Just Landed in Germany? Your First 7 Days

Mobile coverage is strong in cities and along main lines but noticeably patchy on regional rail and in rural areas, where you may drop to slow data. Prepaid SIMs require ID verification under German law, so activation is not instant and needs your passport. eSIMs are supported by all major networks on modern phones, and home broadband from Telekom, Vodafone or 1&1 typically takes days to weeks to install with an engineer visit.

Typical cost: Prepaid bundles run €10-20/month for 10-30 GB; unlimited postpaid contracts start around €30-40/month but usually need a German bank account and address registration. Telekom has the best rural coverage but is the priciest, while congstar and Aldi Talk run on its network for less.

Germany is far more cash-oriented than most of its neighbours, though card acceptance has improved steadily. Carry €50-100 in notes and coins, and expect the domestic Girocard (formerly EC card) to be accepted more widely than Visa or Mastercard at smaller shops. Contactless is common in supermarkets and chains but far from universal at independents.

Opening an account: N26 and Vivid are English-friendly digital banks you can open with just a passport and a video call before your Anmeldung; traditional banks like Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and Sparkasse usually require your registration certificate and passport in a branch. A German IBAN is essential for rent, salary and utility direct debits (SEPA Lastschrift), which are how most recurring bills are paid.

Cash: Bakeries, bars, kiosks (Spätis), market stalls, some doctors' co-payments and many restaurants take cash only, and a surprising number of card terminals still reject foreign-issued credit cards. Withdraw from bank-branded ATMs to avoid the high fees and poor rates of standalone Euronet machines.

Tipping: Tipping is modest and personal: round up or add roughly 5-10% for good table service, and state the total you want to pay as you hand over cash or card rather than leaving coins on the table. Say the figure including the tip when the server asks, for example 'make it €45'.

Every resident must register their home address (Anmeldung) at the local Bürgeramt after moving in — this is a genuine legal obligation, not a formality. The resulting Meldebescheinigung is required to open most bank accounts, receive your tax ID (Steuer-ID) by post, sign phone and utility contracts, and apply for or extend a residence permit. You will need your passport, your tenancy details and the landlord's signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung; if you move house later, you must re-register the new address.

Deadline: Within 14 days of moving into your accommodation

Where: Your local Bürgeramt / Einwohnermeldeamt (city citizens' office), by pre-booked appointment

Public transport is excellent and integrated: U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses share zone-based tickets within each city, and long-distance travel runs on Deutsche Bahn's ICE and regional trains. The €58/month Deutschland-Ticket covers all regional and local public transport nationwide — a genuine bargain — but not high-speed ICE/IC services. Uber operates only in some cities; taxis, FreeNow and Bolt are widely available.

From the airport: From Frankfurt Airport, Germany's busiest hub, the S-Bahn S8/S9 reaches the city centre in about 12-15 minutes for roughly €5.80, and long-distance ICE trains depart the airport's own Fernbahnhof; a taxi to central Frankfurt costs around €30-35. Munich Airport links to the centre via S-Bahn S1/S8 in about 40 minutes (~€13), Berlin Brandenburg (BER) via the FEX and S9/S45 in 30-45 minutes (~€4.40), and Hamburg via the S1 in about 25 minutes.

Rental demand hugely outstrips supply in the big cities, so viewings are crowded and competitive and landlords ask for extensive documents: a SCHUFA credit report, recent payslips, ID and sometimes a reference from a previous landlord (Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung). Most listings are unfurnished and frequently lack a fitted kitchen and even light fixtures, which tenants buy and install themselves.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat runs roughly €950-1,600/month in Munich, Frankfurt or central Berlin, and €650-1,050 in smaller cities. Listings quote 'Kalt' (cold) rent, which excludes utilities, and 'Warm' rent, which adds heating and building service charges (Nebenkosten); always check which figure you are seeing. Sites like ImmobilienScout24 and Kleinanzeigen are the main hunting grounds.

Deposit norm: The deposit (Kaution) is capped by law at three months' cold rent, must be held in a separate protected account, and is returned after you move out once any final utility reconciliation is settled. Beware listings demanding cash deposits up front before a signed contract — that is a common scam.

Health insurance is legally mandatory for every resident, and care is high quality though delivered mainly through private practices (Praxen) rather than walk-in clinics. You generally register with a general practitioner (Hausarzt) who coordinates referrals to specialists, and appointments for specialists can involve long waits unless you are privately insured.

How to access it: For non-emergencies, book with a Hausarzt or specialist, increasingly via the Doctolib app; call 116117 for the after-hours medical on-call service when practices are closed. For genuine emergencies dial 112 or go to a hospital Notaufnahme (A&E). Always bring your insurance card (Gesundheitskarte) to appointments, and note that some prescriptions and services carry small co-payments.

Insurance: Most residents join statutory (gesetzliche) health insurance such as TK, AOK or Barmer, with contributions of around 14.6% plus a supplement split between employee and employer and deducted from salary; higher earners and some self-employed may opt for private (private) insurance instead. Your employer usually helps enrol you on arrival, and cover includes dependents at no extra cost under statutory schemes.

• Be punctual: arriving on time is a sign of respect, and being late without warning is taken poorly in both work and social settings.
• Separate your rubbish carefully into the correct bins — paper, packaging (Gelber Sack), glass by colour, organic (Biomüll) and residual — and return deposit bottles (Pfand) to the supermarket; neighbours notice mistakes.
• Keep quiet during Ruhezeit: avoid loud noise, drilling, vacuuming or running laundry machines late at night and typically all day Sunday.
• Greet with a firm handshake and use surnames with Herr or Frau until you are invited to switch to first names and the informal 'du'.
• Be direct and factual in conversation; Germans generally say what they mean, and blunt honesty is not meant as rudeness.
• Bring a small gift when invited to someone's home, remove your shoes if others do, and reply to invitations rather than leaving them open.
• Carry cash for smaller venues and always have your ID or a photo of it, as you can be asked to show it.

• Almost everything closes on Sundays and public holidays, including supermarkets, so shop on Saturday or rely on train-station and petrol-station shops.
• Jaywalking against a red pedestrian light is frowned upon and can draw a fine, and doing it in front of children invites open disapproval.
• Bureaucracy runs on paper letters and appointments; ignoring official post (Behördenpost) can cause you to miss deadlines, fines or permit steps.
• Never step into a marked bike lane without looking — cyclists move fast and have right of way, and collisions are common.
• Signing a mobile or gym contract can lock you in for 12-24 months with strict cancellation notice periods, so read the term and Kündigung rules before you sign.