First 30 days in Germany: the Indian arrival checklist

The German bureaucratic pipeline is sequential, not parallel. Each step unlocks the next, and doing them out of order creates painful circular dependencies. Here is the order that actually works, tested by thousands of Indians before you.

Before you fly: do these in India

• Get your degree apostilled at the Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi (MEA). MEA fee is ₹50 per document, but agencies that handle it charge ₹2,000 to ₹5,000. Takes 5 to 10 days via agent, 2 to 3 weeks direct.
• Get marriage and birth certificates apostilled (if family is joining). Same office, same process.
• Get official translations to German by a sworn translator (beglaubigte Übersetzung). Can be done in Germany too, but much cheaper in India. Verify the translator is recognised by German authorities.
• Print bank statements for the last 6 months, in case any appointment asks.
• Carry 2 passport photos (35x45mm, German biometric format).
• Carry cash: €300 to €500 in euros. Germany is more cash-based than you expect.
• Confirm health insurance for the first month if you arrive before your employer-sponsored insurance starts. Travel insurance (~€40 for 30 days) is fine as a bridge.

Week 1: arrival and shelter

Day 1 to 2: Settle, recover from jet lag. Jet lag is real, do not try to do admin on day 1.

Day 2: Get a prepaid SIM card. Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect, Lebara, and Vodafone CallYa are the popular options. Available at any Aldi, Lidl, REWE, Rossmann, or Vodafone store. Needs only your passport for activation. Do not get a contract SIM (Vertrag) yet; you need an Anmeldung and a German bank account for that.

Day 2 to 3: Open a digital bank account. N26, Revolut, Wise, and C24 will open an account with just your passport, no Anmeldung needed. Pick N26 if you want a German IBAN for salary deposits. This unblocks everything that needs a German bank account (rent deposit transfer, deposit card for grocery stores).

Day 3 to 4: Book your Anmeldung appointment. Federal law gives you 14 days to register, but slot availability can push you to 4 to 6 weeks. Book the earliest slot possible in your city. If you are in Berlin, this is already a crisis. See the Anmeldung by city guide.

Day 4 to 7: Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung signed. Your landlord or main tenant has to sign this one-page form. It is a legal obligation on their part, but in practice you have to chase them. Without it, your appointment is wasted. Do not go to the appointment without it signed.

Week 2: paperwork pipeline

The Anmeldung (hopefully this week). Bring: passport(s), signed Mietvertrag, signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, marriage/birth certificates if family, a pen. You leave with the stamped Anmeldebestätigung.

After Anmeldung:

• Scan the Anmeldebestätigung immediately. Save in 3 places.
• Your Steueridentifikationsnummer (tax ID) arrives by post within 2 to 4 weeks. Watch the mailbox.
• Update your bank. N26 and most others will ask you to confirm your German address after Anmeldung. Your physical card gets mailed within a few business days.

Start health insurance paperwork:

• If you are employed, your employer either tells you which GKV (public) insurer to pick, or tells you to pick any. Popular ones: TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK. Differences are small.
• If you are on a freelance or Blue Card without immediate employment, you still need insurance. Private insurance (PKV) is cheaper for young single people but locks you in long term. Public is safer for most.
• Call or email the insurer with your Anmeldebestätigung, passport, and salary details. They issue a membership number within days.

Start apartment search if you are in temporary housing:

• WG-Gesucht, ImmoScout24, Kleinanzeigen, Immonet.
• See our apartment hunting guide for what to actually send.

Week 3: financial and official setup

Open a proper German bank account (if digital bank is not enough). Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse, Commerzbank, and ING all offer standard accounts. Needs your Anmeldebestätigung. Appointments take 1 to 2 weeks to book.

Sozialversicherungsnummer (social security number):

• If you have a job starting soon, your employer can request this from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung on your behalf.
• If you are self-employed or job-hunting (Opportunity Card), request it yourself at deutsche-rentenversicherung.de or by post.
• You get it by post. Takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Get your contract SIM card if you want one. Needs Anmeldung + bank account. Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, O2. Costs €15 to €40/month depending on data. Walk into a store with your documents.

Register for Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcasting fee). ~€18.36/month per household. Mandatory for every household in Germany, even if you do not own a TV. Register at rundfunkbeitrag.de within 2 months of Anmeldung. If you do not, they find you. Fines start at €50 and accumulate.

