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Anmeldung (Address Registration) in Nordrhein-Westfalen
Document Checklist
Anmeldeformular
Completed registration form
Where to get: Download from your city's Bürgerservice or Kundenzentrum portal, or pick up at the counter
Required: Original, signed at the counter
Each NRW city publishes its own Anmeldeformular as a PDF download. Köln's form sits inside the stadt-koeln.de service portal; Düsseldorf's inside service.duesseldorf.de; Essen's inside essen.de.
Personalausweis or Reisepass
Identity document
Required: Valid Personalausweis (German national ID) for German citizens; valid passport or national ID card for EU/EEA citizens; valid passport for non-EU/EEA nationals — originals only, no photocopies
Cost: Free
Where the registrant holds an Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit) the title is presented alongside the passport for the cross-reference. Some Meldebehörden also request a visa as an attached record for non-EU/EEA registrants.
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
Housing provider's confirmation
Where to get: Issued by the Wohnungsgeber (housing provider — usually the landlord; the property owner directly for owner-occupiers; the principal tenant in tenancy-of-tenancy arrangements)
Required: Original signed document containing the four data elements specified by § 19 Abs. 3 BMG: name and address of the housing provider (and of the property owner where different); date of move-in; address of the dwelling; names of all persons subject to the registration obligation
Cost: Free
Under § 19 Abs. 1 BMG the housing provider must issue this confirmation within the same fourteen-day deadline that applies to the registrant's own duty. A rental contract is NOT a substitute. If the landlord refuses or delays, § 19 Abs. 2 BMG requires the registrant to notify the Meldebehörde without delay and the registrant's own duty is held open while the notification is in process.
Passport or national ID card
Required: Original, not expired
Personalausweis for German citizens; passport or national ID for EU/EEA citizens; valid passport for non-EU/EEA nationals.
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
Landlord confirmation
Where to get: Your landlord, property-management agency, or owner-occupier hosting you
Required: Original, signed, containing the four data elements (Wohnungsgeber name and address, move-in date, dwelling address, names of all persons registering at the dwelling)
The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is statutorily required and a rental contract does not substitute for it. If the landlord refuses or delays beyond the fourteen-day window, attend the Meldebehörde anyway and declare the refusal to the clerk — the federal frame holds your own registration duty open while the matter is pursued.
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