Moving to Berlin with Children: A Step by Step Guide
It is September in Berlin, and children all over the city are starting the new school year, first graders carrying the traditional “Schultüte” – cardboard cones filled with sweets and small gifts. If you are planning a family move to Germany, you are probably picturing your own child in a scene like that one day: settled, in school, at home in their new city.
Getting there involves a series of steps: registering your address, applying for a Kita voucher, enrolling in school, claiming family benefits, and reviewing your tax details. Each step builds on the one before it, so the order you approach them in makes a real difference to how smoothly the process runs.
We have guided hundreds of families through this journey. In this guide, we walk through each step in the order the German system asks for them, with the practical details that help you plan with confidence.
Why the order of steps matters
The key thing to understand is that most of the steps for your children flow from your address.
Your Anmeldung, the official registration of your address, requires a confirmed home. The Kita voucher requires your Anmeldung. Your school district is determined by where you live. Your tax ID arrives after your Anmeldung, and your Kindergeld eligibility begins with your residence permit rather than your arrival date.
Once you see this chain, planning becomes much simpler: secure your home, register your address, and then work through the remaining steps in turn. The rest of this guide takes each one in that order.
Your home and your Anmeldung
Everything begins with securing your accommodation, whether that is a temporary apartment or your long-term home. Once you have moved in, the next step is the Anmeldung, the registration of your address at the Bürgeramt. This is required within 14 days of moving in, and you will typically need your passports and a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, a confirmation form from your landlord.
Bürgeramt appointments in Berlin can be booked online, and it is worth booking as soon as an appointment is available, because the Anmeldung unlocks so much of what follows: your tax ID, your bank account, your Kita voucher application, and more. Handling the Anmeldung is one of the services we provide for our client families, including preparing the documents and accompanying you to the appointment.
How the Kita search works
To secure a Kita place in Berlin, you need a Kita voucher, the Kita-Gutschein. To apply for the voucher, you need your Anmeldung. And to complete your Anmeldung, you need a confirmed address.
This means the Kita search begins once you have your home. It is natural to want childcare arranged before you arrive, and you can certainly familiarise yourself with how the system works in advance. For the search itself, though, your address matters a great deal: proximity to home shapes daily Kita life, and knowing your neighbourhood lets you search in a focused way. Our suggestion is to put your early energy into the housing search. Once your home is confirmed, begin looking at Kitas close to it, then complete your Anmeldung and apply for your Kita voucher straight away. Where possible, visit the Kitas on your shortlist in person. The feel of a place tells you a great deal.
Two helpful things to know as you plan. Bilingual Kitas are popular and places are limited, so it helps to consider a range of options rather than a single preferred Kita. And the Berlin Kita landscape has improved in recent years, with more places available than in the past, so recent information will give you a clearer picture than older forum discussions.
How school enrolment works for newly arrived families
School enrolment in Berlin goes through the Schulamt, the school authority for your district. Because school districts follow your address, your choice of neighbourhood and your choice of school are closely connected. If schools are a priority for your family, it is worth researching the schools in an area before committing to a home there. Once your address is confirmed, contact your local Schulamt to begin the enrolment process.
For most newly arrived children, the path into the school system includes a welcome class, the Willkommensklasse. This is a smaller class where children focus on learning German before joining a regular classroom. Younger children sometimes join a regular class directly, while older children usually spend time in a welcome class first.
The welcome class serves an important purpose: it gives your child the language foundation to join a regular classroom feeling prepared and confident. Berlin schools are well subscribed, which can limit choice, but the enrolment process is well established and families receive places.
If you would like support with this part of the move, from Schulamt registration to understanding the letters that arrive in German, this is a core part of what we do. You can book an online consultation at archer-relocation.com/online-consultation.
Kindergeld: what it is and when to apply
Kindergeld is Germany’s monthly benefit for families, currently approximately 255 euros per child per month (as of 2026).
Two details are helpful to know when planning your application.
First, the timing. Kindergeld cannot be applied for on a visa. Eligibility begins when your residence permit is issued, so it is worth noting that date as soon as you have it.
Second, retroactive claims. Kindergeld can be claimed retroactively for up to six months. If some time has passed since your residence permit was issued and you have not yet applied, you may still be able to claim for those earlier months.
The application is in German, and payments take some time to begin, but they do arrive, including any retroactive amounts you are entitled to. Kindergeld is a meaningful support for a family budget, particularly in the first year.
Tax classes for married couples: what to review after you arrive
If you move as a couple and one partner is not working, your tax class is worth reviewing. Married couples are placed on tax class 4/4 by default, and for many single-income households a different combination is more favourable. The change is made by application rather than automatically.
The application becomes possible once your tax ID arrives, which happens some weeks after your Anmeldung. You can make the change via postal mail at the Finanzamt, or online via Elster, which operates in German.
Putting it all together
Here is the family relocation timeline in order: secure your home, find a kita, complete your Anmeldung, apply for your Kita voucher and contact your Schulamt, then watch for your tax ID and your residence permit so you can take care of the tax class review and the Kindergeld application.
It is a series of manageable steps, and you do not have to work through them alone. We accompany families through every one of them, before, during and after the move, so that your energy can go where it belongs: helping your children feel at home in their new city.
If you are planning a move to Berlin with your family, we would love to hear from you. Book an online consultation at archer-relocation.com/online-consultation, or join our newsletter for regular practical guidance.
You bring the dream. We’ll bring the clarity.
Archer Relocation has been providing relocation services to families, individuals and companies in Berlin since early 2015. Managing Director, Emily Archer, founded the company desiring to use her first-hand experience as an expat to make the relocation process as smooth as possible for others moving to Berlin. Read other useful information about moving to and living in Berlin, such as ‘How to choose the right neighbourhood in Berlin’, on our Berlin Blog.
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