When you register your address in Germany, you get a registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebestätigung). You only get this document once.

You can also get a copy of your registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung). This document confirms that you still live at this address. You can request it any time.

You need a Meldebestätigung or a Meldebescheinigung to verify your address. Your bank, your health insurer, your cellphone company, the Bürgeramt and the Ausländerbehörde often ask for this document.

Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung?

Anmeldebestätigung

You get an Anmeldebestätigung when you register your address (the Anmeldung). You get it on paper during your appointment. You only get this document once.

Meldebescheinigung Berlin
An example Anmeldebestätigung

Meldebescheinigung

The Meldebescheinigung is a confirmation that you still live at this address. You can only get this document if you already registered your address.

You can request a Meldebescheinigung from the Bürgeramt any time you want. This is useful if you lost your original registration certificate. Sometimes, you might need a recent Meldebescheinigung if your Anmeldebestätigung is really old.

Erweiterte Meldebescheinigung

The extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung) has information about your previous addresses, your spouse, and your children1. You rarely need this document. You can also request it from the Bürgeramt.

How to get an Anmeldebestätigung

You only get an Anmeldebestätigung during the Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt. They print the document and give it to you during your appointment.

How to register your address in Berlin ➞

How to get a Meldebescheinigung

You can request a Meldebescheinigung from the Bürgeramt. It costs 10€1. You can get it online, by mail, by email or in person. You cannot get this document if your address is not registered.

Online

You can request a Meldebescheinigung online. You must be registered in Berlin.

You can't request an extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung) online. You must request it by email, by post or in person1.

Meldebescheinigung online berlin
Click this button to request a Meldebescheinigung online

In person at the Bürgeramt

You can get a Meldebescheinigung from any Bürgeramt in Berlin. It's very easy1:

  1. Get an appointment at any Bürgeramt for "Meldebescheinigung beantragen"
  2. When you go to your appointment, bring a personal ID (such as your passport) and 10€.

By mail or email

You can also request a Meldebescheinigung by mail or email1:

  1. Write to any Bürgeramt in Berlin
  2. Transfer 10€ to the Bürgeramt's bank account
  3. In your email, include a copy of your personal ID (for example your passport), and the date of your bank transfer