Settling in Germany
Step-by-step guides to German bureaucracy
Every official task a newcomer faces — explained in plain English, with the exact documents to bring and whether you can do it online. Pick a task, then your city for the local details.
1 · Pick your city
When you arrive
Register your address (Anmeldung)
Anmeldung
Read the guide→Get your tax ID & tax class
Steuer-ID / Finanzamt
Read the guide→Open a bank account
Girokonto
Read the guide→Sign up for health insurance
Krankenversicherung
Read the guide→Apply for a residence permit
Aufenthaltstitel
Read the guide→Find a place to live
Wohnungssuche
Read the guide→Get a SIM or phone contract
Handyvertrag
Read the guide→Extend your residence permit
Aufenthaltstitel verlängern
Read the guide→As you settle in
Exchange your driving licence
Führerschein umschreiben
Read the guide→Claim child benefit (Kindergeld)
Kindergeld
Read the guide→Get a public transport ticket
Deutschlandticket
Read the guide→Register as a freelancer
Freiberufler anmelden
Read the guide→File an income-tax return
Einkommensteuererklärung
Read the guide→Register a car (Kfz-Zulassung)
Kfz-Zulassung
Read the guide→Apply for parental allowance (Elterngeld)
Elterngeld
Read the guide→Apply for housing benefit (Wohngeld)
Wohngeld
Read the guide→Find a daycare place (Kita)
Kita-Platz
Read the guide→Enrol your child in school
Schulanmeldung
Read the guide→Apply for German citizenship
Einbürgerung
Read the guide→Apply for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis)
Niederlassungserlaubnis
Read the guide→Get a German driving licence (driving school)
Führerschein / Fahrschule
Read the guide→TiG Pilot — free browser extension
German official forms, explained while you fill them
Open any German authority form and TiG Pilot tells you what each field means in plain English, warns you about the ones that cost money, and fills in the details you saved once — stored only in your browser. Free, and it never submits anything for you.
- 🏛️Detects German authority forms and explains every field
- ⚠️Flags the traps — church tax, Hauptwohnung, declarations
- ✍️Fills your saved details — stored in your browser only
- 🧩Works on job application forms too — one profile fills both