# Help: Moving home to Germany



## har_rki219_mc2e

Hi. I hope someone can help a long lost german... I was born in Germany and lived there till the age 12 when then we moved to the Philippines. I'm now 26 years old and have never returned since then (that's like 14 years). Hence i'm not that fluent anymore with the German language. I still have a valid passport though. I'm living in Australia for 6 months now. I'm now planning to return to Germany since i've got a Job offer from a company in Hamburg. I'm not sure though what i need to do.... Do i need to register notifying the government that i'm back in Germany or do something special after i arrive and start working? What do i need to do before i can start working for the first time in Germany?


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## James3214

Hi and welcome to the forum. As you already have a German passport you only have go along to the
local 'Einwohnermeldeamt' near to the address you are living with your passport and then fill in an application form (might also be available on the internet). For some strange reason it is only in Hamburg that you have to pay a 6€ registration cost.
I hope you settle in well. As you probably know, Hamburg is a great place to live and has one of the highest standards of living in Germany.
Come back on the forum and let us all know how you get on!

Some websites that might help you
Hamburg Information - hamburg.de
Einwohnermeldeamt Hamburg - hamburg.de


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## har_rki219_mc2e

Hi James.

Thank you for your response! Can i register anytime? I will be living in a hotel, should i register only if i have a permanent address? Or can i register with the hotel's address and then update address whenever i transfer to another hotel or apartment? Thank you very much for the links, i'll try to see if i can also find details where to get a Lohnsteuerkarte and Sozialversicherungsausweis.


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## James3214

You can register anytime the 'Einwohnermeldeamt' is open, but I would wait until you have a permanent address as I don't think you can register with a hotel address. Give them a ring or go down and ask them when you arrive and they can tell you the best course of action for your situation. They will probably send you the lohnsteuerkarte and the other documentation you will need after registering. You will probably also need to prove you have health insurance which you should sort out privately or through your employer.


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## har_rki219_mc2e

Thanks for that. One of my company's requirements was to present a certificate of membership of a krankenkasse on my first day. Must i apply for health insurance alone before my first day or would the company help me do this since they pay a portion of the health insurance premium? I read that there are about 160 Krankenkassen administering the government's health scheme and that only a few employ English speakers.... Would you know of any good krankenkassen i should consider that offer the best health insurance package and employ english speakers? Sorry for the many questions...


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## James3214

Although, it is now a law to be covered by health insurance, you don't need to apply before your first day and I don't know if your company would help you, they are not obliged to, and you can choose yourself based on the premiums you are quoted. Try asking your colleagues for recommendations as well. I have private health insurance (and they have just put the premiums up by 25%!) so I couldn't really recommend mine.
You could try our sponsors links:
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There is some further information here that may help :
How To Germany - Health Insurance Options in Germany


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## fido

James3214 said:


> Although, it is now a law to be covered by health insurance, you don't need to apply before your first day and I don't know if your company would help you, they are not obliged to, and you can choose yourself based on the premiums you are quoted. Try asking your colleagues for recommendations as well. I have private health insurance (and they have just put the premiums up by 25%!) so I couldn't really recommend mine.
> You could try our sponsors links:
> Private Health Insurance | Get In Now!
> There is some further information here that may help :
> How To Germany - Health Insurance Options in Germany


When you say you have private health insurance, does that mean you don't also have to pay statutory health insurance with a Krankenkasse? I understand that the statutory payments are based on income rather than age, health etc so those could not jump up by 25% unless the government made such an increase.


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## James3214

Thats correct, I don't have to pay the statutory health insurance as it is covered by the private health insurance. You either go into the Government Health System (GKV) or can choose a private insurance (PKV) if you are self employed or above a certain income. There are caps on what they can ask those in the GKV but it appears now the 'krankenkasse' can ask for extra (unlimited) contributions if they think they are going to have a shortfall. Therefore, it pays to shop around when getting quotes for cover. Normally, you can pay say the first 300€ or so to get your premiums down to a more affordable level.


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