First Steps Your First 30 Days in Germany: The Complete Checklist 2026 Guide
Registering your address is the first domino. Learn how to handle Anmeldung, tax IDs, and health insurance in your first 30 days to avoid fines up to 1,000 EUR.
Getting Started · Category
First Steps
8 guides on first steps for expats in Germany, each dated and linked to the office that decides.
First Steps Every guide
More in First Steps
Banking9 min read
Current Account (Girokonto) Fees for Expats in Germany
That free current account usually is not. The real cost hides in card fees, ATM limits, and paper statement charges buried in the price list. Here is how to compare the total, not the headline.
Taxes11 min read
German Tax Classes for Expats
Your tax class changes how much wage tax your employer holds back each month, not what you finally owe. What the six Steuerklassen mean, when to switch, and how to read your real take-home pay.
Bureaucracy13 min read
The Complete Anmeldung Guide
The address registration every resident has to do within 14 days of moving in. What to bring, the exact steps, the mistakes that cost people a second trip, and what it costs in 2026.
More in Getting Started
Browse other categories
The Sunday briefing
Never miss a rule change
New guides, rule changes with the date they took effect, and the occasional correction. One short email a week, and I write every one myself.