Welcome – First steps in Germany

Mit Resettlement Verantwortung zeigen – weltweit, gerecht und menschlich.

After 14 days, you will travel from Friedland to the municipality where you will live for the coming years. The federal state to which you have been allocated will organise a bus to pick you up from the initial reception centre and take you to your accommodation in your new place of residence.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

First steps in the municipality

You will be accommodated in the municipality. This means that you will be given a room in shared accommodation or social housing. In shared accommodation, you will usually have to share the kitchen and bathroom with others. In some accommodation, you will receive meals, e.g. in a canteen. In other accommodation, you are responsible for buying and cooking your own food right from the beginning.

When arriving at the accommodation, you will sign a rental agreement or receive a document for your accommodation facility.

Social work for refugees and immigration counselling are also available in the municipality. If you are accommodated in a small village, immigration counselling is sometimes available in the next larger town. It is important that you obtain assistance from a counselling centre if you are unable to manage by yourself or if any questions arise.

After your arrival, there are important steps that you ought to take quickly. There is no specific order in which you should go through these steps. It is best to tackle all five steps at once.

[Hier: Grafik der Checkliste]

  • Registration at the local authority and request for a tax ID number
  • Opening a bank account
  • Applying for social security benefits at the job centre
  • Applying for a residence permit at the Immigration Authority
  • Registration with a health insurance company

There may be additional steps you need to take if, for example, you require immediate medical treatment or register your children for school. You can find more information on these issues on the “Living in the community” page.

Leitfaden für Ihren Start

Registration at the local authority and request for a tax ID number

You must register at your new place of residence within two weeks. The local City Office or the Resident Registration Office is responsible for this. In larger cities, you may need to make an appointment for registration. In smaller towns, you can often just go to the Town Hall.

You will need the following documents for registration:

  • Proof of your identity (passport, passport replacement document, birth certificate for children under 16 years of age
  • If you arrived together with your spouse: marriage certificate)
  • Confirmation of the accommodation provider, if applicable

If you live in shared accommodation, the social workers responsible may complete the registration procedure at the local authority for you.

When you register, you will receive a registration certificate.
[Muster-Bild Meldebescheinigung]

All persons registered in Germany receive an eleven-digit Tax Identification Number.
[Musterbild Steuer-ID]
This number remains the same throughout your life.  The tax ID number is important, for example, when you open a bank account or apply for child benefit.

The tax ID number will be sent by post to the initial reception centre after your arrival in Germany. However, by then you will usually have already moved on to the municipality. Therefore, you will not have received the letter with your tax ID number.

You should explain to the Resident Registration Office that a tax ID number has already been created for you, but that you have not yet received it. The Resident Registration Office can find out this important information on your behalf. Ask for the tax ID numbers for your entire family: children are also given a separate tax identification number.

Bank account

It is important that you open a bank account so that your social security benefits can be transferred to you. In Germany, social security benefits cannot be paid in cash. We recommend that you open a “basic account” at a bank that is within easy reach.

Many basic accounts also comprise an EC card that you can use to withdraw money or make payments. You do not need a credit card for normal use in everyday life in Germany. You can also have two EC cards for one bank account.

There are various different banks in Germany. Every bank is obliged to offer you a basic account, but the costs and services vary from bank to bank.

Our tips:

  • Ask other people who live in your accommodation which bank they use and whether they are satisfied.
  • Take time to look closely at the costs of the account before signing the contract. Some accounts do not have a monthly fee, but transfers and cash withdrawals always incur a charge. This can be quite expensive.
  • Choose an account with an EC card. You need an EC card to withdraw money from ATMs and make cashless payments.

On this page, you will find more information about basic accounts in German and English. [Das Recht auf ein Basiskonto für neu in Deutschland Angekommene | Verbraucherzentrale.de]

To open an account, you need:

  • Proof of identity (passport, passport replacement document or electronic residence permit)
  • Your tax identification number. If you have not received this, please ask at the Resident Registration Office. Alternatively, you can request your tax ID number from the Federal Tax Office. However, this may take up to 4 weeks.

When you open an account, you will receive the contract documents and (depending on the bank) an EC card. The IBAN number is stated on the contract documents and on the EC card. You must provide this IBAN to the Job Centre so that it can transfer your social security benefits to you.

