9% on average), shared with your employer, on earnings up to €5,812.50 a month.

   Self-employed people, students and people not working follow different rules; arrange cover before or immediately on arrival. Read health insurance before you sign anything.

4. 4

   Step 4: Weeks 1-3: Open a bank account

   You need a German or SEPA account for salary, rent and most contracts. Banks usually ask for your passport and often for proof of registration. Anyone lawfully resident in the EU has a right to a basic payment account (Basiskonto). Compare several providers; see opening a bank account.

5. 5

   Step 5: Weeks 2-6: Receive your tax ID and pass it to your employer

   After your first registration, the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) posts your tax identification number to your registered address. Munich's service page says it usually arrives two to four weeks after registration. Your surname must be on the mailbox for the letter to be delivered. If nothing has arrived after three months, the BZSt asks you to send a copy of your ID and your registration confirmation. See tax ID.

6. 6

   Step 6: Weeks 1-4: Apply for your residence permit (non-EU citizens)

   If you entered with a national visa, it is only valid for the period printed on it. If you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the UK or the US and entered visa-free, you must apply within 90 days of entry.

   In Munich, residence permits are handled by the Servicestelle für Zuwanderung und Einbürgerung (SZE) at Ruppertstraße 19. Once you are registered, choose the matching online application, upload your documents as PDFs and save the PDF confirmation. The SZE then invites you to an appointment for fingerprints. A first permit usually costs €100 (2026). Processing can take months: the city stated up to seven months for an EU Blue Card in October 2026. See residence permit in Munich.

   EU citizens do not need this step; see EU citizens in Germany.

7. 7

   Step 7: Day 1 onward: Get a German SIM card

   A local number makes appointments, banking and deliveries easier. Providers must verify your identity before activating a SIM card, so bring your passport. See mobile phone and SIM.

8. 8

   Step 8: Week 1: Sort out your MVV ticket

   For occasional trips in 2026, a single ticket for Munich's inner zone M costs €4.20, a day ticket for zone M €10.10 and a short trip €2.10. For daily travel, most residents use the Deutschlandticket: €63 a month in 2026, rising to €66.80 from 1 January 2027. It costs less than a regular monthly ticket for zone M. See public transport in Munich and Deutschlandticket.

9. 9

   Step 9: Weeks 2-4: Set up your household

   Once you live in your own flat or share a flat:

   • Broadcasting fee. €18.36 per month per dwelling (2026), however many people live there. See broadcasting fee.
   • Personal liability insurance. Not compulsory, but the Verbraucherzentrale calls it a must for everyone and recommends cover of at least €10 million. See liability insurance.
   • Electricity and internet, if not included in your rent. See electricity and gas and internet at home.
   • Waste sorting. Munich has grey, blue and brown bins in the courtyard and recycling islands on the street; yellow bins for packaging arrive from early 2027. See waste and recycling in Munich.
   • Emergency numbers: 112 for fire and ambulance, 110 for police, 116117 for the non-emergency medical on-call service. See emergency numbers.

Why the order matters

If you cannot find a flat with registration

Free help in Munich

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a permanent flat before registering. Register at your temporary address if you live there, and re-register when you move.
• Not putting your name on the mailbox, so the tax ID letter cannot be delivered.
• Applying for a residence permit before registering in Munich.
• Starting work before health insurance and, for non-EU citizens, permission to work are in place.

Tips

• Book a Bürgerbüro appointment as soon as you know your move-in date, and check all six locations.
• Keep scans of every document you receive; the SZE application is uploaded as PDFs.
• When you move again within Munich, re-register within two weeks in the same way.

Frequently asked questions

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

Official links

In your plan

• Register your address at the Bürgerbüro (Anmeldung)Add to plan
• Apply for your residence permit online at the SZEAdd to plan
• Book your Bürgerbüro appointment for registering your addressAdd to plan
• Join a German health insurerAdd to plan
• Get your landlord's move-in confirmationAdd to plan
• Book a first place to stay where you can registerAdd to plan
• Open a German bank accountAdd to plan
• Receive your tax ID and pass it onAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Jan 2027.