Registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung, issued by Bürgeramt)
Registration
The Rundfunkbeitrag is the mandatory contribution from every household to fund ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. The principle: one household — one contribution, regardless of how many people live there.
How to register
Registration is fully online at rundfunkbeitrag.de. You need your personal details and bank account information for a SEPA direct debit. No documents need to be uploaded.
Deadline
This is a legal duty, not a suggestion: § 8 (1) RBStV requires you to report the move-in without delay (unverzüglich). Failing to report the start of liability within one month is a regulatory offence (§ 12 (1) no. 1 RBStV) and can be fined. In practice the advice matches the money side: do it in the first week after your Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt.
I registered at rundfunkbeitrag.de myself in week one — did not wait for a letter. It would come anyway, and self-registration avoids a surprise back-charge for months.
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Lea recommends:
Keep the contribution number from the confirmation: needed for moving, cancelling and changing the payer in a shared flat. I keep it with my tax ID and Kindergeld number.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Just arrived — must I register myself?▾
Yes, if no letter came. The Beitragsservice writes to addresses from the registration register, but the duty from 18.36 € starts once you are the flat holder — not when the letter arrives.
Per person or per flat?▾
Per flat: 18.36 € is paid by one household regardless of occupants. A family or couple pays once, not per head — the key fact that saves hundreds in shared flats.
I do not watch TV — still pay?▾
Yes. Since 2013 the fee is device-independent — the flat pays. Exemption is only on social grounds, not for having no television.