Social security benefits

In Germany, you and your family receive social security benefits from the “Job Centre” in accordance with Book II of the Social Code. This benefit is sometimes also referred to as “Bürgergeld” (citizen’s income) or “Hartz 4”. The Job Centre also pays the health insurance.

You must apply for social security benefits. On this page, you will find multilingual information about citizen’s income. [Jobcenter | Handbook Germany : Together]

To apply at the Job Centre, you must bring the following documents with you:

  • The short application form from the initial reception centre so that you can receive social security benefits retroactively from the day you arrived in Germany. Families only need to submit one application. This then applies to all persons in the family.
  • Your registration certificate
  • Bank account details (IBAN)
  • Passport or passport replacement document
  • Notification of admission, probationary residence permit or electronic residence permit
  • Proof that you have health insurance or have registered with a health insurance company. If you have not yet received a health insurance card, make a copy of your health insurance application and bring it with you.

Important: The Job Centre requires proof of health insurance for the application. The health insurance company requires proof of benefits provided by the Job Centre in order to register you. This clearly cannot work. Therefore: Bring proof to the Job Centre that you have already registered with the health insurance company.

It is helpful to bring any other documents with you that you may already have at the time of application. Otherwise, you can submit them at a later date.

  • The completed main application for citizen’s income. On this page, you will find the main application form and instructions for completing it in English, Ukrainian and Russian. [Arbeitslos und Arbeit finden: Merkblätter und Formulare | Bundesagentur für Arbeit].
  • Attachments to the application if, for example, you have special needs resulting from pregnancy or illness, or if you are a single parent. The Job Centre can also advise you on this.
  • Rental agreement/notice of accommodation costs. If you do not have such a document, please ask the social workers at your accommodation.
  • School reports, certificates of apprenticeships, training courses and academic qualifications, evidence of your work experience
  • Social security card from your health insurance company

The Job Centre will also advise you on finding work. You can find more information on the “Living in the community” page.

It often takes several weeks for the Job Centre to process your application. This is a problem because you usually need money immediately, e.g. for food, nappies and bus tickets.

We therefore recommend that you apply for an advance payment. You will then receive money from the Job Centre before your application has been fully processed.

You can apply for an advance payment at the Job Centre. For example, you can tell the Job Centre during an appointment that you have no money and would therefore like to apply for an advance payment in accordance with Section 42 of Book II of the Social Code (SGB 2). Explain that you have only just arrived in Germany as part of the resettlement programme, have no money and urgently need money for food, clothing or hygiene products. You can also ask a counselling centre to help you write the application for advance payment so that you can take it with you to your appointment at the Job Centre.

The Job Centre may also initially provide you with vouchers for the interim period, which you can cash at certain supermarkets, for example, or advise you to go to the “Tafel” – a social facility that provides free food.

Important: If you encounter any difficulties, seek help immediately from an Immigrant Advice Centre. Sometimes, Job Centres do not provide the advance payment directly, but tell you that you must wait a while. This is not okay – you have a right to receive money quickly.

If you have children, the Job Centre will tell you to apply for child benefit. All families living in Germany on a long-term basis receive child benefit. You can find out more about this here (in German, English, Arabic, French, Dari/Farsi): [https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/familie-und-kinder/downloads-familie-und-kinder#Kindergeld-f%C3%BCr-Asylberechtigte-und-anerkannte-Fl%C3%BCchtlinge]

Immigration Authority

After arriving in Germany, you must apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Authority To do this, you usually have to make an appointment with the Immigration Authority All family members, including children, must accompany you to this appointment.

Important: Under no circumstances should you apply for asylum! With your notification of admission, you will receive a residence permit in Germany without having to go through an asylum procedure. If you apply for asylum, you will lose this residence permit.

You must bring the following documents with you to the appointment at the Immigration Authority:

  • Notification of admission
  • Passport or travel document with visa
  • Current biometric photos for all persons (including children)
  • Registration certificate

It is helpful if you bring the following additional documents with you to the appointment if you already have them. Otherwise, you can submit them at a later date.

  • Proof of health insurance
  • Notification from the Job Centre regarding citizen’s income

Since May 2025, biometric passport photos must be submitted digitally to the Immigration Authority. Many authorities have self-service photo stations directly in the office where you can have photos taken against a charge.  Certified photo studios and the drugstore chain “dm” can also send biometric passport photos digitally to the immigration authority. You will then receive a code that you must present to the Immigration Authority.

