Checked on 23 October 2026
How do I get my Steuer-ID (tax number) in Germany?
In Germany, you do not have to apply for a tax number: the steuerliche Identifikationsnummer (Steuer-ID or IdNr, an 11-digit tax identification number) is assigned to you automatically after your Anmeldung (address registration). The Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (BZSt, the federal tax office) sends it to you by post, by post only. It is valid for life and does not change if you move or change your name.
- Costs
- Free (no fee mentioned by the BZSt)
- Timeframes
- Sent by post after the Anmeldung; follow-up possible after three months without a reply
Steps
- Do your Anmeldung at your municipality's Meldebehörde (see sheet DE-SEJOUR-TOUS-001). It is the Meldebehörde that passes your data to the BZSt: without an Anmeldung, no Steuer-ID.
- Put your name on your letterbox. The Steuer-ID is communicated only by letter, never by telephone.
- Wait for the letter from the BZSt. The BZSt assigns you the number as soon as the Meldebehörde has passed your data to it.
- If nothing arrives after three months, send the BZSt a copy of your identity document and of your Meldebestätigung (certificate of registration). The BZSt then contacts your Meldebehörde.
- If you have lost your number, ask for it to be sent to you again using the BZSt's online form (Eingabeformular) or by post. You can also find it on your income tax assessment or on your salary certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung).
- If you are setting up as self-employed, you also need a Steuernummer (tax file number): send the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung (tax registration questionnaire) to the Finanzamt (tax office) via ELSTER, within the month following the start of your activity. The Finanzamt sends you the Steuernummer by post.
Documents
- For automatic assignment: no document to send to the BZSt; everything goes through your Anmeldung.
- For a follow-up after three months: copy of your identity document and of your Meldebestätigung.
- For a self-employed activity: an ELSTER account (online tax portal) to send the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung; the application must be made online since 1 January 2021.
Costs and timelines
- Cost: the BZSt mentions no fee.
- Timeline: the BZSt gives no precise timeline. It provides for a follow-up if no number has been communicated after three months.
- Self-employed people: questionnaire to be sent within the month following the start of the activity.
Common pitfalls
- Starting a job without a Steuer-ID. The Steuer-ID appears on your salary certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung): your employer will ask you for it. Do your Anmeldung as soon as possible after moving in.
- Confusing Steuer-ID and Steuernummer. The Steuer-ID is personal and for life; the Steuernummer is a file number assigned by the Finanzamt, in particular to self-employed people.
- Asking for a new number. If you have lived in Germany before, you already have a Steuer-ID: it remains valid, have it sent to you again.
- No name on the letterbox. The BZSt specifies that, for the letter to be delivered properly, your surname must appear on the letterbox.
- Children too. Each child registered with the Meldebehörde receives their own Steuer-ID by post.
What changes by country of origin
- EU and EEA citizens: same procedure as for a German. The Steuer-ID automatically follows the Anmeldung.
- Swiss citizens: same procedure, the Anmeldung triggers the assignment.
- British citizens (Scots included): same mechanism as soon as you are registered with the Meldebehörde. Your residence permit (third-country national since Brexit) is applied for separately, from the Ausländerbehörde (see DE-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
- If you work in Germany without living there (a cross-border worker, for example), it is the Finanzamt responsible for your employer (Betriebsstättenfinanzamt) that has the Steuer-ID assigned.