RaayaMoving to Germany: the paperwork, in order
- Updated: 2026-10
The first months in Germany follow a chain: your address registration unlocks the tax ID and the bank account, your insurance unlocks your job, and your residence permit has its own appointment and expiry date. Here is the order most people go through, in plain English, with checklists and the official sources.
Start free in RaayaThe first months, step by step
Visa or residence permit
Most people from outside the EU need a national visa before they arrive, then a residence permit from the local Ausländerbehörde. Skilled workers often use the EU Blue Card. Make it in Germany · Blue Card renewal
Anmeldung within two weeks
Register your address within two weeks of moving in, with your passport and the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). Anmeldung guide
Tax ID
The Federal Central Tax Office sends your tax ID (Steuer-ID) by post after you register. Your employer needs it, and so do banks. BZSt
Bank account
Most banks ask for your passport and registration certificate. Banks that offer accounts to consumers must also offer a basic account (Basiskonto) to anyone legally resident in the EU (ZKG § 31).
Health insurance
Health insurance is compulsory; most employees join a public insurer. Your employer needs the membership confirmation. Make it in Germany
Residence permit appointment
Book the Ausländerbehörde early, bring the documents on its list, and note the expiry date of the card you get. Residence permit guide
Broadcasting fee and letters
A letter from the Beitragsservice usually follows registration; every household pays the Rundfunkbeitrag. Official letters often carry a deadline (Frist), so read them early. Rundfunkbeitrag · Objection deadlines
Driving licence and car
Licences from outside the EU are generally recognised for six months after you take up residence; whether you can swap without tests depends on the issuing country. Check with your Fahrerlaubnisbehörde (FeV § 29). Car registration
Children and the tax return
With children you can apply for Kindergeld, and many newcomers get money back by filing their first tax return. Kindergeld · Tax return
How Raaya helps
Two countries, one setup
Tell Raaya where you live and where you're from. It suggests journeys for Germany, such as Anmeldung or a residence permit. Home-country journeys are ready for India today: NRE/NRO accounts, PAN or your parents' visa.
Explain this letter
Snap or upload an official letter, from a foreigners' office, tax office, council or your bank in India. Raaya explains it in your language: who sent it, what it wants, the deadline and what to do. One tap adds the step and a reminder.
Expiry radar
Passport, residence permit, Blue Card, visa, driving licence and health insurance card: Raaya reminds you 6 and 3 months before they run out, flags a passport with less than 6 months left, and one tap starts a renewal journey with the checklist.
Two currencies
See euros and your home currency side by side across money and loans, and in splits (Pro), using the European Central Bank's daily reference rates. Totals across currencies are always marked as approximate.
Family in their own languages
Invite your partner or parents into the same journey (Pro). Each person reads the chat, updates and notifications in their own language, Hindi included.
Sub-journeys
Split a big move into one main journey with sub-journeys (visa, flat, bank in India). The parent shows progress like “5/8 · next: 14 Nov”, and you can share one sub-journey with just the people it concerns (sharing is Pro).
Ready-made checklists
Each checklist opens as a free page with the steps, documents and official sources; start it in Raaya with one tap.
- EU Blue Card / Work PermitEurope · 9 steps · ~41 days · 6 documents
- City Registration (Anmeldung)Europe · 8 steps · ~10 days · 5 documents
- Apartment Hunting (Wohnungssuche)Europe · 10 steps · ~13 days · 6 documents
- Health Insurance (Krankenversicherung)Europe · 9 steps · ~11 days · 5 documents
- Tax FilingEurope · 8 steps · ~9 days · 5 documents
- Broadcasting Fee (Rundfunkbeitrag): Register, Exempt or DeregisterGermany · 6 steps · ~21 days · 3 documents
- Kindergeld ApplicationGermany · 7 steps · ~45 days · 5 documents
- Vehicle Registration (Fahrzeuganmeldung)Europe · 9 steps · ~10 days · 6 documents
Step-by-step Germany guides
- Anmeldung: registering your address in GermanyHow to do your Anmeldung in Germany: the two-week deadline, the landlord confirmation, what to bring to the Bürgeramt and what happens next.
- EU Blue Card renewal in GermanyRenewing or changing your EU Blue Card in Germany: apply before it expires, documents the Ausländerbehörde asks for, and what a Fiktionsbescheinigung is.
- Extending your residence permit in GermanyExtending your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) in Germany: when to apply, documents to prepare, the Fiktionsbescheinigung and Ausländerbehörde letters.
- Your German tax return (Steuererklärung)Filing a German tax return: who must file, the 31 July deadline, voluntary returns up to four years back, ELSTER, and what to do with the Steuerbescheid.
- Rundfunkbeitrag: the broadcasting feeWhat the Rundfunkbeitrag is, who pays per household, how to register or deregister after a move, exemptions, and what to do with Beitragsservice letters.
- Kindergeld: applying for child benefitApply for Kindergeld at the Familienkasse: who can get it, the tax IDs you need, the six-month back-payment limit and what to do with their letters.
- Kfz-Ummeldung: your car after a moveMoved within Germany? Update the address on your vehicle registration at the Zulassungsstelle or online with i-Kfz, keep your plates, and what to bring.
- Widerspruch: how to object to a decision (Bescheid)Got a Bescheid you disagree with? How a Widerspruch or Einspruch works in Germany, the usual one-month deadline and what to put in the letter.
From India?
Questions
What should I do first after moving to Germany?
Register your address (Anmeldung) within two weeks. The registration certificate is what banks, your employer and the Ausländerbehörde ask for next, and it triggers your tax ID.
Can a bank refuse to open an account for me?
Banks that offer accounts to consumers must offer a basic account (Basiskonto) to anyone legally resident in the EU, under § 31 of the Payment Accounts Act. Other account types are up to the bank.
How long can I drive on my foreign licence?
Licences from outside the EU are generally recognised for six months after you take up residence. Whether you can then exchange it without tests depends on the country that issued it; check with your local Fahrerlaubnisbehörde.
What does Raaya cost?
Raaya is free to start: journeys, an on-device document vault and 20 AI credits a month. Pro costs €7.99 a month or €69.99 a year (the store shows your local price) and adds 200 credits, a 5 GB cloud vault, sync, sharing with up to 5 people and World watch.
Official sources
General information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules and fees change: check the official source for your case before you act.