Munich is an easy city to love and a slightly harder one to start in. Plenty of people at work will switch to English the moment you hesitate. The woman at the Bürgerbüro counter, the landlord’s agent with twenty other applicants behind you, and the older neighbour on the second floor may not.
You don’t need fluent German for those first weeks. You need a handful of sentences for four specific situations, and the confidence to say them slowly. This guide covers the flat viewing, the Anmeldung, finding a Hausarzt, and the people you share a stairwell with. Every phrase comes with an English gloss so you can practise it out loud before you need it.
Start with a Munich hello
Before any of the practical stuff, learn how people greet each other here. In Bavaria you will hear Grüß Gott (literally “God greet you”, used as a polite “hello”) in shops, offices and stairwells.
Servus is the friendly, informal version you’ll hear between people who know each other, and it works for both hello and goodbye. Standard Guten Tag is perfectly fine everywhere, so don’t worry about sounding local.
A greeting matters more than it seems. Walking up to a counter and launching straight into a question in English can come across as abrupt. Saying Grüß Gott or Guten Tag first, then asking for help, changes the tone of the whole exchange.
Flat viewings: short questions, ready documents
Anyone who has looked for a flat in Munich knows the market is competitive. Viewings can be busy, sometimes with several applicants at once, and the agent or landlord often wants to know quickly whether you’re serious. Your German here doesn’t need to be elegant. It needs to show that you understand the basics and have your papers ready.
The words you’ll see in every listing are worth learning before your first viewing:
- Kaltmiete: the base rent, without heating or service costs
- Nebenkosten: the additional costs (building services, water, rubbish collection, and so on)
- Warmmiete: the total rent including those costs and usually heating
- Kaution: the deposit, which German law caps at three months of Kaltmiete
Questions that are worth asking at the viewing:
- Ist die Wohnung noch frei? (Is the flat still available?)
- Was ist in den Nebenkosten enthalten? (What is included in the service costs?)
- Ist die Heizung in der Warmmiete enthalten? (Is heating included in the warm rent?)
- Ab wann ist die Wohnung frei? (From when is the flat available?)
- Gibt es eine Einbauküche? (Is there a fitted kitchen?) Many German flats are rented without one, so this question matters.
- Welche Unterlagen brauchen Sie von mir? (Which documents do you need from me?)
That last question often leads to a familiar list. Landlords commonly ask for a Selbstauskunft (a tenant self-disclosure form), recent Gehaltsnachweise (payslips), a copy of your ID, and sometimes a SCHUFA-Auskunft (a German credit report) or a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung (a letter from your previous landlord confirming you owe no rent). Requirements vary between landlords, so ask rather than guess.
If you want the flat, say so clearly before you leave: Ich habe großes Interesse an der Wohnung.
(I’m very interested in the flat.) Then follow up in writing if they’ve given you an email address.
The Anmeldung at the KVR or a Bürgerbüro
Registering your address, the Anmeldung, is one of the first official steps after you move in. Under German federal law you’re generally expected to register within two weeks of moving into a new home. In Munich, registration is handled by the city’s Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR) and its Bürgerbüros (citizens’ offices) around the city. Appointments, opening hours and the exact documents can change, so check the City of Munich’s official website for the current process and book an appointment there before you go.
In general you’ll need a valid passport or ID card, the registration form, and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, a confirmation from your landlord that you’ve moved in. Ask your landlord for that confirmation as soon as you sign. It’s much easier to get on the day you collect the keys than three weeks later by email.
At the counter, these lines will carry you a long way:
- Grüß Gott, ich habe einen Termin um zehn (Hello, I have an appointment at ten o’clock.)
- Ich möchte meinen Wohnsitz (I’d like to register my address.)
- Ich bin neu in München. (I’m new in)
- Fehlt noch etwas? (Is anything still missing?)
- Was bedeutet dieses Feld? (What does this field mean?)
