OtterFillHow to fill in the German Abmeldung
The Abmeldung is the form (Meldeschein) you hand in at the registration office (Meldebehörde) when you leave a flat in Germany without moving into another one in Germany, usually because you move abroad or give up a second home. You deregister from 1 week before until 2 weeks after you move out; if you only move within Germany, registering at the new address is enough.
Last checked against the official form:
- Form
- Abmeldung
- Edition
- Meldeschein (Abmeldung bei der Meldebehörde), § 17 Abs. 2 BMG
- Issued by
- Meldebehörde
- Form language
- Deutsch
- Where it goes
- The registration office (Meldebehörde, often called Bürgeramt) of the town you move out of
- Deadline
- At the earliest 1 week before you move out, at the latest 2 weeks after (§ 17 of the Federal Registration Act, BMG)
- How
- In person or by post with a copy of your passport or ID card; some towns also online when you move abroad
- Cost
- Free of charge
- Fine for deregistering late
- Up to €1,000 (§ 54 BMG)
- Proof you receive
- A deregistration confirmation (Abmeldebestätigung)
What this form is
In Germany everyone who lives in a flat is registered at that address. When you move within Germany, registering at the new address (the Anmeldung) is all you do. You deregister only when you move out of a flat and do not move into a new one in Germany: mostly when you move abroad, when you give up a second home, or when you no longer have a fixed home. The Abmeldung is the form for it: it tells the registration office which flat you left, when, where you are going and who leaves with you.
There is no single national form. Each town issues its own, so the order and wording of the boxes differ, but they all collect the data that the Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz, BMG) lists. When you move abroad, the register also keeps your new address abroad and the country (§ 3 BMG). You receive a confirmation free of charge (§ 24 BMG) that you use as proof that you have left, for example for the broadcasting fee, your health insurer or your contracts.
This guide follows the wording and order of a typical official form, the Meldeschein for the Abmeldung that Munich issues. If your town’s form words something differently, look for the same meaning. Some towns also let you deregister online when you move abroad.
Who has to fill it in
You deregister if:
- You move abroad and give up your flat in Germany, whatever your nationality.
- You give up one of several homes in Germany, for example a second home, without moving into a new one in Germany.
- You no longer have any fixed home in Germany.
You do not need this form if:
- You move to another address in Germany: registering there (Anmeldung) is enough.
- You keep your flat in Germany and are abroad only for a while, for example for a study term. For long stays the rules differ by town, so ask your office.
Field-by-field instructions
The move and your homes
| On the form | What it means | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Tag des Auszugs | The day you move out of the flat. | Write day, month and year in that order, for example 03.07.2026. You can hand in the form at the earliest 1 week before this day; the register is changed as of this date. |
| Bisherige Wohnung (Straße/Platz, Hausnummer, Stockwerk) | The address of the flat you are leaving. | Write street or square, house number and floor, then the postcode and town, as you registered them. |
| Neue Wohnung (Straße/Platz, Hausnummer, Stockwerk) | Where you are moving to. | If you move abroad, write your new address there and, as the form asks, the country. If you do not move into a new flat, for example because you only give up a second home, make a dash, as the notes say for any question that does not apply. |
| Die bisherige Wohnung war im Bereich des Bundesgebietes die alleinige Wohnung / Hauptwohnung / Nebenwohnung | What the flat you leave was in Germany: your only home, your main home or a second home. | Tick alleinige Wohnung if it was your only home in Germany, Hauptwohnung if it was the main one of several homes, and Nebenwohnung if it was a further home. |
| Weitere Wohnung(en) im Bundesgebiet – Diese Wohnung ist Hauptwohnung / Nebenwohnung | Homes in Germany that you keep. | List every other flat in Germany where you stay registered, with street, house number, postcode and town, and tick whether it is a Hauptwohnung or a Nebenwohnung. The main home is the one you mainly live in. If you keep none, make a dash. |
Personal details (one row per person)
| On the form | What it means | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Familienname (Ehename) | Your current last name, including every part of it. | Write the full name as it is in your passport, with all name parts. A married name goes here; the name you had before goes in the next box. |
| Frühere Namen (z.B. Geburtsname) | Earlier names, for example your name at birth. | Fill it in if you had a different name before, for example after marriage. If you never had another name, leave it blank or write a dash. |
| Vorname(n) (Rufname unterstreichen) | All your first names. | Write every first name as it is recorded in your civil-status documents, and underline the one you are normally called by (the Rufname). |
| Doktorgrad | Your doctoral degree, if you have one. | Write only “Dr.”, without an addition such as “med.”. A doctorate earned abroad is entered only if you may use the title “Dr.” in Germany; the office may ask for the original certificate and a certified German translation. Other degrees do not go here. |
| Familienstand | Your marital status in the civil-status sense. | The notes to the form give short codes, for example LD (ledig, single), VH (verheiratet, married), VW (verwitwet, widowed), GS (geschieden, divorced) and LP (eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft, registered civil partnership). |
| Geschlecht | Your sex as in your documents. | Use the entries of your form. A typical form uses M (männlich, male), W (weiblich, female), D (divers) and o.A. (ohne Angabe, no entry). |
| Geburtsdatum | Your date of birth. | Write day first, then month, then year: 3 July 1990 is 03.07.1990. |
| Geburtsort (Gemeinde, Landkreis; falls Ausland: auch Staat angeben) | The town where you were born, its district, and the country if you were born abroad. | Write the municipality and the district. If you were born outside Germany, add the country as well, for example “Lahore, Pakistan”. |
| Staatsangehörigkeit(en) | Your citizenship or citizenships. | List all your citizenships. If you are stateless, give your last citizenship if you had one. |
