German offices communicate by post, in German, and some letters carry deadlines. This page covers the first wave. Keep it next to your mailbox.
Proof you registered your address. Almost every other office asks for it — bank, employer, Krankenkasse. Register within two weeks of moving in; every later move needs an Ummeldung.
Your 11-digit tax ID arrives by post automatically after Anmeldung. Your employer needs it — without it you are taxed at the highest rate until it's fixed. It never changes. Never throw it away.
The mysterious €18.36/month broadcasting-fee letter. It is real and mandatory — one fee per household, not per person. If a flatmate already pays, reply with their Beitragsnummer instead of paying twice. Ignoring it leads to a Festsetzungsbescheid with extra charges.
Membership confirmation, contribution notices, your Versichertennummer. Health insurance is mandatory in Germany; gaps cause problems with permits and employers. Keep the Mitgliedsbescheinigung — offices ask for it.
Appointment invitations, document requests, permit decisions. These are the letters where deadlines matter most. If you don't understand one, get help the same week — free migration counselling (MBE/JMD) exists in every district.
An office asking you to provide documents or information. Cooperation duties (Mitwirkungspflichten) are legally binding — not responding can mean reduced or stopped benefits, decided on the file as it stands.
Free help: Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zugewanderte (MBE) and Jugendmigrationsdienste (JMD) — free, multilingual, in every Berlin district.
Sources for every claim on this page: aushelp-knowledge.pages.dev — a free, source-verified reference: every fact cites the statute or official page it comes from and is re-checked weekly. Deutsch: /de/. Not legal advice · AusHelp is independent and not affiliated with any authority · Impressum