Formalities when Entering Germany

I was supposed to receive my residence permit and was told I have to register with the police. What is meant by this? Does not having a residence permit mean that I am registered in the town where I live?

Receiving a residence permit does not mean you are registered with the "police". It only gives you the right to stay here. Your permit was granted by the foreigners authority (Aus­län­der­amt) and not the police. These are two very different authorities. Everybody who lives in Germany must register at the "police station" having jurisdiction over his or her neighborhood. This applies to everyone – Germans as well as foreigners. Police registration means simply to declare your address (residence) in the city in which you are living. A fine can be imposed for not registering with the police.
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This page will help you understand what formal requirements have to be met by everyone when wanting to live in Germany.

Requirements for your passport picture:

Two identical photos need to be submitted. One must be pasted on the application form, and the other photo should be submitted loose.

• The photo needs to display a full frontal view of the face. The size of the face from the bottom of your chin to the hairline must be between 1 ¼ inches and 1 3/8 inches.Please look directly into the camera with a neutral expression and without smiling.
• The image of your face must be sharp, clear, and with sufficient contrast. Please avoid photos with reflections or shadows on the face or with red eyes. The background should be neutral and light, providing sufficient contrast to the face and hair (best a neutral gray). Reflection from glasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses is not permitted. The eyes cannot be hidden by the glass frames.
• The photo needs to be printed on high-quality paper with at least 600 dpi resolution; the colors must present a natural appearance and skin tone. The photo must not have kinks,scratches or stains.
• Only color photos are acceptable.
• Photos must be of a high quality.
• Photos must not have any stapler pin marks disfiguring the face or the background.
• Photos should have a light background.
• Proportion of the head in the photo must be 70-80% of the complete photo.

Relevant Articles Previously Published:

• Photo Requirements for Visas

What does it mean to have assured means of subsistence? Don't tell me I have to have to have as much money as a Rockefeller!

Your means of subsistence are considered to be assured if you yourself can meet the cost of living, and have sufficient health insurance coverage without having to make a claim on public funds. In numbers this means for persons able to work: € 345, for persons not able to work € 275 (§20 SGB-II). Please understand these limits as a minimum - if you can show that you have/earn more, the better it will be. Follow a recent judgment of BVerwG ("How Much Income Suffices for a Visa? ") you will have to subtract the deductions from your income and when then the above amounts are easily achieved you will have sufficient income. Practically, this means that you have to show at least twice as much as the above rates.
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How do I show that I have assured means of livelihood?

This can be shown via bank statements, credit cards, tax auditor's statement of interest, dividends, etc. Best will be to have a tax consulting lawyer or tax consultant (from home) issue an income statement on a certain form provided by foreigners office.
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What does it mean to have sufficient health insurance?

Health insurance is considered sufficient if it includes such benefits as medical treatment by a doctor, dentist treatment, treatment in a hospital, and treatment for childbirth during pregnancy - and all this inside of Germany.
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May I continue on my insurance from home?

Generally, it is of no concern where you insurance company is located; but when your policy is in English it would be best to supply a simple translation. The policies of all foreign insurance companies will be checked with more scrutiny. Do reckon with some trouble or worst a denial. A denial will be guaranteed when your policy has some kind of financial limitations – even if only in the millions.
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What is better statutory or private insurance?

Your insurance may not have greater exclusions and provide for your bigger co-payments, as well as no limitations of coverage of the costs to be covered in case of sickness, no determination clause relating to age / giving up an employment / change of residence purpose / loss of legal status. When you are in the statutory health insurance system as a mandatory (§5 SGB-V), family member (§10 SGB-V), or voluntarily member (§9 SGB-V), then you are always sufficiently insured. You will only have to produce a membership certificate. To know more about the health insurance system in Germany, click here.
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Need an insurance? Check out the LG2G directory on "insurances"!!

I was supposed to receive my residence permit and was told I have to register with the police. What is meant by this? Does not having a residence permit mean that I am registered in the town where I live?

Receiving a residence permit does not mean you are registered with the "police". It only gives you the right to stay here. Your permit was granted by the foreigners authority (Ausländeramt) and not the police. These are two very different authorities. Everybody who lives in Germany must register at the "police station" having jurisdiction over his or her neighborhood. This applies to everyone – Germans as well as foreigners. Police registration means simply to declare your address (residence) in the city in which you are living. A fine can be imposed for not registering with the police.
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At which "police station" do I have to register?

Though the formal requirement is still called "police registration (polizeiliche Anmeldung)", be aware that at most municipalities, you do not register at the police but at the “Meldestelle” or "Einwohnermeldeamt" in your city hall. Even in this case, you register at the “police”. The easiest way to find out where to register is to call the town hall and ask. Do not delay registration because you only have two weeks to get it done – by law. Practical experience, however, shows that the administration will be happy as long as if you claim to have a rental contract no older than six months, and as long as you tell them you moved in within the past week.
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