Once I move, I will no longer be able to have an account at my bank in Karlsruhe… because Germans are awkward and only allow you to bank at a specific branch. But I will still need a German bank account for my wages, so I decided to open one at the online bank where Jan has his account. I got all the forms, filled them in just fine and was ready to send them off… or at least I thought I was…
To send these forms, you have to use a procedure called “PostIdent”, which means you place the filled in form in an envelope then take it to the post office, give a separate little card to the post office employee and show your ID. The post office employee uses the extra form to confirm that you are who you say you are, sends your completed form plus the PostIdent thing to the bank and your account is set up. Easy! I had planned to do that tonight after work, but then I noticed the small print: “If using a passport for ID, you will also need to include a copy of your registration confirmation that’s no more than 6 months old”. So now I need to go to the citizen’s office (which is only open while I’m atwork!), pay 8 euros for a copy of the bit of paper that says I’m registered as living in Karlsruhe, put that in the envelope and then I can finally go to the post office and send off my form.
Could just one thing in this moving process not be complicated?!
That sounds unnecessarily persnickety – sorry! Hope all the hassle is over with soon! xxx
I guess I need to prove that I actually live where I say I do. *sigh*
Ah Germany 🙂 Just when you think you’ve got her figured out, she surprises you with more admin nightmares!
Yep! And of course it has to be paid for in person (well, they will let you do it by post if you send them a check, but German banks don’t give out check books so I’m not sure where this magical check is supposed to come from?)
Ha ha! This is madness! 🙂
Oh my word it sounds worse than the identity checks in the UK!
I have to prove that I currently live where I say I live, and the only way you can prove that as a non-German is with a copy of your registration form (you have to re-register every time you move). Germans get a sticker in their passport so they don’t need a registration form.
Try it just with the passport and/or the ‘Anmeldungsformular’ you have! I did exactly the same thing a few months back and totally didn’t see that small print! My ‘Anmeldungsformular’ is most certainly older than six months and I don’t even remember showing it… If I did than the post office people obviously didn’t read or care about the small print either! As you were planning to do it anyway, it’s not going to be an entire waste of time and it might just work! Good luck! 🙂 xxx
They don’t want me to show it to the post office people… I have to put the Meldbestätigung in the envelope to send to the bank! So if it doesn’t work I guess I get my form back and have to start over.
Oh wow! Sorry, I totally misunderstood! I didn’t have to do that with my bank… I guess different banks, different rules… 😛
No worries. It couldn’t just be the same rule for everyone… that would be too easy!
Red tape much? 🙂 Sorry you have to deal with these administrative nightmares!
It does my head in! And as soon as I’ve got the confirmation that I’m registered as living here, I have to fill in the next form to say I want to deregister!
Yuck.
urgh, frustrating. I always get the feeling, since the LOVE bureaucracy in Belgium, that there’s always one more form to fill out, one more person to see, one more week to wait and then this repeats and nothing ever happens. Oh and the fact that no one seems to know what they are doing.
I really don’t miss that aspect of living in Germany. I hate that the official German government-issued ID was not enough to identify me at the post office; only a passport is valid enough. Good luck with everything!
Oh dear I understand your frustration, Im not sure who decided to make the world so complicated its all so unnecessary and I’m sure these things are put in place to test us !
Yes, the ones who are willing to jump through all the hoops get the things!
Deutsche Bürokratie! *sigh* so annoying! I am really sorry!
I know – forms for everything!
ugh, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! so frustrating. i feel like i have had to do some really ridiculous, pointless, expensive stuff for my moving as well (well, moving from aus to usa is a bit different i guess haha)
I can imagine that must be a million times more annoying! 8 euros isn’t that much, it’s just the wasted time and the place I have to go is only open when I’m at work.
Oh my goodness, that sounds so complicated! Good luck with everything, hoping for a nice and easy move for you guys 🙂
Thank you. Jan officially moves today, but he’s already registered so there’s not much to do. I have it all to come!
Blah! This type of thing really does do my head in. I loathe moving house.
Ahrgh!!!!! Schade!!! That is a right pain. Buerocracy eh!?!?
I know, so annoying! I maanged to get the bit of paper I needed and sent off the forms yesterday, so hopefully I’ll have a new bank acocunt soon!
How are you even surprised by this epic faff? You of all people should understand the faff of Germany!!!