Assumptions: you hold an EU passport (no visa or residence permit needed), you move alone and you will rent a flat. I can't search here, so confirm each point on the page named. ### 1. The 3 bureaucratic mistakes almost everyone makes 1. Missing the address registration (Anmeldung). It is required within 14 days of moving in (verify). Cost: a possible fine, and no tax ID or bank account until it is done. Fix: get the landlord's confirmation before signing and book the appointment before you land. Deadline: 14 days from the day you move in, proved by the lease start. Check: the Berlin Burgeramt page on service.berlin.de. 2. Leaving health insurance for later. It is mandatory in Germany. Cost: back-dated premiums. Fix: enrol with a public or private insurer in your first weeks. Deadline: from the start of the job. Check: your employer's HR and the insurer you choose. 3. Not sending your tax ID to payroll. The letter arrives by post at your registered address, so no registration means no letter. Cost: payroll may withhold at a higher rate until fixed (verify). Fix: register first, then pass the ID on at once. Check: HR or the Finanzamt. ### 2. Before you sign the lease 1. Will the landlord give the confirmation you need to register? If it is later, walk away. 2. Deposit: usually capped at three months' cold rent, in instalments, held apart from the landlord's money (verify with the Berliner Mieterverein). 3. Real cost: cold vs warm rent, utility advances, electricity, internet, broadcasting fee. 4. Term and exit: fixed or open-ended, notice period (usually three months for tenants, verify), and what if the job ends. 5. Condition report with dated photos and meter readings, signed by both sides. 6. Verify the landlord and the flat: owner's ID, a viewing in person or live video. 7. Agent fee: normally paid by whoever hired the agent (verify). Walk-away red flag: rent or deposit by wire before any viewing, or a landlord abroad who posts the keys. ### 3. Your first 2 weeks - Before you board: originals and copies of ID, contract and birth certificate if needed; book the registration appointment; a cancellable room for week one; keep your Italian card as a bridge. - Days 1-3: eSIM; the landlord's confirmation; photos of the condition report. Deadline: register within 14 days of move-in. - Days 4-14: registration certificate saved; tax ID to your employer when it arrives; bank account; health insurance; electricity and internet in your name with meter readings; broadcasting fee if you get the letter. Hand luggage: originals of the documents above. ### 4. What NOT to bring - Bulky furniture and big appliances: shipping often costs more than buying again. - Mattresses and bedding: sizes differ. - A full winter wardrobe: bring base layers, buy locally after a month. - Gadgets that need an Italian subscription or app. - Just-in-case clothes and paper copies with no scan (anxiety packing). - Medicines without a doctor's letter and original packaging (border risk). For two years: ship little, sell the bulky, store the sentimental. This is practical guidance, not legal or tax advice: rules change and depend on your passport, so confirm deadlines on the official pages before relying on them.