--- title: Deregistering Your Address (Abmeldung) When Leaving Germany country: germany service: abmeldung category: housing difficulty: easy estimated_time: "15-30 minutes at the Bürgeramt; allow extra time to book an appointment" cost_range: EUR 0 last_verified: 2026-04-30 canonical: https://publicservices.guide/germany/abmeldung/ status: current confidence: low tags: - housing - abmeldung - meldegesetz - departure - mandatory sources: - https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg/__17.html - https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120335/ - https://www.bmi.bund.de/DE/themen/moderne-verwaltung/verwaltungsrecht/meldewesen/meldewesen-node.html - https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg/__54.html --- # Deregistering Your Address (Abmeldung) When Leaving Germany **Country:** 🇩🇪 Germany **Last verified:** 2026-04-30 **Estimated time:** 15-30 minutes at the Bürgeramt; allow extra time to book an appointment **Cost:** EUR 0 ## Required documents - **Abmeldung form** *(Meldeschein zur Abmeldung)* - Required: One filled-in form per household; additional forms when registering more than three people together - Where to get: Download from the Bürgeramt service page or pick up in person - Cost: Free - _Note:_ All adult household members must sign the form. Children under 16 are signed for by a parent. - **Personalausweis or passport** *(Personalausweis oder Reisepass)* - Required: Original — for postal submission, a copy is accepted in Berlin per Service Berlin - Cost: Already issued - _Note:_ Per § 17 BMG the Meldebehörde must verify your identity. Bring all valid German or foreign identity documents you hold; staff may also ask to see your Aufenthaltstitel. ## Costs - **Abmeldung:** 0 EUR — Per Service Berlin, no fees apply (Es fallen keine Gebühren an). ## Steps ### 1. Confirm You Actually Need an Abmeldung - Required when you are leaving Germany and not taking another Wohnung in Germany - Required when you are giving up a secondary residence without taking another - Not required when you are moving within Germany — the new Anmeldung replaces the old > **If this fails:** If you do an Abmeldung when moving within Germany, the Bürgeramt may still register it but you create work for yourself — the new city's Anmeldung handles the transition automatically. ### 2. Download or Pick Up the Abmeldung Form - Find the Abmeldung service page of your local Bürgeramt and download the Meldeschein zur Abmeldung - Berlin residents: use the form linked from the Service Berlin Abmeldung einer Wohnung page - Pick up a paper form at the Bürgeramt counter if you cannot print > **Tip:** If more than three people abmelden at once, you need additional forms — the rule limits one form to a household block of three persons. _Links:_ - [Berlin — Abmeldung einer Wohnung (Service Berlin)](https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120335/) ### 3. Choose How to Submit (In Person vs Post) - In person: book an appointment at any Bürgeramt — most cities accept Abmeldung at any office, not only the one nearest your address - By post: send the signed form with a copy of your Personalausweis or Reisepass to the Bürgeramt — Service Berlin and several other cities accept postal submission - Some cities offer fully online Abmeldung via the Bund-ID — check your Bürgeramt's service page > **Tip:** Postal submission is easiest before a long flight — send the form a few days before Auszug and the Melderegister still records the correct move-out date. ### 4. Submit Within the Two-Week Window - Earliest: seven days before the Auszug, per § 17 Abs. 2 BMG - Latest: fourteen days after the Auszug - The Bürgeramt updates the Melderegister to your actual Auszug date, regardless of submission date _Useful phrases:_ - "Ich möchte mich abmelden, weil ich Deutschland verlasse." — I would like to deregister my residence because I am leaving Germany. — use when Speaking with Bürgeramt staff at the counter ### 5. Collect the Abmeldebestätigung - In person: the Abmeldebestätigung is issued on the spot - By post: the Bürgeramt mails the Abmeldebestätigung to your old address or the forwarding address you give - Store the confirmation digitally — banks, tax offices, and visa authorities may ask for it later > **If this fails:** If you do not receive the Abmeldebestätigung within a few weeks of postal submission, contact the Bürgeramt with the date you sent the form. A tracked-mail receipt makes the follow-up easier. ### 6. Wrap Up Other Departure Tasks - Cancel or transfer Krankenkasse coverage — see our Krankenkasse switch guide for