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Settle in Hamburg

I live in Hamburg and I have been through this move, and helped others through it, more times than I can count. Settling here is very doable. It is just unforgiving about order and deadlines, and that is exactly the part I take off your plate.

What this covers

Visas and residence permits

Working out which permit fits your situation, preparing the file, booking the appointment, and knowing what the case worker actually wants to see.

The Anmeldung

Registering your address in the right window, with the right documents, and the confirmation you will need for almost everything else.

Housing

Reading a German rental listing, preparing a landlord application that gets answered, and understanding the deposit, the Nebenkosten, and the handover protocol.

Insurance and banking

Choosing health insurance that is accepted for your permit, opening an account that accepts your situation, and the order to do these in.

Settling in socially

Where to find your people, how the city actually works day to day, and the parts of Hamburg that do not show up in a relocation guide.

How it works

  1. It starts with a call to map your situation and the deadlines that already exist.
  2. I give you an ordered checklist: what to do, in what week, with which documents.
  3. I prepare or review each application with you before it goes in.
  4. I stay reachable while the appointments happen, so a surprise letter is not a crisis.

Germany as a base for Europe

Hamburg is two hours from three other countries by train. Once the paperwork is done, the same planning that got you settled can get you across Europe on weekends.

Travel

What people say

"I arrived in Hamburg with a toddler and no German. Having one person who had done every one of these appointments before me turned a terrifying month into a checklist."

M., relocated from Ecuador Settling

"He walked me through the Anmeldung, the insurance and the bank account in my own language and in the right order. I never felt alone with the bureaucracy."

J., moved from Colombia Settling

"I thought the hard part was the university offer. It was actually the first two weeks after landing. That is exactly where the support was strongest."

S., arrived from Brazil Studying Settling

Related reading

Get in touch

Tell me where you are and where you want to be. I will reply personally.