Before you start

A visa or entry permission appropriate to your purpose, obtained before travel for most non-EU nationals
A signed rental contract and a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord
An employment contract, or a letter of admission if you are studying
Proof of qualifications, for the EU Blue Card route
Proof of health insurance

Step-by-step

1
Book the city's Bürgerservice for the Anmeldung
Aachen takes registration appointments through its Serviceportal. Book as soon as you know your move date — the September and October weeks are the worst of the year because the university intake lands then.
OnlineWho: YouBefore arrival if possible
2
Get the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung at signing
Registration requires a signed confirmation from whoever provides your accommodation. Landlords are legally obliged to supply it under §19 BMG — ask as you sign rather than chasing it later.
In personWho: Your landlord
3
Complete the Anmeldung within two weeks
A legal deadline, not a guideline. The Meldebescheinigung it produces is required for almost everything that follows — and it is what the StädteRegion will ask you for.
In personWho: YouWithin 2 weeks of moving in
4
Now separately book the Ausländeramt of the StädteRegion
This is the step that gets missed. The residence permit is issued by the StädteRegion Aachen, not by the city, and having registered with the city starts nothing there. Book it as its own appointment as soon as you have your Meldebescheinigung.
OnlineWho: YouImmediately after registering
5
Wait for the Steuer-ID by post
Issued automatically after registration and arriving within a few weeks. Until your employer has it, payroll applies the least favourable tax class — recoverable at filing, but a real cash-flow hit in your first months.
OnlineWho: The tax office
6
Ask for the EU Blue Card by name if you qualify
It gives faster access to a settlement permit, easier family reunification with immediate spousal work rights, and more freedom to change employer than a general work permit. RWTH, the Uniklinik, Grünenthal and FEV all process these routinely but will default to whatever they filed last time unless asked.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with visa or entry permission
Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from your landlord
Signed rental contract
Employment contract or university admission letter, and proof of qualifications
Biometric photographs to German specification
Proof of health insurance

Things most newcomers don’t know

Registering with the city does not start your residence permit.

Two different authorities are involved and they do not hand work to each other. The city's Bürgerservice does the Anmeldung; the StädteRegion Aachen's Ausländeramt issues the permit, from its own building on its own appointment system. Book the second the day you finish the first, or you will find in week six that nothing is in progress.

Source: StädteRegion Aachen — Ausländeramt

Your driving licence comes from the same second government.

The Führerscheinstelle is part of the StädteRegion's Straßenverkehrsamt, not the city. The city's Bürgerservice can take in a replacement application and forward it, but the decision and every exchange case sit with the StädteRegion. If you are exchanging a foreign licence inside its six-month window, that is who you need an appointment with.

Source: StädteRegion Aachen — Führerscheinstelle

Do the paperwork outside the university intake if you possibly can.

RWTH enrolled 44,382 students in winter semester 2025/26 and 36% of them are international, which means several thousand people needing the same two appointments in the same fortnight every autumn. Arriving in February rather than September is worth several weeks of waiting.

Source: RWTH Aachen — enrolment figures WS 2025/26

Church tax is 9% in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Declaring church membership at Anmeldung triggers automatic deduction of 9% of your income tax — the standard German rate, against 8% in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is decided in a five-minute appointment most newcomers do not know has a price.

Source: Finanzverwaltung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming the city's Anmeldung appointment has also started the residence permit.
Looking for the Ausländerbehörde on the city's website when it belongs to the StädteRegion.
Arriving in the last week of September and expecting either appointment inside a fortnight.
Declaring church membership without realising it triggers 9% church tax.
Accepting a general work permit when you qualify for an EU Blue Card.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.