| Religion | Whether you belong to a public-law religious community, the kind that may collect church tax. | Enter only such a membership, using the codes in the notes, for example rk (römisch-katholisch) or ev (evangelisch). If you belong to none, use the code for none that your form’s notes give; on the Munich form it is oa. |
| Datum und Ort der Eheschließung/Begründung der Lebenspartnerschaft | The date and place of your marriage or registered partnership. | Fill it in if you are married or in a registered partnership. Take the date and place from your marriage certificate. |
Representatives and signature
| On the form | What it means | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Gesetzliche Vertreter (Vor- und Familienname, Doktorgrad, Geburtsdatum, ggf. Bezeichnung der juristischen Person, Anschrift) | The parents or guardian of a minor, or the court-appointed carer of an adult, who is deregistered. | Fill it in only when you deregister a minor or an adult whose carer decides where they live: name, doctoral degree, date of birth and address. Leave it out when parents and children deregister together on one form. |
| Ort, Datum / Unterschrift der meldepflichtigen/bevollmächtigten Person | The place, the date and the signature of the person deregistering or of the person they authorised. | Add the place and date and sign. One signature is enough for everyone on the form. For a child under 16, the person from whose flat the child moves out signs. If someone signs for you, they need your written power of attorney (Vollmacht). |
Key terms
| Term on the form | What it means |
|---|---|
| Abmeldung | Deregistration of a home with the local registration office, when you take up no new home in Germany. |
| Meldebehörde | The registration office of a town (also Einwohnermeldeamt, Bürgeramt or Bürgerbüro). |
| Auszug | Moving out of a flat. The date of the Auszug is the date from which you are deregistered. |
| Abmeldebestätigung | The confirmation of deregistration you receive from the office; you use it as proof that you have left. |
| Bundesgebiet | The territory of the Federal Republic: on the form, it simply means Germany. |
| Alleinige Wohnung | Your only home in Germany. It is then not called a Hauptwohnung. |
| Hauptwohnung | The home you mainly live in, when you have more than one home in Germany. |
| Nebenwohnung | Every further home you have in Germany besides the main one. |
| Rufname | The first name you are normally called by. |
| Öffentlich-rechtliche Religionsgesellschaft | A church or religious community that is a public-law body and may collect church tax from its members. |
| Vollmacht | A written power of attorney that lets another person deregister for you. |
| Anmeldung | Registration of a new home. When you move within Germany, it replaces the Abmeldung. |
| Rundfunkbeitrag | The broadcasting fee paid per home. The Abmeldung does not end it; you deregister from it separately. |
Common mistakes
- 1
Deregistering when you move within Germany
You do not deregister for a move within Germany. Register at the new address (Anmeldung) within 2 weeks; that is enough.
- 2
Deregistering too early or too late
The office accepts the Abmeldung at the earliest 1 week before you move out, and the deadline is 2 weeks after. Deregistering late can mean a fine of up to €1,000.
- 3
Posting the form without a copy of your ID
When you deregister by post, add a copy of your passport or ID card, as the towns ask. Hamburg wants a copy for everyone aged 16 or older on the form.
- 4
Ticking Hauptwohnung for your only home
If the flat was your only home in Germany, tick alleinige Wohnung. Hauptwohnung is for the main one of several homes.
- 5
Leaving out the new address abroad
When you move abroad, write the new address and the country. The form asks for it, and the register keeps it.
- 6
Putting flatmates on your form
Only spouses, partners, parents and children who leave the same flat for the same new address share one form. Anyone else fills in a form of their own.
- 7
Leaving Germany without the confirmation
By post, processing can take several weeks (in Munich about 3 to 4). Deregister in time, because you need the confirmation to end contracts and the broadcasting fee.
- 8
Thinking the Abmeldung tells every authority
It does not replace telling other bodies, for example the vehicle registration office, your health insurer or the broadcasting fee service (Rundfunkbeitrag).
Questions and answers
Do I have to deregister when I leave Germany?
Yes, if you move out of your flat and do not move into another one in Germany. Under § 17 of the Federal Registration Act you deregister within 2 weeks after moving out, and at the earliest 1 week before.
Do I have to deregister when I move within Germany?
No. Registering at the new address is enough. You only deregister when you take up no new home in Germany.
Can I deregister by post, online or from abroad?
Most towns accept the signed form by post with a copy of your passport or ID card, so you can also send it from abroad; Berlin, Munich and Hamburg do. Some towns also offer online deregistration when you move abroad, and many let you deregister in person with an appointment. Ask your office what it accepts.
How much does the Abmeldung cost?
Nothing. The deregistration and its confirmation are free of charge (§ 24 of the Federal Registration Act). A later certificate of registration can cost a fee; ask your office.
Do I need a confirmation from my landlord to deregister?
No. The law requires the landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) only when you move in (§ 19 of the Federal Registration Act), not when you move out.
I am going abroad for a few months. Do I have to deregister?
Not if you keep your flat and come back to it: Berlin, for example, says a temporary stay abroad such as a study term needs no deregistration. For long stays the rules differ (Hamburg asks you to deregister if you live abroad for more than 1 year), so ask your office.
Can someone else deregister for me?
Yes. A person you authorise can hand in the form, with your written power of attorney (Vollmacht) and your passport or ID card. Without a power of attorney, some offices do not hand the confirmation to someone else.
What do I do with the Abmeldebestätigung?
Keep it as proof that you have left Germany. You need it, for example, to deregister from the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag), which the Abmeldung does not end, and your health insurer or other contract partners may ask for it.
What fine is there for deregistering late?
Up to €1,000 under § 54 of the Federal Registration Act. That is the maximum; the office decides the amount.
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