How to Deregister Your Address When You Leave Germany

You are moving out of Germany, and somebody tells you to "do the Abmeldung". Many people forget it, or try to do it from abroad when it is already late. Here is how to do it right, and why the paper you get back is important.

What the Abmeldung is

The Abmeldung (deregistration of your address) is the opposite of the Anmeldung. You tell the Meldebehörde (residents' registration office) that you no longer live at your address.

You need it when you move abroad and do not keep a flat in Germany, or when you give up a second home. If you only move to another German city, you do not deregister. You just do the Anmeldung at the new address, and the rest happens automatically.

The deadline

The law (§ 17 Bundesmeldegesetz) is clear:

• At the latest two weeks after you move out.
• At the earliest one week before you move out.

If you miss the deadline, it counts as an administrative offence and you can get a fine. The Abmeldung itself is free.

What you need

• The filled and signed Abmeldung form. Your city has it as a PDF download.
• A copy of your passport or Personalausweis (ID card).
• Your new address abroad, if you already know it. You can add it to the form, so the city can still reach you, for example about elections.

Family members who live together can use one form. People who are not related, like flatmates, each need their own form.

How to send it in your city

Rules differ by city. In Munich you can send it by post, and for a move abroad the city also has an online service on its Bürgerservice portal. In Berlin you send the form by post to a Bürgeramt, or you book an appointment and go in person. In other cities, search your city's service page for "Wohnsitz abmelden".

The steps

1. Pick your date. Choose a day from one week before your move out until two weeks after.
2. Fill in the form and add the copy of your ID.
3. Send it the way your city accepts. If you go by post, keep a copy of everything you send.
4. Wait for the Abmeldebestätigung (deregistration confirmation). In Munich the city says processing takes about three to four weeks. In person it is usually faster.
5. Use the confirmation to close the rest of your German life (see below).

What you need the confirmation for

• Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcasting fee). You can only stop it after a permanent move abroad if you send proof of your Abmeldung. Use the "Wohnung abmelden" form on rundfunkbeitrag.de and attach the confirmation. If a flatmate stays, they must take over the fee.
• Contracts. Internet, phone, electricity and gym contracts often accept a move abroad as a reason to cancel, and they usually ask for this paper.
• Health insurance. Your insurer will also want proof that you left.

Tips

• Do it before you fly. It is much easier while you are still here. When I think about leaving Munich one day, this is the first thing on my list, because chasing letters from another country is painful.
• Give a German backup address for the letter, like a friend, in case your office does not send mail abroad.
• Deregistering does not cancel your residence permit by itself, and it does not close your bank account. Tax questions are a separate topic, so check them on their own.
• Lost the confirmation? In Munich you can request a new Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate). The online version is free.

Checked in October 2026. Rules change, so please check your city's official page before you send anything.

Sources

• Bundesmeldegesetz § 17: Anmeldung, Abmeldung (German)
• Stadt München: Wohnsitz abmelden (German)
• München Bürgerservice portal: Abmeldung ins Ausland (German)
• Service Berlin: Abmeldung einer Wohnung (German)
• Rundfunkbeitrag: Auslandsaufenthalt (German)
• Rundfunkbeitrag: Wohnung abmelden form (German)
• Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg: Abmelden vom Rundfunkbeitrag (German)
• All About Berlin: How to deregister your address