After your appointment at the Immigration Authority, your application will be reviewed. Some time later, you will receive notification, usually by post, that your application has been approved. You will then have to return to the Immigration Authority to collect your residence permit. Check that the correct section of the Residence Act is stated on the front of the residence permit: Section 23.4 AufenthG.

The residence permit is usually valid for 1 to 3 years. Approximately two months before the expiry date of the residence permit, you must apply for an extension independently.

This is what the residence permit looks like:
[Beispielfoto eAT]

In addition to the residence permit, you can also apply for a “Travel document for foreigners”.
[Beispielfoto Reiseausweis]
This is particularly useful if you came to Germany with a passport replacement document and do not currently have a valid passport. A travel document for foreigners also enables you to travel abroad.

Sometimes the immigration authorities require you to obtain a passport from the embassy of your home country before issuing you with a residence permit or travel document for foreigners. This is not correct.

The cover letter accompanying the admission order contains on page 2 under item 1 “Passports”, the important sentence: “As a rule, persons in need of protection in the resettlement process should not be required to visit the foreign representation of their country of origin to obtain a travel document.” You can find the cover letter and the admission order here.
[externes Schreiben]
[Aufnahmeanordnung]
You can also present these to the Immigration Authority.

This means that the Immigration Authority cannot order you to go to the embassy of your home country. The Immigration Authority must issue you with a residence permit and also a travel document for foreigners, even if you do not have a passport from your home country. Seek help from a counselling centre if the Immigration Authority orders you to go to the embassy of your home country.

Registration with a health insurance company

In Germany, everyone must have health insurance. Health insurance is paid for by the Job Centre as long as you receive citizen’s income.

There are many health insurance companies in Germany. You can choose which one you want. However, it is also possible to change insurance companies if you are not satisfied. On this page, you will find an overview of health insurance companies in German or English. [Gesetzliche Krankenkassen]

You can almost always register for health insurance online. If you need assistance, an Immigrant Advice Centre, the social service at your accommodation or the consumer advice centre will help you.

You will need the following documents to register for health insurance:

  • Your registration certificate
  • A passport photo
  • The notification of citizen’s income from the Job Centre or a copy of the Job Centre application
  • For families: birth certificates and marriage certificates, if applicable

Important: The Job Centre requires proof of health insurance for the application. The health insurance company requires proof of Job Centre benefits. This clearly cannot work. Therefore: Send the health insurance company evidence that you have applied for Job Centre benefits, even if you have not yet received a notification.

After you have registered, you will receive a health insurance card by post. The card will have your photo and your name on it. Each person in your family has their own health insurance card, including children. You must always take this card with you when you visit a doctor or hospital. The insurance card looks something like this (or similar). [File:Elektronische Gesundheitskarte Mustermann VS.svg – Wikimedia Commons]

Until you receive your health insurance card, you can ask your health insurance company to issue you with a certificate proving that you are insured if you need to consult a doctor for urgent reasons.

You can find more information about healthcare on this page. [Krankenversicherung | Handbook Germany : Together]

Beratung und Unterstützung

Did you hear that? They’ve shut down the main reactor. We’ll be destroyed for sure. This is madness! We’re doomed! There’ll be no escape for the Princess this time. What’s that? Artoo! Artoo-Detoo, where are you? At last! Where have you been? They’re heading in this direction. What are we going to do? We’ll be sent to the spice mine of Kessel or smashed into who knows what! Wait a minute, where are you going? The Death Star plans are not in the main computer. Where are those transmissions you intercepted? What have you done with those plans? We intercepted no transmissions. Aaah., This is a consular ship.

Accommodation

When you first arrive, you will be taken to a certain municipality. There, the local authority will provide you with accommodation.

Often, you will only find out which municipality you will be going to at the initial reception centre.

If you have relatives or friends in Germany and would like to be near them, you should mention this at the interviews before your arrival. Provide the names and addresses of the people you would like to live near.

Sometimes, it is possible to be accommodated nearby. Unfortunately, however, you may also be accommodated somewhere else.

The authorities are not under any obligation to consider your wishes regarding where you want to live. It is therefore possible that you will move to a place in Germany that you do not like much at first.

