So you just moved to Austria / Germany and you are getting to know the town you live in, meeting new people and simply getting used to your new life. It is really easy to get carried away and forget about the paper work that needs to be done or you might not even know that you had to sign “this or that “ very important document. Today’s post is exactly about this. If you are new to this country or have been here for a while, you might have already noticed that there is a contract or a paper for literally every action J But the very first one and undoubtedly the most important one is filling out the residence registration form, also called the Meldezettel. You might be thinking Melde…what?! What is this thing and why do I need that?
So a Meldezettel (residence registration confirmation) is the document you receive upon completing the action that is called Anmeldung (registration) at your new address. This way you let the authorities know where you live and where you are legally registered. This is the base for all the other things you will need to do later on. For example, you would like to open a new bank account, sign an employment agreement, get health insurance, register at the university and the list goes on and on. This is the 1st and the magical document you will always get asked for and can get into a lot of trouble if you do not have it. And by trouble we mean a huge fine. According to the official website help.gv.at you will have to pay €726 if you do not register once and another €2180 if you forget it again. I am sure we got your attention now so let’s move on to the next question.
So how and where does one get it? First of all, you need your passport and you need to have the right form - ”Meldezettel” with you when you go. For that we suggest checking the official website for registration services. Unfortunately, it is really hard to find English versions of official documents in Austria and Germany. But don’t worry we got your back! You can find a translated version (by us) attached to this post. This is just a template to guide you through different fields you need to fill in. We suggest you download the actual form from the official website for registration services. This document needs to be signed by you and by your landlord. If you live in a dorm, you might receive an already signed form upon signing a contract which you need to fill out and bring with you when you go to Magistrat / Rathaus. Once you have these two documents, you can then go to Magistrat where they will check the data from the form and give you an official residence confirmation. This service is free of charge and is done very quickly. Nevertheless, we suggest you bring a German speaking friend along, as in such offices most people are not big fans of speaking English. But don’t worry if you are new and haven’t made any local friends yet, just have your documents ready and put a smile on your face and go for it with the best “Hallo” or “Grüß Gott“ you can pull out J
Let’s wrap it up, shall we?
· Do it within 3 days of arrival
· Bring your passport and the signed Meldezettel form
· Repeat if you change your address
· It’s for free!
P.S. In this video we sometimes referred to residence permit but actually meant the residence registration form. Sorry for that!
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