Welcome – First steps in Germany

Contents

The first days after immigrating to Germany

As a resettlement refugee, you will arrive in Germany by plane. You will then be taken by bus to an initial reception centre. This is usually the “Friedland Transit Camp”; in some cases, it may also be a facility in Brandenburg. At the facility, you will be provided with food, accommodation and, if necessary, medical services. You will receive EUR 20 per person for your first purchases.

You will remain at the initial reception centre for up to 14 days. During this time, you can take part in an “Orientation course” and receive advice from immigration counselling services on your first steps in Germany.

Documents are very important in Germany. Therefore, please make sure to keep all documents that you receive before immigrating to Germany or at the initial reception centre in a safe place.

You will usually arrive in Germany with the following documents:

  • Notification of admission from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) with the residence permit Section 23 (4) AufenthG
  • Passport or travel document with the corresponding visa, which is usually valid for a period of six months.
  • Other personal documents (birth certificates, marriage certificate, etc.)
  • Medical records

At the initial reception centre, you will receive the following documents:

  • A short application form for social security benefits
    This short application form is the basis for your subsequent application to the Job Centre in the town where you live. You should make sure to take this application form with you.
  • A certificate of exemption from the costs of the integration course. If this is not handed out at the initial reception centre, it should be sent to you by post at a later date.
  • A registration certificate from the competent Immigration Authority.
  • A notification sheet confirming your entry in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals.
  • In some federal states (Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia), an allocation notice for the respective municipality.

First steps in the municipality

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.

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.

A checklist for you:

  • 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.

Getting started

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.

All persons registered in Germany receive an eleven-digit Tax Identification Number.

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).

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:

In addition to the residence permit, you can also apply for a “Travel document for foreigners”.

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).

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]