Your First 30 Days in Germany: The Complete Checklist
Moving to Germany is exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. There's a specific order you need to do things in, and getting it wrong means delays, extra appointments, and unnecessary stress. This is the checklist we wish someone had given us. Follow it day by day and you'll have the essentials sorted within your first month.
Week 1: The Essentials
Day 1-2: Get a SIM Card
You need a working German phone number for almost everything that follows. Pick up a prepaid SIM at any electronics store (MediaMarkt, Saturn) or supermarket (ALDI, Lidl). If you want something more permanent, fraenk offers a no-contract plan on Telekom's network for 10 EUR per month with 5 GB data and eSIM support.
Day 3-5: Anmeldung (City Registration)
This is priority number one. Book an appointment at your local Burgeramt immediately, or walk in first thing in the morning. You need your passport and a Wohnungsgeberbestatigung from your landlord. Without this registration, nothing else moves forward.
Day 5-7: Open a Bank Account
With your Anmeldung done, open a bank account. N26 works instantly with just your passport. Give your new IBAN to your employer and landlord right away.
Pro Tip: Do the Anmeldung and bank account in your first week. Everything else depends on these two. Delay them and everything else gets pushed back too.
Week 2: Health Insurance and Tax ID
Health Insurance
If your employer hasn't set up health insurance for you, contact a public insurer like TK (Techniker Krankenkasse). Their English support is excellent. You'll need proof of health insurance for your residence permit, so don't delay this.
Tax ID
Your Steuerliche Identifikationsnummer (tax ID) arrives by mail 2-4 weeks after your Anmeldung. You'll need it for your employer's payroll. If it hasn't arrived after 4 weeks, contact your local Finanzamt (tax office) or request it online at elster.de.
Week 3: Getting Connected
Internet at Home
German internet contracts are notoriously slow to set up, sometimes taking 2-4 weeks for activation. Order it as early as possible. The main providers are Deutsche Telekom (most reliable), Vodafone, and O2. Check what's available at your address first since coverage varies wildly.
Transportation
Get a Deutschlandticket for 49 EUR per month. It covers all local and regional public transport across the entire country. Buses, trams, S-Bahn, regional trains. It's the best deal in German public transport and you buy it through the local transit app (BVG for Berlin, MVV for Munich, etc.).
Week 4: Admin and Long-Term Setup
Liability Insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung)
This is the insurance that every German has and every expat forgets about. It covers damage you accidentally cause to other people's property. Spill wine on a friend's laptop? Break something while moving? Your Haftpflichtversicherung covers it. Costs about 5-8 EUR per month and it's considered essential in Germany.
Rundfunkbeitrag (Broadcasting Fee)
You'll receive a letter about the mandatory broadcasting fee of 18.36 EUR per month. It's per household, not per person. Just set up the direct debit. Fighting it is not worth the hassle since it's legally required.
Important: If you're in a shared flat (WG), only one person per apartment pays the Rundfunkbeitrag. Coordinate with your flatmates so you don't accidentally all register and overpay.
The Full Checklist
- Get a SIM card - day 1
- Anmeldung - within 14 days (aim for week 1)
- Open bank account - right after Anmeldung
- Health insurance - week 2
- Give IBAN to employer - as soon as account is open
- Order home internet - week 2 (takes weeks to activate)
- Deutschlandticket - week 2
- Liability insurance - week 3
- Tax ID arrives - week 3-4 (give to employer)
- Rundfunkbeitrag - when letter arrives
What Can Wait
Don't stress about everything at once. Learning German, investing, getting a credit card, switching to a better phone plan, these can all wait until month 2 or 3. Your first 30 days are about getting the legal and financial basics in place. Once those are sorted, you can breathe and focus on actually enjoying your new life in Germany.
