Herzlich willkommen to Germany!

Germany - one of the well-known Central European country, with the capital in Berlin.
An total area ca. 357,2 km^2. There you can find sea, mountains, rivers, abandoned castles, UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, characteristic architecture, traditional villages, mysterious towns, huge cities, fast highways and many, many more...









Germany consists of 16 regions (ger. Länder) which are: 

from: www.viewsoftheworld.net

• Baden-Württemberg (capital Stuttgart)
• Bavaria (capital Munich)
• Berlin (capital Berlin)
• Brandenburg (capital Potsdam)
• Bremen (capital Bremen)
• Hamburg (capital Hamburg)
• Hesse (capital Wiesbaden)
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (capital Schwerin)
• Lower Saxony (capital Hanover)
• North Rhine-Westphalia (capital Düsseldorf)
• Rhineland-Palatine (capital Mainz)
• Saarland (capital Saarbrücken)
• Saxony (capital Dresden)
• Saxony-Anhalt (capital Magdeburg)
• Schleswig-Holstein (capital Kiel)
• Thuringia (capital Erfurt)

We felt in love with one of them, Bavaria. For some time we are exploring this region, meeting and experiencing its culture, architecture and habits.
And now we want to share with you first 6 steps which you should do if you want to live in Germany.

1. Find a flat

Finding a flat depends mostly on the region. In Bavaria (especially in big cities) it's really hard to find a flat because of high interest in renting. Hence, the situation is reversed so the owner of the flat choose the one who will live there, which can be named as "casting for a renter".

On the other hand, flats does not contain furniture, sometimes even the kitchen is empty. Thus new renter has to invest a lot in the new furniture. 

2. Registration

After moving to a German town you have to register yourself in Town Hall under your living address. You have seven days for completing registration procedure. For this you need following documents: personal ID and rental agreement (or act of ownership of the property). Together with your registration you will obtain your personal tax number, which will come to you by post on the given address.

3. Create a bank account

For most of expenses you will need a German account. Markets usually does not accept foreign cards, so everyday shopping can be paid only by cash or by German card. On the other hand, regular expenses as internet fee etc. are only possible with German accounts. Hence the money is automatically taken from the account each month, without need of making a bank transfer (this is standard option in Germany, for exceptions sometimes you have to pay extra fee). Moreover, the number of characters in your account number may be different with German standards so the bank transfers e.g. with your salary may not be delivered or at least they can be late.

4. Get a German phone number

It is also very important to have a German phone number. It is helpful with reducing cost of your bank account as well as it allows you to perform online banking.  

5. Pay regularly national TV and Radio taxes

Every inhabitant of Germany after registration is obliged to pay TV and radio taxes for each apartment. After not paying for six months the additional fine will be added to your bill. Even with relocation to other city within Germany you TV and Radio account stays the same, so there is no possibility of running away from paying this tax. It cost 17,5 euro per month and it should be paid each three months.

6. Register your car

If you stay in Germany longer than 1 year and you have your own car, you have to register it in the city where you live. It is connected with road tax and car insurance which has to be paid in Germany.    

Altstadt in Herzogenaurach

Furthermore, for most of our friends Germany is too close to Poland for visiting it during dedicated trips. They mostly choose further countries without even stopping here. That is the reason why we want to introduce our neighborhood of living in following posts.