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Checklist for moving House

This list specifies the most important points with which you will be faced when moving house.

! This sign means: required by law.

Before moving House

 

O Set the date of the move

O Apply for statutory vacation when moving house from your employer

O Terminate the old tenancy agreement within the period stipulated

O Arrange the repayment of the deposit with the landlord

O Make an appointment with the landlord to hand over the flat (maybe prepare a record of the handover)

O Make an appointment with the new landlord to take over the flat (maybe prepare a record of the take over)

O Order the removal of bulky waste in good time

O Apply for waste disposal

O Reserve a parking space for the removal van in front of the old and the new residence)

O Order a moving company (make an inventory)

O Organise help for the move

O Organise a babysitter

O Deregister the children in the day-care facilities/school and register them in the new town

O Record the reading of your meters in the old flat (if necessary make an appointment)

O Arrange forwarding on of post with the postal services

O Notify ARD ZDF German radio service of the change of address

O Deregistering dogs

O Telephone:

  • in case of moving within the same local network area: declare new domicile
  • in case of moving to another local network area: de-register and register

O Notify the insurance companies of the change in address (N.B.: Household insurance)

O Notify the banks of the change in address (if you change the bank or the branch office: make arrangements)

O! If you receive Federal Education Benefit (Landeserziehungsgeld) or Child Credit (Elterngeld), then inform the change in address to the State Credit Bank (Landeskreditbank)

O Terminate subscriptions or inform the change in address

O Change the registration of your cable television connection (or deregister and register)

O Notify the new address to the public utility company

O Notify the tax authorities of the change in address

O Return the old resident's parking permit; find out if a resident's parking permit is necessary in the new residential zone

O! Register the change in address of your business

  • If you move within the municipality: Reregistering your Business
  • If you move to another municipality: Deregistering and Registering

O! Notify the change in address to the institution responsible for paying child benefit (Familienkasse)

O! Notify the change in address to the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) when receiving unemployment benefit

O! Notify the change in address to the health insurance company

O Notify the change in address to the pension company

(N.B.: If you get a pension, then moving to the new Federal States or abroad could have an effect on the amount of your pension.)

O Notify the change in address to your employer (or business partners)

O! Inform the change in address to the institution of higher education. If you have already finished your course of study and you still have to repay your grant for students (BAföG), then you have to notify the new address to the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt)

O Notify your change in address to your friends and relations as well as to any clubs where you are a member

 

After moving House

 

O Record the readings of the meters in the new flat (when officially taking over the flat)

O Prepare a record of the handover in which you establish any damages to the items that have been moved

O!Register in your municipality

  • Reregistering if you move within the municipality or
  • Registering in the new municipality

O! Change your identification documents

  • Changing address in the identity card and
  • Changing the place of residence in the passport

O! Reregistration of your vehicle

  • Changing the location of your vehicle to another district: Reregistrating the vehicle
  • Changing the location of your vehicle within the district: Changing the vehicle papers

O! If the reregistration/registration has not been carried out by the due date and the holder is doing compulsory military service: Notify the change in address to the District Recruiting Office (Kreiswehrersatzamt) or the Federal Office for Non Military Service (Bundesamt für den Zivildienst)

O! Registering dogs

O! If you receive housing benefit inform the relevant old authority and make a new application

O If necessary, also reapply for a permit for subsidised housing

O Get the hunting license changed

O Register at the various public utility companies (gas, electricity, heating and water)

 

Release note

The German original version of this text was drafted in close cooperation with the relevant departments. The Innenministerium released it on 22.12.2017. Only the German text is legally binding. The Federal State does not assume any liability for the translated texts.

In cases of doubt or if you have any questions or problems, please contact the relevant authorities directly.