Can I register at a friend's apartment in Germany?

At a glance

Allowed

Yes, when the home is genuinely where you live

Who signs

The person providing the home, owner or main tenant

Not allowed

Registering an address you do not live at (§ 54 BMG)

Subletting

May require the owner's written permission

Temporary stay

Short stays under three months may not require registration

Why your host can sign

The Registration Act puts the duty on the Wohnungsgeber — whoever provides the home. That is not necessarily the owner. A main tenant who lets you stay in their flat counts, and can issue the confirmation.

Some offices ask whether subletting is allowed under the host's own contract. If the owner's permission exists in writing, bring it.

Where the real risk is

A fictitious registration — an address used only for post while you live elsewhere — is treated as an administrative offence, and the person signing the confirmation is exposed as well. It can also cause trouble later, because authorities send binding letters and deadlines to the registered address.

If you move on to your own flat, register the new address within two weeks. There is no separate deregistration when you move within Germany.

Common mistakes

• Treating a friend's address as a mailbox while living somewhere else.
• Forgetting to re-register after moving out, so official letters go to the old address.
• Not checking whether the host's contract permits taking someone in.

What happens next

• You receive the registration certificate for your friend's address.
• Official post, including your tax ID, goes to that address — make sure you actually receive it.
• When you move to your own place, register the new address within two weeks.

Related questions

Does registering at their flat affect my friend's rent or contract?

Registration itself does not change their tenancy, but taking in another person can require the landlord's permission under their contract. That is a tenancy question, separate from registration.

Does it affect the broadcasting fee?

The fee is charged once per home, not per person, so if your host already pays it, no second contribution is due for the same flat.

What if I am only staying a few weeks?

Short stays of up to three months in an existing German home may be exempt from re-registration in some cases. Ask your municipality about your specific situation before skipping it.

Related guides

• Anmeldung documents

  The precise document checklist for registration: mandatory papers, family and children cases, representatives, and local variation.

• Anmeldung in Berlin

  Register your Berlin address: appointment, landlord confirmation, documents and what the Meldebestätigung unlocks.

• Anmeldung in Germany

  The nationwide rules for registering your address: deadline, landlord confirmation, documents and what changes by city.

Related answers

• Rent deposit limits

  Three months' basic rent is the legal ceiling, and you may pay it in three instalments.

• Rental application documents

  ID, income proof, SCHUFA and a self-disclosure form — plus what to send instead when you are new.

• Ending a rental contract

  Three months in writing for tenants, counted from the third working day of the month.

Related situations

• Arriving as a student

  Insurance before enrolment, enrolment before the permit — and the work-hour limits printed on your card.

• Leaving Germany

  Notice first, deregistration at the move, bank account last. The order that avoids charges after you go.

• Moving to another German city

  One deadline, then the updates no authority does for you.

Related compare

• Anmeldung vs residence permit

  One records your address, the other authorises your stay. Different offices, different documents.

Related resources

• Bureaucracy glossary

  The recurring German administrative terms, grouped by the process where you meet them.

• Authorities directory

  The eight bodies behind most newcomer tasks, what each handles, and where their official information lives.