No confirmation? Do this first
You cannot complete your Anmeldung (address registration) without a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung — the written confirmation, signed by whoever provides your home, that you actually moved in. The first thing to know is that your landlord is legally required to give it to you: under §19 of the Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG), "der Wohnungsgeber ist verpflichtet, bei der Anmeldung mitzuwirken." So if they're stalling, you are not asking a favour — you are asking them to meet a legal duty. Send them a short written request (email is fine) naming the confirmation, the move-in date, and the BMG deadline. If you're in temporary housing, ask the hotel, hostel or serviced-apartment management to sign as your housing provider — they can, and often will. The full step-by-step for the appointment itself is in the Anmeldung guide.
Why no confirmation blocks the whole chain
The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is the single hard gate in front of your registration, and registration is the gate in front of almost everything else. No confirmation → no Anmeldung → no Meldebescheinigung, and without that you can't get your tax ID (so your employer taxes you at the painful tax class 6), most traditional banks won't fully onboard you, and your residence-permit appointment at the Ausländerbehörde is missing a required document. This is the dependency the registration step exists to unblock — which is exactly why a missing signature is so much bigger than it looks. The good news: the document the registration office needs is small and §19 BMG defines exactly what it must contain — the provider's name and address (and the owner's, if different), the move-in date, the address, and your name.
If your landlord refuses to sign
A landlord who simply won't cooperate is breaking the law. Under §19(1) BMG the housing provider must confirm the move-in within two weeks of it — the same window you have to register (§17 BMG). Failing to confirm is an Ordnungswidrigkeit that can be fined up to €1,000 (§54 BMG, 2026). Your ladder:
- Put the request in writing. A dated email citing §19 BMG and the two-week duty is often enough on its own — it signals you know the rule.
- Give a deadline and the legal basis. State that the confirmation is owed within the registration period and that refusal is a finable offence under §54 BMG.
- Escalate to the Meldebehörde. Your local registration office can require the provider to confirm; tell them the provider is refusing.
- Keep proof. Save your tenancy agreement and your written requests — they document your good-faith attempt while the 14-day clock runs.
We can't promise the office will waive a late-registration fine, but a documented refusal by your landlord is exactly the kind of circumstance authorities weigh.
No permanent address yet (hotel, Airbnb, sublet)
If the problem isn't a stubborn landlord but that you simply don't have a registrable home yet, be realistic about what works:
- Hotels, hostels and serviced apartments can sign a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung if your stay is long enough that registration applies — the management acts as your Wohnungsgeber. This is a legitimate stopgap.
- Short Airbnb / holiday lets usually can't be registered: the host isn't set up as a Wohnungsgeber and the place isn't your genuine main residence. Don't count on it.
- A formal sublet (Untermiete) works if your main tenant has the landlord's permission to sublet and signs as your housing provider.
If none of these fit, the honest answer is that the highest-value thing you can do is secure a registrable address fast — the rest of your setup is waiting on it. Meanwhile, the no-Anmeldung-appointment guide covers the other Anmeldung blocker — when you have the confirmation but no free slot.
The friend's-address trap — don't do it
When people get desperate, someone always suggests "just register at a friend's place." Don't. §19(6) BMG makes it illegal to offer or provide an address for registration when no real move-in happens or is intended, and §54 BMG punishes a sham registration (Scheinanmeldung) with a fine of up to €50,000 — for both you and the person who "lent" you the address. It can also unravel later: your registered address drives your tax office, your residence-permit file and official mail, so a false one creates problems exactly when you can least afford them. Registering somewhere you genuinely live — even a hotel for a few weeks — is fine; registering somewhere you don't is not a loophole, it's an offence.
Once you're registered — what unlocks
The moment your Anmeldung goes through and you hold the Meldebescheinigung, the chain reopens: your tax ID is mailed within a couple of weeks, you can finish opening a bank account, and you can book the residence-permit step with a complete document set. Track the order so nothing stalls again: see where registration sits in first steps in Germany, or build your checklist to see exactly what your Anmeldung blocks — and what you can already do while you chase the signature.