- Bekomme ich eine Meldebescheinigung? (Will I get a registration certificate?)
The Meldebescheinigung is the printed confirmation that you’re registered. Keep it somewhere safe, because banks, employers and other offices may ask for it. After registering for the first time in
Germany, your tax identification number (Steuer-Identifikationsnummer) is normally sent to your registered address by post, which is one more reason to make sure your name is on the letterbox.
Finding a Hausarzt, and what to do before you have one
In Germany, your Hausarzt (family doctor or GP) is usually your first stop for anything that isn’t an emergency. You can generally choose your own practice. In a large, busy city some practices aren’t taking new patients, so it’s worth looking for one before you actually feel ill.
When you call or visit a practice, try:
- Nehmen Sie noch neue Patienten auf? (Are you still taking new patients?)
- Ich bin gesetzlich (I have statutory health insurance.) Or Ich bin privat versichert. (I have private health insurance.)
- Ich hätte gern einen (I’d like an appointment.)
- Haben Sie diese Woche noch einen Termin frei? (Do you have an appointment free this week?)
- Spricht jemand in der Praxis Englisch? (Does anyone in the practice speak English?)
If you have statutory insurance, bring your health insurance card (Gesundheitskarte) to the appointment. Once you’re with the doctor, short sentences are your friend:
- Ich habe seit drei Tagen (I’ve had a cough for three days.)
- Es tut hier (It hurts here.)
- Ich nehme regelmäßig dieses (I take this medication regularly.) Showing the packet helps.
For a life-threatening emergency, call 112. For urgent medical help outside practice hours, or for help finding an appointment, Germany’s patient service number is 116 117. At night and on Sundays, pharmacies take turns staying open as the Notdienst (emergency service); the notice in any pharmacy window will point you to the nearest one.
The neighbours: small lines, good relationships
Munich buildings tend to run smoothly because people follow the house rules, the Hausordnung, which usually hangs near the entrance or comes with your rental contract. It covers things like quiet times, the bins, and shared spaces such as the cellar or the bike room. Reading it once with a translation app will save you awkward conversations later.
Two practical details that newcomers often miss: put your name on both the letterbox (Briefkasten) and the doorbell (Klingel) as soon as you can, or post and parcels may not reach you. And learn the rubbish system. Households sort waste into separate bins, and in Munich some items, such as glass bottles, go to shared recycling points called Wertstoffinseln. Check the city’s waste management information for what goes where.
When you meet people on the stairs:
- Grüß Gott, ich bin neu hier im (Hello, I’m new in the building.)
- Ich wohne im dritten (I live on the third floor.)
- Haben Sie vielleicht ein Paket für mich angenommen? (Did you happen to take in a parcel for me?)
- Wissen Sie, wo die Mülltonnen sind? (Do you know where the bins are?)
- Wir machen am Samstag eine kleine Ich hoffe, das stört nicht. (We’re having a small get-together on Saturday. I hope it won’t bother you.)
That last one is a small courtesy that goes a long way. A note on the board by the door, written in simple German, does the same job.
When the German runs out
It will run out, usually at the worst moment. That’s normal. What helps is having a few repair phrases ready so that you can keep the conversation going instead of going silent:
- Wie bitte? (Sorry, what was that?)
- Langsamer, (Slower, please.)
- Habe ich das richtig verstanden? (Did I understand that correctly?)
- Können Sie mir das per E-Mail schicken? (Can you send me that by email?)
Most people in Munich will meet you halfway if they see you’re trying. A slow, slightly wrong sentence in German usually lands better than a fast one in English.
Pick the situation you’re most nervous about, say its lines out loud a few times this week, and go from there.
About the author
Elliot Ma is the founder of Lumi Language, a small AI tutor for people with a real speaking deadline: a move, a flat viewing, a registration appointment, a doctor’s visit. It teaches eleven languages from English and is free to start, with no ads.