Some local authorities accommodate families who have arrived in the country directly in flats with their own kitchen and bathroom.

In some municipalities, you will be accommodated in shared accommodation. If you are single, you may have to share a room with one or several other people. Families are usually given their own room. The following applies to everyone: in shared accommodation, the bathroom and kitchen are shared with several other people. This can be cramped, noisy and stressful.

Often, the initial accommodation in the new municipality is only for a short period of time. This means that you may have to move again.

You can find more information about your rights in shared accommodation on this page:
[Gemeinschaftsunterkunft für Geflüchtete | Handbook Germany : Together]

In the first three years after your arrival in Germany, a “Wohnsitzauflage” (“residency requirement”) applies. This means that you must remain in the federal state or even the district to which you have been allocated. The Immigration Authority or an Immigrant Advice Centre can explain which residency requirement applies to you. Here is a rough overview:

[Einfügen: Grafik Wohnsitzauflage]

You are subject to a residency requirement

You may move anywhere within the entire federal state.

You may only move within a specific district or town/city.

Important: Any move must always be agreed with the Job Centre in your new town/city.

Within the area covered by your residency requirement, you can move independently as soon as your application has been approved by the Job Centre.

In many cases, it is possible to have your residency requirement changed. This could be the case, for example, if you have found a job and your employer is too far away from your place of residence. The same applies if you are starting an apprenticeship, training course or studying and have to move as a result. In addition, if there are special circumstances, such as care needs in the family or illnesses that need to be treated in another place, you can apply to the Immigration Authority to have the residency requirement changed.

The residency requirement can also be changed if you want to separate from your partner due to domestic violence. In Germany, special help is available for women and men who experience domestic violence. You can find more information for women here:
[Frauenhauskoordinierung]
and for men here:
[Hilfetelefon Gewalt an Männern].

In many places in Germany, it is very difficult to find your own flat, especially in larger towns and cities.

If you are still receiving citizen’s income, before you start looking for a flat, you must first ask your Job Centre how large (in square metres) the flat may be and how much of the basic rent will be covered by the Job Centre. This varies in all towns and cities.

On this page, you will find practical information on what might help in your search for a flat. [Wohnungssuche | Handbook Germany : Together]

Learning the language

It is important to learn German quickly so that you can communicate with German authorities, at the doctor’s surgery and when shopping. Knowledge of German will also help you to find work or study and make new friends.

After arriving in Germany, you should therefore take part in an integration course. You can look for an integration course immediately after arriving in the municipality. You must register for this course independently.

An integration course is a combination of a language course and an orientation course. This means that you will learn German (600 training sessions) and receive information about living in Germany (100 training sessions) in the course. The courses are usually offered by a local language school, but there are also online courses.

At the end of the language course, you will take the “Deutsch-Test für Einwanderer” (German Test for Immigrants) at language level B1, which you will need for many professions and apprenticeships or training courses. After the orientation course, you will take the “Leben in Deutschland” (Living in Germany) test, in which you show that you know the basics about living in Germany.

There are also literacy courses for people who cannot read or write at all or not very well, and for people who are not yet familiar with Latin characters. These courses take a little longer for you to learn to read and write.

For people who learn very quickly, there are also intensive courses. There you will learn the same things as in the integration course, only faster.

Most people who come through resettlement have to take an integration course. You will then receive a “Verpflichtung zum Integrationskurs” (Integration course participation obligation) from the Immigration Authority or Job Centre.

The following persons are exempt from this:

  • Children, teenagers and young adults attending school
  • People who are in an apprenticeship or training course, or who have a permanent job

People who cannot attend an integration course for good reasons, e.g. because they are very ill or are caring for a family member.

Participation in the integration course is free of charge for you. At the initial reception centre, you will receive a document issued by the BAMF exempting you from the costs of the integration course. You must bring this document with you to the language school when you register.

If you have not yet received the document at the initial reception centre, it will be sent to you by post. If you have not received a document exempting you from the costs of the integration course, please contact the BAMF with your reference number, e.g. via the general contact address.

On this page, you can search for an integration course in your area:
[https://bamf-navi.bamf.de/de/Themen/Integrationskurse/]

If you need help with this, an Immigrant Advice Centre or a Youth Migration Service will provide support.