Moving to Munich with kids: your first 90 days

Checked 16 October 2026. Rules and procedures change; please confirm details with the responsible office.

Week 1–2: register your address

Everyone who moves into a flat in Germany must register (Anmeldung) at the local citizens' office within two weeks. In Munich that is a Bürgerbüro of the Kreisverwaltungsreferat. Bring passports for all family members, your landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and, where relevant, birth and marriage certificates. Your registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) is the key to almost everything else, including your tax ID and Kindergeld.

Appointments can be scarce, so book as soon as you know your moving date.

Week 1–4: start the Kita search

From their first birthday until they start school, children in Germany have a legal entitlement to a childcare place (§ 24 SGB VIII). In Munich, demand is high, especially for under-threes, so start early:

• Register on the city's online portal kita finder+, which also has an English version. It lists every municipal Kita and many from other providers, and you can register at several at once. For places from September 2027, the deadline is 3 March 2027. Offers then arrive in your kita finder+ account, and you have ten days to accept one, or the place goes to the next family.
• Places also come up during the year, and you can apply for them at any time. If you have no place by your planned start date, your registration stays valid for five more months.
• Contact bilingual and private Kitas directly; many keep their own waiting lists.
• Consider a Tagespflege (registered childminder, usually for small groups of under-threes) as a bridge.
• Ask your employer whether they have reserved places or a family service.

Once you have a place, plan two to six weeks for the settling-in period. Our guide to the Eingewöhnung explains how it works.

Month 1: find a paediatrician

In Germany, children see a paediatrician (Kinderarzt) for routine check-ups called U-Untersuchungen (U1 to U9, then J1 for teenagers), and for vaccinations. Bring your child's vaccination records and any medical documents from home, ideally translated. Many Munich practices are full, so call several, ask your health insurer for help, and look for practices that list English among their languages. Before your child starts Kita, you need proof of measles protection: one vaccination from the first birthday, two from the second. Some Kitas also ask for the latest check-up.

Month 1–2: apply for Kindergeld

Most families resident in Germany are entitled to Kindergeld (child benefit), paid monthly by the Familienkasse of the Federal Employment Agency. You will need your tax IDs and your children's tax IDs, which arrive by post after registration. In 2026 it is €259 per child per month. The Familienkasse pays it for at most six months before the month your application arrives, so apply soon after your tax IDs come.

School-age children

In Bavaria, children who turn six by 30 September start school that September. For children born between 1 July and 30 September, parents may choose to start a year later; the school needs your written statement by 10 April. Every child must be registered at the state primary school for your address (Sprengelschule) on enrolment day (Schuleinschreibung). In Munich the next one is on 3 March 2027. If you choose a private or international school, you still have to tell the Sprengelschule. International and bilingual schools have their own applications and often waiting lists.

From the 2026/27 school year, children in their first year of primary school have a legal right to all-day care (Ganztag): up to eight hours on weekdays, school hours included, and care in most school holidays. The right grows by one school year at a time until it covers all four primary years. In Munich you apply for an all-day class or a Tagesheim on enrolment day, and for an after-school club (Hort) through kita finder+.

About 18 months before school starts, Bavaria also checks every child's German. The guide on bilingual children explains how the German language screening works.

The part no checklist covers: your children

Young children cannot say "I miss my old room and my best friend". They show it: through clinginess, tantrums, sleep problems or "baby" behaviour they had grown out of. That is a normal response to big change, and it usually eases as life becomes predictable again.

• Unpack the children's things first. A familiar bed, toys and night-light help the new place feel like home.
• Keep anchors steady. Same bedtime routine, same breakfast, same songs, even if everything around them changes.
• Name the feelings. "You miss Grandma. That's sad. Shall we draw her a picture?"
• Build new rituals. A weekly trip to the same playground or bakery gives children something to look forward to.
• Look after yourself too. Children settle better when their parents do. Expat networks and parent groups are a good place to find your own people.