[JD557]

I think you just need the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from the landlord and fill the registration paperwork at the Bürgeramt (which, depending on your city, might be a bit hard to get an appointment), you might also need to take care of the TV bill stuff.

While not awful, comparing to Portugal, where I just need to register in a website an then wait to get a confirmation code by mail, it feels like going back to the stone age.

[ghaff]

And then there's the US where is no legal requirement to have a permanent address even if, as a practical matter, you sort of need at least a quasi one.

[mytailorisrich]

Why do you need to "register" your address? Why do you need any of this?

I've found that's the question to ask with paperwork.

For instance, France is also extremely bad regarding paperwork and administrative red tape and people are so used to it that many can't imagine that many of it is not actually needed for society to function. I noticed when I moved to the UK: Suddenly all that was absolutely necessary to protect civilisation and the Republic (I only exaggerate a little bit) did not even exist and everything still ran smoothly.

Telling example: During the Covid lockdowns, the French administration decided that people had to fill and sign an official form to keep on them every time they left home. Basically "I swear that I am only doing my daily excercise. Date, signature" to be shown to any police officer who might ask, or "zut alors" you're nicked.

[FinnKuhn]

Some reasons that the state kinda needs to know where you live (at least in Germany) is for a number of reasons:

- so you can vote in local elections and they can send you your ballots

- taxes, as they depend on where you live (some tax rates can differ and more importantly it decides where your taxes go)

- security, so for example when you have an arrest warrant or have committed a crime, etc. the state knows where to send your fines, etc.

- planning of health services or education services requires the state to know where people actually live

[fabian2k]

One advantage of this is e.g. that you do not have to register for elections at all in Germany. You get automatically notified of all elections based on your residence and can vote without further steps.

[ghaff]

Part of it is that there's just more of a tradition of keeping track of people in many places compared to the US. As a visitor staying in a hotel, you're shielded from a lot of it most places because the hotel takes care of it. But I was staying with a friend for a couple weeks recently in a European country, and they had to take my passport down to some office and fill out some paperwork.

[RandomLensman]

Compared to the UK where you need to have some utility bills or bank statements as proof of an address, having an ID card with an address is a lot easier in practice.

But, yes, different societies have different approaches there and they are kind of designed around it.

[mytailorisrich]

> Compared to the UK where you need to have some utility bills or bank statements as proof of an address, having an ID card with an address is a lot easier in practice.

Well, no.

You already have bills in your name, so there is nothing to do.

On the other hand, regarding ID cards (in France): First there is no obligation to keep the address on it up-to-date (so why is there even an address on it?). Second, if you do want the address to be up-to-date then you need to follow the administrative procedure to get a new ID card, which involves providing... a proof of address in the form of an utility bill!

[RandomLensman]

So France is different from Germany where you can get the address updated and you are supposed to do that. And proof of address is not a utility bill there, but either a form from your landlord or land register.

[mytailorisrich]

Same conclusion: You still have bills, tax bills, etc, so there is still no need for anything else if you wanted to keep things as simple as necessary.

> And proof of address is not a utility bill there, but either a form from your landlord or land register.

Because you've decided to do that, not because there is a practical requirement, which is my point.

[RandomLensman]

Not really, as you still need to show a passport that you and the bills go together (which is still conjecture, to be honest, if the name is common). Why have two things?

Edit: because the decision was to have a strong ID system, so when people show an ID with an address the confidence is high in that being correct.

[lukan]

"Why do you need to "register" your address? Why do you need any of this?"

Control.

So the state knows in theory, who is living where.

With the joke being, that those institutions, where that information would actually be useful, don't know anyway. And so you still have to submit your adress everywhere (and then again, and a third time, to be sure).

[lukan]

"you might also need to take care of the TV bill stuff"

You mean what was formerly known as GEZ?

No worries, nowdays that got easier, they just help themself. In my case they just took the money straight from my bank account without consent or asking first, or without me even giving them my current account. (No idea how that was possible, it was the same account as some years ago, but I was living offroad for some time and never gave them permission, but suing them is a fools errand)

[canadiantim]

jeez Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is a mouthful