Moving house involves a great deal of work. Important things are often overlooked as a result. This also includes changing your registration with the municipality in good time and notifying many other offices of your change of address. Except with authorities, notification is generally possible without any formal requirements. An email is often sufficient.
If you fail to notify someone of your change of address after moving, you are often the one who suffers most. However, there are also changes of registration for which you must observe deadlines. Our checklist helps you compile and work through your very own personal notification list.
The Most Important Registration Requirement Is with the Municipality
The most important deadline concerns registering or changing your registration with your municipality. Depending on where you live, the period by which you must have notified your new address differs. However, since you must also present your new landlord with a registration certificate within two weeks of moving in (“landlord’s confirmation”), you should change your registration or register with the new municipality within ten to 14 days.
Which office is responsible depends on the municipality. Usually, the residents’ registration office or citizens’ office is the point of contact. There, you can also have the necessary change made to your identity card.
Incidentally, you do not have to deregister at your old place of residence. The change of registration is also sent as information to the old municipality.
Notify New Contact Details Immediately After Moving
Other, mostly public authorities are similarly important as changing your registration with the municipality. You should also send these notifications without delay, within a few days. Otherwise, fines or reductions in benefits may sometimes be imposed. These include:
- offices and agencies responsible for benefits such as unemployment benefits, pensions and retirement benefits, “Hartz IV,” integration assistance, housing benefit, child benefit, BAföG and similar support;
- vehicle registration office for your vehicles;
- tax office;
- Bundeswehr and civilian service office, provided you have a registration obligation;
- public order office/trade office for registered businesses;
- employer for accessibility, but also for payslips and social security contributions;
- university, school and kindergarten;
- broadcasting contribution office.
Change Your Registration with Financial Service Providers and Insurers
It is also extremely urgent to notify your banks and financial service providers of your new address in good time, as well as Insurance. Some insurers may even adjust the premium when you move (motor insurance, household contents insurance). In addition to the pension insurance mentioned above, you should therefore promptly notify the following recipients of your new address:
- banks;
- lenders;
- securities account providers;
- supplementary pension schemes, occupational pension insurance, private pension insurance, etc.;
- credit card providers;
- payment service providers such as PayPal, Sofortüberweisung, etc.;
- health insurance providers and supplementary health insurance providers, as well as long-term care insurance providers;
- motor insurance providers,
- household contents insurance provider,
- personal liability insurance provider;
- other insurance providers such as pet liability insurance, legal expenses insurance, occupational disability insurance, accident insurance, life insurance, etc.
Important address changes relevant to contracts and tariffs
Motor insurance and household contents insurance are not the only recipients that may adjust their tariffs due to the change of address. Services for telephone/internet, electricity, gas, district heating, and in some cases TV also depend on the place of residence.
Before moving, you should also check whether you need to cancel the old contract and conclude a new one. When moving, you have a special right of termination; the notice periods are up to three months. Plan these changes early so that you are supplied immediately upon moving in. Remember to inform the old providers of your new address when changing contracts as well. You will still receive a final bill.
The required address-change notifications include:
- electricity provider;
- gas provider;
- district heating provider;
- water supplier (for houses);
- landline/internet provider;
- cable TV provider.
List of further recipients to notify of a change after moving
There are many other recipients and offices to which you should provide your new address. Even if you have somewhat more time for this, you should complete these address-change notifications no later than one month after moving. This way, all relevant recipients will have your new address and you will finally have everything taken care of.
You can conveniently submit some address-change notifications online; others can be handled when convenient, i.e. gradually. Take the time to complete this task. This list is not exhaustive. Think, among others, of the following recipients:
- tax advisers, lawyers, notaries with whom you receive permanent or regular services;
- doctors and dentists;
- car repair shop;
- suppliers of heating oil, wood, etc.
- lotteries such as Lotto, Fernsehlotterie, Aktion Mensch, etc.
- mobile phone providers;
- streaming providers such as Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, etc.;
- pay-TV providers such as Magenta TV, Sky or freenetTV;
- mobile phone service providers such as Apple and Google (Android), mobile phone manufacturers and app providers;
- organisations and associations such as sports clubs, ADAC, political parties, fire brigade, environmental organisations, foundations, etc., that you support or in which you are a member;
- online shops and suppliers;
- providers of email accounts;
- other contractual partners or online services.
Submit a forwarding request early!
You should think about a mail forwarding request for post or parcels before moving. Otherwise, your mail will be returned to the sender marked “addressee unknown—moved”. You can obtain the relevant forms at a post office branch or fill them out online. You should submit the forwarding request at least two, or preferably around four, weeks before moving.
Important: Magazines and newspapers are not forwarded. Contact the publisher and notify them of your new address in good time.
The postal forwarding request also applies to DHL. If you receive many parcels or letters from other parcel services and postal service providers, you should also submit forwarding requests there or notify all contacts of your new address in good time. This way, you will receive all future deliveries at your new address.