Set up a Sperrkonto conversion (if you came on a visa that required one). Your Sperrkonto releases ~€1,027/month to your regular account. Most services (Fintiba, Expatrio) do this automatically once you link a German bank account.

Week 4: settling into life

Register with a Hausarzt. Find a GP near you who accepts your insurance. In India-heavy cities (Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich), some GPs speak Hindi or Tamil. See our Hausarzt guide.

Get a Deutschlandticket. €63/month (as of 2026), unlimited regional transport across Germany. Easily the best deal the government offers. Sign up at your city transport operator's app (BVG Berlin, MVG Munich, RMV Frankfurt, etc.).

Deutsche Post address forwarding (Nachsendeauftrag), if you moved from temporary housing to permanent. Old mail forwards for 6 to 12 months. €26 to €39 depending on duration.

Start a tax return file. Open a Google Doc or Notion page and save every receipt that might be deductible: relocation expenses, work equipment, training, German language classes, public transport. Germans are very generous on tax deductions for newcomers.

Check your employer's benefits. Many German employers offer BAV (company pension), Jobrad (bike leasing), Essensgutscheine (lunch vouchers), and relocation-expense reimbursement. These are easy money that new arrivals often miss.

The 30-day checklist (print this)

Documents:

• Anmeldung done, Anmeldebestätigung scanned
• Tax ID received by post
• Sozialversicherungsnummer received
• Health insurance member card received
• Rundfunkbeitrag registered
• Rental deposit paid + receipt saved

Finances:

• Digital bank account opened (N26/Revolut/Wise)
• Traditional German bank account opened (if needed)
• Sperrkonto conversion to regular account (if applicable)
• Salary deposit confirmed

Connectivity:

• Prepaid SIM active
• Contract SIM or phone plan set up
• Internet at home (contract or Vodafone router)

Life:

• Hausarzt registered
• Deutschlandticket active
• First grocery run done (Lidl, Aldi, REWE, Kaufland)
• Discovered nearest Indian grocery store

Things nobody warns you about

Everything closes on Sunday. Supermarkets, most shops, most offices. Plan groceries on Saturday.

Cash is king in small shops. Bakeries, Döner joints, small Spätkaufs often do not take cards. Keep €30 to €50 cash on you.

Pfand (bottle deposit). When you buy drinks, you pay €0.08 to €0.25 per bottle, refunded when you return them. Do not throw away empties.

Nebenkosten (additional rental costs). Your rent listing shows "warm" and "kalt" prices. The gap is heating, water, building services. Warm rent is your actual monthly bill.

Tipping is expected, not compulsory. Round up to the next euro, or give 5 to 10% for good restaurant service. Taxis: round up.

Kirchensteuer is automatic if you declare a religion. When you register, you are asked your religion. If you say "römisch-katholisch" or "evangelisch", 8 to 9% of your income tax goes to the church. Say "ohne" (none) unless you specifically want to pay.

Your Anmeldebestätigung is requested everywhere. Gym memberships, phone contracts, bank appointments, library cards. Photocopy 10 copies and keep them handy.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Not booking Anmeldung before arrival. In Berlin and Munich, slots are weeks out.
2. Paying rent in cash. Always transfer via bank. You need the paper trail.
3. Signing a 24-month phone contract on day 3. Wait until you have Anmeldung and know which carrier serves your home.
4. Throwing out tax ID letters. Keep every piece of German post for the first year.
5. Ignoring GEZ/Rundfunkbeitrag letters. They will find you and charge you.
6. Buying a car before you have PR. German car registration needs Anmeldung, driving license exchange, TÜV, insurance. Deutschlandticket covers most urban movement.

One honest tip

Your first 30 days will feel relentless. Every day is another letter, another signature, another queue. This is normal. Germans refer to this period as "die deutsche Bürokratie" with fatigued solidarity. It gets easier once your paperwork stabilises around week 6.

If you only do one thing this week, book your Anmeldung appointment. Everything else cascades from it.

Related guides on this site

• Anmeldung by city: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Düsseldorf
• Opening a bank account in Germany
• Krankenversicherung: German health insurance explained
• Finding a Hausarzt in Germany