transitions within Germany - Notify the Finanzamt of your departure date and ensure mail forwarding for any final tax assessments - Close or update bank, mobile, internet, electricity and gas contracts before you leave > **Tip:** Most German contracts have a Kündigungsfrist of one to three months — start the cancellations well before your Auszug date. ## FAQ ### Do I need an Abmeldung if I am only moving to another German city? No. Per § 17 BMG, Abmeldung is required only when no new Wohnung in Germany is taken — typically when you move abroad. When moving within Germany, the Anmeldung at the new Bürgeramt replaces your previous registration automatically. There is no need to abmelden at your old Bürgeramt first. ### What is the deadline for Abmeldung? Per § 17 Abs. 2 BMG, you must submit the Abmeldung within two weeks (zwei Wochen) of moving out (Auszug). Service Berlin specifies the application window as seven days before and up to fourteen days after the Auszug. The Auszug date — not the application date — is what gets entered in the Melderegister. ### Can I abmelden before I actually leave? Yes — § 17 BMG and Service Berlin both allow Abmeldung up to one week (sieben Tagen) before the Auszug. The Melderegister still records the actual move-out date as the deregistration date. ### Can I do the Abmeldung by post? Yes in Berlin and in many other German cities. Per Service Berlin, you can mail the completed form together with a copy of your Personalausweis or Reisepass to any Berlin Bürgeramt. Check your local Bürgeramt's service page — postal submission is widely available but the exact rules can vary by city. ### Do I get a confirmation document? Yes. Per Service Berlin you receive an Abmeldebestätigung after the Bürgeramt processes the form. Keep this confirmation — banks, employers, tax offices and visa authorities sometimes ask for it after you leave Germany. ### What happens if I miss the two-week deadline? Late Abmeldung remains valid — the Bürgeramt will still process it — but per § 54 BMG missing the deadline is an Ordnungswidrigkeit and may attract a fine. The Bürgeramt does not always impose one in practice; the safer path is to complete Abmeldung within the two-week window. ### Does Abmeldung end my German tax, health insurance or contracts? No. Abmeldung is a Meldewesen step that updates the Melderegister. It does not automatically terminate Krankenversicherung, employment, bank, telephone, or rent contracts — close those separately and notify the Finanzamt that you have left Germany. ## Sources - [Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) — Bundesmeldegesetz](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg/__17.html) — accessed 2026-04-30 — _T1_ — § 17 Abs. 2 BMG: Wer aus einer Wohnung auszieht und keine neue Wohnung im Inland bezieht, hat sich innerhalb von zwei Wochen nach dem Auszug bei der Meldebehörde abzumelden. Eine Abmeldung ist frühestens eine Woche vor Auszug möglich; die Fortschreibung des Melderegisters erfolgt zum Datum des Auszugs. - [Berlin.de — Service Berlin (Land Berlin, Bürgeramt service description)](https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120335/) — accessed 2026-04-30 — _T1_ — Abmeldung einer Wohnung is required when giving up a Berlin Wohnung without taking another in Germany — including when moving abroad. The Abmeldung must be submitted im Zeitraum von 7 Tagen vor und bis 14 Tagen nach dem Auszug. Required: the Abmeldung form and a Personalausweis or Reisepass. Gebühren: none. After processing the citizen receives an Abmeldebestätigung. - [Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat (BMI)](https://www.bmi.bund.de/DE/themen/moderne-verwaltung/verwaltungsrecht/meldewesen/meldewesen-node.html) — accessed 2026-04-30 — _T1_ — The Meldewesen in Germany is governed by the Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG). Meldebehörden — the local Bürgerämter or Einwohnermeldeämter — administer Anmeldung, Abmeldung and Auskunft processes uniformly across the federal states under the BMG. - [Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) — Bundesmeldegesetz](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg/__54.html) — accessed 2026-04-30 — _T1_ — § 54 BMG (Ordnungswidrigkeiten): Failure to register or deregister on time, including entgegen § 17 Absatz 2 Satz 1 sich nicht oder nicht rechtzeitig abmeldet, is an Ordnungswidrigkeit. Per § 54 Absatz 3 BMG, the fine for such violations can be up to one thousand Euro. --- Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state. Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/germany/abmeldung/